Eagle-Weslake Soars to Victory: Dan Gurney's Triumph in the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix

The 1967 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race on June 18, 1967, at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium. Dan Gurney, a New York-born racing driver, founded the All American Racers (AAR) team and developed the Eagle race car. Painted in the Imperial Blue livery, The Eagle T1G was powered by a V12 engine developed by Weslake Engineering, hence the name Eagle-Weslake.

In the qualifying session, Jim Clark secured the pole position; Gurney started in second place. The race was held in wet conditions, making it challenging for the drivers. However, Gurney made a strong start, leading the field and maintaining a significant gap throughout the race. Gurney's performance of the Eagle-Weslake car allowed him to keep a comfortable one-minute lead over Jackie Stewart in second place. Finally, Dan Gurney crossed the finish line to claim victory in the Belgian Grand Prix, becoming the first and only American driver to win a Formula One race in a car of his construction. This achievement made Gurney and the Eagle-Weslake team significant figures in motorsport history. Gurney had one of the most successful motorsports weeks just one week before winning the 24 hours of Le Mans in the Ford MKIV with teammate AJ Foyt. Gurney would cap off the Formula 1 season with one additional third-place podium at the Canadian grand prix at Mosport. He also won the ROC Race of Champions at Brands Hatch a few months earlier—a non-championship-sanctioned race.

The 1967 Belgian Grand Prix is often remembered as one of the iconic moments in Formula One, demonstrating the prowess of an independent team and the engineering excellence of the Eagle-Weslake car. AAR-Eagle would drop out of Formula 1 racing after the 1968 season and focus primarily on the IndyCar and IMSA series. The Eagle name would be synonymous with success in motorsports for over 40 years.