Career Highlights
Derek competed as a professional race car driver for 17 years before becoming a television motorsports personality and businessman. Derek raced in Formula One, Indy Car and World Sports Cars.
Derek went from being a laborer in the iron ore mines of Australia in 1973 to winning the Irish Formula Ford Championship in 1975. Derek as a laborer in the Australian iron ore mines After living in a school bus for a year in 1976, he won the British Formula Three Championship in 1977. That catapulted him into the Formula One World Championship. His Formula One career spanned 49 Grand Prix starts. He was ranked 10th in the World Championship in 1980. In 1983, Derek made his first of 6 starts at the Indianapolis 500.
In 1984, Derek survived one of the worst on track crashes ever seen at the Michigan International Speedway (see Big Crash) . He spent three years in therapy. In 1990, Derek won the prestigious Sebring 12 hour endurance. Just for good measure, he won it again in 1991. He retired from competition in 1992.
Author In 2008, MBI Publishing released Derek’s first book, Race to Win, How to become a Complete Champion. Derek was honored to have Mario Andretti pen the forward. Although the book was written in the context of a motor sports champion, Mario says; “Derek’s book teaches lessons it took guys like me years to learn. Quite honestly, I believe the advice in this book resonates far beyond the racing industry” – Mario Andretti. Derek Daly AcademyPartnering with BMW North America in 1996, Derek opened the most advanced driver training / racing school in the USA – Derek Daly Performance Driving Academy. Derek’s performance driving academy, located at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, has been voted “the best driving school in America” by MOTOR TREND and AUTOMOBILE magazines. Sylvester Stallone chose Derek’s program for his own race driving preparation for the film, Driven. Other professionals to attend the academies driving programs include; Robin Yount, Pete Sampras, Aerosmith, John Oates and Vin Diesel.
Derek's most famous client- Sylvester Stallone ....... with baseball Hall of Famer Robin Yount
MotorVation - Corporate Speaking
In 2002, Derek founded MotorVation, a unique provider of consulting and learning solutions. His belief was that the pace of doing business would only get faster in the future and that the ideal model for the speed of doing business in the future was motorsports. Hence the creation of a company that overlaid the motorsports model over the business model to produce energized learning and enabling environments. Derek now travels the world opening conferences and speaking to corporations about what it reallytakes to build true High Performance Teams.
Bridgestone-Phoenix Listen to me... Television & Radio In 1985 Derek started a ten year association as a motorsport color analyst on ESPN – America’s premier cable sports channel. In 1992 USA Today’s television critic Rudy Martzke, highlighted Derek as “the best new face on sports television”.. A poll sponsored by and featured in IndyCar Racing magazine, voted Derek “the most popular motorsports television announcer”. Derek has worked for NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Fox, ESPN and Speed Channel.
Derek interviews Indy 500 winner, Gil DeFerran .....on the set at CBS Sports doing Formula 1 Special AwardsIn 1993, he received the Joules Goux Award from Moet & Chandon champagne for his outstanding contributions to motorsports television. He was also nominated in the same year for an Ace Award by ESPN. In December 2000, Derek received the prestigious Hall of Fame Award from “MotorSport Ireland” for his leadership of Irish motorsport. Derek Daly-Author In 2008, MBI Publishing released Derek’s first book, Race to Win, How to become a Complete Champion. Derek was honored to have Mario Andretti pen the forward. Although the book was written in the context of a motor sports champion, Mario says; “Derek’s book teaches lessons it took guys like me years to learn. Quite honestly, I believe the advice in this book resonates far beyond the racing industry” – Mario Andretti. Electronic Arts In February 1996, Derek moved into the world of high-tech video games when Electronic Arts signed him to be the voice of its new Andretti Racing video game. EA Sports is best known for top selling video and computer games such as Formula One Racing, John Madden’s NFL Football and NHL Hockey ’96. Irish Children’s FundDerek was one of the primary fundraisers for the Indianapolis chapter of the Irish Children’s Fund. Many famous names such as Arie Luyendyk, Eddie Cheever and Al Unser Jr. supported Derek’s efforts to bring children from war torn Belfast, N. Ireland, to Indianapolis every summer. The goal of the Irish Children’s Fund is to build a long-term program that would promote harmony and friendship without political or religious borders. |
Stock Cars
Derek won the Irish Stock car Championship in Ireland in 1972 ---------------- Formula Ford Derek won the Irish Formula Ford championship in 1975 driving a Crossle 30F
------------------ Formula Ford Festival Derek won the 1976 "Tribute to James" Formula Ford Festival in Brands Hatch, England. He dominated the day winning all heats, quarter final, semi final and final in atrocious wet conditions. The event was so named in celebration of James Hunt winning the Formula One World championship that year ---------------- Formula Three Derek won the British Formula Three championship in 1977, winning the last five races of the season
------------------- Austrian Grand Prix support race At the Austrian Grand Prix Formula One support race for F3 cars, Derek and Nelson Piquet (future 3 times F1 World Champion) waged an epic battle which was won by Derek in a Chevron B38 ----------------- Formula Two Derek won his final Formula Two race in the European Championship in Donington Park, England. He drove for Ron Dennis (McLaren Chairman) in a factory backed March-BMW
------------------------- Formula One Derek actually led his first Formula One race in Silverstone, England. He drove a Hesketh 308 in a non championship race the rain until his visor broke while leading
------------------------- World Sports Cars Derek finished 4th on his first visit to the Le Mans 24 hour race. He drove for the great Jaguar team run by Tom Walkinshaw
------------------------- American IMSA GTP
In Derek's final race at Daytona, he qualified the Nissan GTP car on the pole in the rain --------------------- Testing Magazine Syndication Eleven years after his Formula One career, Derek tested the Williams FW 14 active car in circuit Paul Picard, France. His written story was carried by 10 magazines in 8 languages. Over the next 10 years, the syndication grew to 18 magazines in 12 languages -------------------- |
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