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Meet Derek Daly
Derek Daly
Formula 1 and Indy Driver, Entrepreneur, Best-Selling Author, Television broadcaster, Professional Speaker
- Sought-after speaker for major brands like PepsiCo, Rolex, BMW and the US Department of Defence
- Award-winning broadcaster, coach and author
- Inspires teams to push boundaries, embrace challenges and deliver extraordinary results
- Proven leadership, teamwork and execution tactics drawn from decades in elite motorsports
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Derek was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland to a middle class working family. He financed his first race car working as a laborer in the iron ore mines of Australia. While travelling the race tracks of England, he even took up residence in an old school bus.
In 1977 he won the British Formula 3 championship en-route to becoming the first driver from the Republic of Ireland to compete in Formula One. He was ranked 10th in the world in 1980. He has lived in Ireland, England, Australia, Monaco and America.
He made six starts in the Indianapolis 500 before winning the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race, twice, in 1990 and ‘91.
In 1984, Derek was almost killed when he suffered one of the hardest crash impacts a driver had ever survived at the Michigan International Speedway. After nineteen surgeries and three years in therapy, he returned to full-time racing.
When he retired from the cockpit in 1992, Derek started a 24-year television broadcasting career with ESPN, NBC, CBS, and Fox Sports. USA Today called him; “the best new face on sports television”. IndyCar Racing magazine voted him “the most popular motor sports television announcer”.
Moet & Chandon awarded Derek the Joules Goux Award for his outstanding contributions to motor sports television. He was nominated by ESPN for an Ace Award, and was inducted into the 2000 Motorsports Ireland Hall of Fame. In 2010, he was inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame.
Derek was Sylvester Stallones personal driving coach prior to shooting the racing movie; DRIVEN. He appeared twice with Paul Newman on the tonight show and counts David Letterman amongst his friends. He coached Ashley Judd, George Lucas and John Elway in preparation for the Toyota Pro Celebrity race at the Long Beach Grand Prix.
Derek literally wrote the book on motorsports success; Race To Win: How to Become a Complete Champion. He was honored to have Mario Andretti write the foreword. His second book, A Champions Path: Race Team Tactics for Business was published in 2017.
He is currently a sought after keynote speaker with clients such as; Xerox, Pepsico, State Farm, Zurich, BMW, Bentley, Rolex, Valspar, Toshiba and the US Government Department of Defense.
Derek has three sons, Conor, Colin and Christian and resides in Indianapolis and Phoenix. His son Conor finished sixth at the 2022 Indianapolis 500. His youngest son, Christian, is a four-time Jet Ski World Champion.
Derek became an American Citizen on September 28, 1993.
Speaker Video
Derek Daly: Diebold-Nixdorf Global Sales Conference Keynote
Culture - Formula WON: How to shift from Good2Great2Extraordinary
A Culture of Extraordinary is not an abstract concept but must be encoded into the DNA of teams. Imagine your team learning how to think and act differently as they push themselves to the edge of what might be possible. They will understand what it means to go beyond their best. They will embrace the restless pursuit of marginal gains. Your team will understand why the Zone of Peak Performance is not a crowded place. Derek uses powerful, real-life sports analogies in a unique and compelling manner, that leaves audiences in awe. Even the US Government DoD embraced this topic.
Accelerate to SAFE Speed: Speed Agility Flawless Execution
Today demands Speed Agility and Flawless Execution. You will understand the critical difference between going fast and being fast. Your teams will grasp how Trust and Preparation become the cornerstones of teams who push against boundaries. Your front-line employees will understand how to be Highly Aligned but Loosely Coupled, by being empowered to make quick decisions, with limited information. They will learn how to achieve trailblazing performance and understand why corporations sometimes struggle to emulate these valuable traits. This topic has energized both male and female audiences from California to the Czech Republic.
Drive to Survive: The Crucial balance between Safety and Speed
Having survived the hardest crash impact a driver had ever lived through, Derek shares his near-death experience that led to an unprecedented safety initiative in racing that continues today. Your team will learn how his sport developed the safest high performance work environments in history. When attitudes changed, lives were saved because Compliance did not replace Responsibility. Learn how your team can make critical performance gains by turning ever present Risk, into Intelligent Risks. You will understand the crucial balance between Speed and Safety. No one remains emotionally neutral as they grasp these breathtaking personal experiences.
