Derek Daly
Derek Daly | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 11, 1953 Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupation(s) | Racing driver, entrepreneur, sports commentator |
| Years active | 1977–1991 (racing career) |
| Known for | Formula One driver, British Formula Three Champion 1977, IMSA GTP Champion 1990 |
Derek Patrick Daly (born 11 March 1953) is a former Irish racing driver, entrepreneur, and sports commentator who participated in Formula One from 1978 to 1982.
Originating from Dublin, Daly secured the title in the British Formula Three Championship in 1977 before competing in 64 Formula One Grands Prix, making his debut at the 1978 United States Grand Prix West. Accumulating 15 championship points, he holds the distinction of being the first and highest-scoring Irish competitor in Formula One history. In addition to championship events, he took part in several non-championship races. Following his F1 career, Daly relocated to the United States where he raced in CART and IMSA, leading Nissan to win the IMSA GTP Championship in 1990.
Racing career
Daly honed his abilities in the Irish Formula Ford Championship before entering the European Formula Two Championship in 1977. During 1978 and 1979, he balanced competition between Formula Two and Formula One, securing third place overall in the Formula Two standings both seasons. His full attention shifted to Formula One from 1980 through 1982, with his peak performance occurring in 1980 when he achieved two fourth-place finishes and ended the year ranked 11th in the Drivers' Championship. Among his memorable F1 moments were incidents at the Monaco Grand Prix: a spectacular crash in 1980 involving vaulting over three cars, and a promising run for victory in 1982 that was cut short by gearbox failure.
In 1982, Daly transitioned into the CART series, where he competed until 1989. Over this period, he started 66 CART events, including every Indianapolis 500 from 1983 through 1989 except for the 1986 race. His record includes 21 top-ten finishes and one podium appearance—a third place at Milwaukee in 1987. In September 1984, Daly endured a major accident at the CART PPG Detroit News Grand Prix, sustaining multiple serious injuries.
Daly claimed victory at the prestigious 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race twice consecutively, in 1990 and 1991, piloting a Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo. Remarkably, in the 1990 event, he drove both the winning car as well as the runner-up.
Broadcast and business career
Internationally acknowledged as a driver, author, commentator, motorsport consultant, and businessman, Daly runs MotorVation, a company offering professional services. He has also provided commentary for American television broadcasts of the Champ Car series. Furthermore, Daly is an established public speaker represented by agencies including the National Speakers Bureau.
In 2018, Daly was terminated from his position as a racing analyst at WISH-TV following controversy surrounding an alleged racial slur linked to a 1983 incident involving Indianapolis Colts announcer Bob Lamey. While Daly admitted to using the term, he maintained it was an Irish colloquialism rather than intended offensively as claimed by Lamey. Subsequently, Daly filed a $25 million lawsuit related to this matter. Later that year, U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young ruled in favor of WISH-TV and its parent company, Nexstar Media Group, dismissing all allegations and ordering Daly to pay their legal expenses.
Personal life
Daly became a naturalized U.S. citizen on September 28, 1993, and currently lives in Carmel, Indiana. He is father to three sons: Conor, Colin, and Christian.
Conor Daly is a professional racing driver who began competing full-time in open-wheel racing in 2012 with the Lotus GP team within the GP3. He progressed to the GP2 category in 2014 driving for Venezuela GP Lazarus and made his debut in the IndyCar Series in 2013, racing full-time between 2016 and 2023. Conor also participated in the 2023 Daytona 500, finishing in 29th place.
Daly’s niece, Nicola Daly, represents Ireland internationally as a field hockey player and was part of the team that earned silver at the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup. She is also employed as a data engineer with Juncos Racing.
Career summary
Complete European Formula Two Championship results
(key) (Races shown in bold denote pole position; those in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | Power unit | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Final standing | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:F2 | Chevron Racing | Chevron/B40 | Hart | SIL | THR | HOC | NÜR | VLL | PAU | MUG | ROU | NOG | PER | MIS | EST 5 |
DON | 18th place | 2 points |
| Template:F2 | Chevron Racing | Chevron/B42 | Hart | THR 6 |
HOC 9 |
NÜR Ret |
PAU 9 |
MUG 1 |
VLL 1 |
ROU 11 |
DON Ret |
NOG 3 |
PER 3 |
<style="background:#CFCFFF;">Misano World Circuit#MIS |
3rd overall |
27 points | ||
| Template:F2 | Project Four Racing | March/792 | BMW | SIL 2 |
3rd position |
33 points |
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
