Inspired by an accident the previous year, the custom of spraying champagne on the podium in motorsport began at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans by American Dan Gurney.
Gurney was part of the now dominant Shelby-American Inc team having developed the Ford GT40 into a race winner as it won four 24 Hours of Le Mans victories between 1966 and 1969.
This second victory was significant in many ways including it being the sole-time an all-American attack has greeted the chequered flag, with Gurney was partnered by AJ Foyt in the Ford. It also marked the first time the race distance went surpassed 5000km and 300,000 fans attended the event.
The previous year, Gurney was celebrating on the podium after finishing second in class for Porsche when the champagne cork popped out unexpectedly to shower the crowd in the vicinity.
Remembering this situation from 1966, Gurney purposely sprayed the champagne off the podium covering Foyt, Carroll Shelby in addition to Henry Ford II and his wife.
“It was a very special moment at the time, I was not aware I was starting a tradition that continues in winner’s circles all around the world to this day,” said Gurney before his death in 2018.
The bottle Gurney used to start this trend was snapped up by LIFE magazine photography Flip Schulke, who got the driver to sign it before being used a as a lamp base in his Florida home.
Schulke eventually returned the bottle to Gurney, who was reunited with it before his death.
This has become a custom across all levels of motorsport and there has been many evolutions, most notably the ‘Shoey’.