PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz. — World champion race car driver Bob Bondurant died at his Paradise Valley home on Friday at the age of 88.
Bob, a Ten Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee, is survived by his wife Pat Bondurant.
By 23 years old, Bob became "one of the most iconic race car drivers in the world," according to a statement from the Bondurant Racing School.
In 1968, Bob founded the Bondurant Racing School, located at 20000 South Maricopa Road in Chandler, that trained more than 500,000 people worldwide including celebrities like Nicholas Cage, Christian Bale, Tom Cruise and Clint Eastwood.
"Bob said I would give anything Christian if you would drop acting and let me train you to win Lamont. He really had that much confidence in Christian Baile,” said his wife Pat Bondurant.
His wife Pat has assumed the role of president and CEO of the Bondurant Racing School.
“I’m married to Bob Bondurant but he belongs to the world,” said Pat. “I feel him sitting in the front seat of this car looking through the wind shield with his thumbs up.”
The racing school's statement concluded with the following quote from Bob, "My life has been lived in two halves. The first was becoming a world champion driver. The second was teaching the world to become champions."