rowSpan=3 style= "vertical-align: middle; text-align: center"| 1979 Formula One season#1979 rowSpan=2 style= "vertical-align: middle; text-align: center"| 1980 Formula One season#1980 nowrap style= "vertical-align: middle; text-align: center"|Tyrrell 010 nowrap style= "vertical-align: middle; text-align: center"|Ford Cosworth DFV V8 colspan=3| USW - 8BEL - 9MON - RetFRA -11GBR -4GER -10AUT - RetNED - RetITA - RetCAN - RetUSA - Ret colspan=2| rowSpan=2| 1981 Formula One season#1981 nowrap| March Engineering March GP Team rowSpan=2 nowrap=""| March 811 rowSpan=2 nowrap=""| Ford Cosworth DFV V8 USW - DNQBRA - DNQARG - DNQSMR - DNQBEL - DNQMON - DNPQ colspan=10| rowSpan=2| NC rowSpan=2| 0 nowrap| Guinness Rizla+ March colspan=6| ESP -16FRA - RetGBR -7GER - RetAUT -11NED - RetITA - RetCAN -8CPL - DNQ|- rowSpan=3| 1982 Formula One season#1982 rowSpan=2 nowrap| Theodore Racing Team nowrap| Theodore TY01 nowrap| Ford Cosworth DFV V8 <style> .background-color:C0C0C0; text-align:center; color:black; } </style> <style> .background-color:E0FFFF; text-align:center; color:black; } </style> <style> .background-color:DFFFDFF; text-align:center; color:black; } </style> <style> .background-color:C0C0C0; text-align:center; color:black; } </style> <style> .background-color:E0FFFF; text-align:center; color:black; } </style> <style> .background-color:DFFFDFF; text-align:center; color:black; } </style> <style> .background-color:C0C0C0; text-align:center; color:black; } </style> <style> .background-color:E0FFFF; text-align:center; color:black; } </style> <style> .background-color:DFFFDFF; text-align:center; color:black; } </style> <style> .background-color:C0C0C0; text-align:center; color:black; } </style> <style> .background-color:E0FFFF; text-align:center; color:black; } </style> <style> .background-color:DFFFDFF; text-align:center; color:black; } </style> <style> .background-color:C0C0C0;text- align:center;color:black;} .style{ background-color:E0FFFF;text- align:center;color:black;} .style{ background-color:DFFFDFF;text- align:center;color:black;} .style{ background-color:C0C0C0;text- align:center;color:black;} .style{ background-color:E0FFFF;text- align:center;color:black;} .style{ background-color:DFFFDFF;text- align:center;color:black;} .style{ background-color:C0C0C0;text- align:center;color:black;} .style{ background-color:E0FFFF;text- align:center;color:black;} .style{ background-color:DFFFDFF;text- align:center;color:black;} .style{ background-color:C0C0C0;text- align:center;color:black;} .style{ background-color:E0FFFF;text- align:center;color:black;} .style{ background-color:DFFFDFF;text- align:center;color:black;} </style> <style type='text/css'> .ret { background-color : #EFCFFF } .pos { background-color : #DFFFDF } .dnq { background-color : #FFCFCF } .pts { background-color : #FFFFBF } .pod { background-color : #ffdf9f } .fastest { font-style : italic } .pole { font-weight : bold } </style> <style type='text/css'> .ret { background-color : #EFCFFF } .pos { background-color : #DFFFDF } .dnq { background-color : #FFCFCF } .pts { background-color : #FFFFBF } .pod { background-color : #ffdf9f } .fastest { font-style : italic } .pole { font-weight : bold } </style> rowspan =3 nowrap Theodore TY02 nowrap Ford Cosworth DFV V8 <style = background : # E F C F F F ; > BRA- Ret </style > <style = background : # E F C F F F ; > USW- Ret </style > <style = background : # D F F F D F ; > SMR </style > colSpan =12 nowrap Techniques d'Avant Garde TAG Williams Team nowrap Williams FW08 nowrap Ford Cosworth DFV V8 colSpan =4 <style = background : # E F C F F F ; > BEL- Ret </style > <style = background : # D F F F D F ; > MON-6† </style > <style = background : # D F F F D F ; > DET-5 </style > <style = background : # C F C F F F ; > CAN-7† </style > <style = background : # D F F F D F ; > NED-5 </style > <style = background : # D F F F D F ; > GBR-5 </style > <style = background : # C F C F F F ; > FRA-7 </style > <style = background : # E F C F F F ; > GER-Ret </style > <style = background : # E F C F F F ; > AUT-Ret </style > <style = background : # C F C F F F ; > SUI-9 </style > <style = background : # E F C F F F ; > ITA-Ret </style > <style = background : # D F F F D F ; > CPL-6 </style >
CART results
| Year | Team | No. | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Wysard Racing | 34 | March 82C | Ford Cosworth DFX | PHX | ATL | MIL | CLE | MIS | MIL | POC | RIV | ROA | MIS2 | PHX2 25 |
NC | 0 | ||||||
| 1983 | Wysard Racing | March 82C | Ford Cosworth DFX | ATL 22 |
27th | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| March 83C | INDY 19 |
MIL | CLE | MIS | |||||||||||||||||||
| Provimi Racing | 90 | March 82/83C | Ford Cosworth DFX | ROA 9 |
POC | RIV | MDO 22 |
MIS2 | LVG 18 |
LS 23 |
PHX 22 |
||||||||||||
| Year | Team | No. | Chassis | Engine | Results | Rank | Points |
|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Chassis | Engine | Results | Rank | Points |
|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Chassis | Engine | Results | Rank | Points |
|---|
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Overall Position | Class Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Silk Cut Jaguar Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Tom Walkinshaw Racing |
United States Kevin Cogan Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Larry Perkins |
Jaguar XJR-9 LM | C1 | 383 | 4th place | 4th place |
| 1989 | Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Silk Cut Jaguar Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Tom Walkinshaw Racing |
United States Davy Jones United States Jeff Kline |
Jaguar XJR-9 LM | C1 | 85 | Did Not Finish (DNF) | Did Not Finish (DNF) |
| 1990 | United States Nissan Performance Technology Inc. | Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Geoff Brabham United States Chip Robinson |
Nissan R90CK | C1 | 251 | Did Not Finish (DNF) | Did Not Finish (DNF) |
