40 years on: The Bruce McLaren story
#1
06-03-2010, 03:38 AM
40 years on: The Bruce McLaren story
40 years on: The Bruce McLaren story - Formula 1 news - GPUpdate.net
Wednesday 2 June 2010 marks the 40th anniversary for the death of Bruce McLaren, the Kiwi racing driver who went on to establish what has long since been one of Formula 1's most recognised and successful teams.
Son of Les and Ruth McLaren, Bruce was born in Auckland on 30 August 1937. As a 9-year-old, he contracted Perthes syndrome in his hip, leaving him with a left leg which was shorter than the right and a permanent limp.
As a youngster, McLaren spent free time in his parents' service station and garage in suburban Remuera, located two and a half miles from Auckland's city centre - a district which also housed the late Sir Edmund Hillary, one of two explorers who became the first known to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Although McLaren's name is synonymous with the team, his first involvement with motorsport came as a driver, engineering his own equipment and entering his first hill climb competition with an Austin 7 Ulster at the age of 14 in 1952. However, having progressed from a Ford 10 special to an Auntin-Healey and then a Formula 2-specification Cooper-Climax, McLaren came of age when he finished second overall in the New Zealand championship season of 1957-58.
McLaren was spotted during this time, by none other than future World Champion Jack Brabham, with the New Zealand International Grand Prix Organisation then handing him the 'Driver in Europe' label as the best newfound talent of 1958.
This helped Bruce progress to Cooper, which that year finished third in the first ever F1 Constructors' Championship. Driving a Formula 2 car on the formidable German Nordschleife circuit, McLaren made his Formula 1 debut in the same race as the two formulae competed alongside each other. Bruce stunned all by finishing in the top five, despite being six and a half minutes behind race winner Tony Brookes' Vanwall.
For 1959, he stepped up to the main Cooper squad alongside Champion-to-be Brabham, engraving his name as one of the sport's most successful newcomers ever by - in an F1 career which eventually spanned a century of races - clinching victory at Sebring on 12 December; by doing so at the age of 22 years and 80 days, McLaren was at that point F1's youngest ever race winner. Two more wins came for Cooper at the 1960 Argentine Grand Prix - from 13th on the grid - and 1962 Monaco Grand Prix, beating reigning Champion Phil Hill by just 1.3 seconds.
Although the top spot may have eluded him, McLaren twice finished in the top three of the World Championship, courtesy of the runner-up spot in '60 and third in '62.
Also in 1962, Bruce established what was set to become one of the sport's most legendary marques - Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd, nowadays known officially as McLaren Racing. Leaving Cooper at the end of the 1965 campaign, which produced just one podium result and ninth overall in the standings, McLaren followed in the footsteps of Brabham by entering his own team for 1966, partnered by compatriot Chris Amon. '66 also saw the pair share a cockpit in France's legendary Le Mans 24 Hour endurance race, winning in a Ford GT40.
The first two F1 seasons with the new team yielded three points each, translating to 16th and 14th in the final standings, although Bruce - now joined by fellow countryman and reigning title holder Denny Hulme, who made the move from Brabham - finished fifth overall in 1968 after clinching an historic victory (the fourth and final of his career) in Belgium, leading home Pedro Rodriguez's BRM and Jacky Ickx's Ferrari.
There were also wins for Hulme, in Italy and Canada, and 'The Bear' then clinched the Mexican Grand Prix of 1969 - a season in which Bruce failed to collect a win but still finished in the top three of the drivers' standings.
McLaren also enjoyed success in sports car racing, carrying the renowned orange colour scheme which later made an appearance in pre-season testing for the 2006 F1 season; Bruce moved into Can-Am (Canadian-American Challenge Cup), fast becoming popular with race fans on the other side of the pond.
Enjoying several race wins and podium finishes, the McLarens dominated in incredible fashion in 1967 and 1968, winning five out of six races in one year and all 11 events the next, two of them being clean sweeps in the form of 1-2-3 finishes for McLaren, Hulme and American Mark 'Captain Nice' Donohue.
Tragically, whilst testing his M8D car at Goodwood in West Sussex, New Zealander McLaren left the road on the entrance to Woodcote corner on 2 June 1970. With the car's rear bodywork having been jettisoned due to a failure just moments before, he was sent into spin before heading for a trench used by flag marshals. Bruce Leslie McLaren had lost his life at the tender age of 32.
Although today confirms that the man himself may have been gone from motor racing for four decades, McLaren's name and team have lived on under the watchful eyes of the late Teddy Mayer, Ron Dennis and now Martin Whitmarsh.
With 8 Constructors' Championship to its name, McLaren lies third in the all-time rankings, behind only Ferrari and Williams - and second when it comes to the most points scored, having amassed a grand total of 3,553.5 up to Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix.
The race at Istanbul Park also saw Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button produce an impressive 1-2 result and the team's 167th Formula 1 race victory, less than a week before the 40th anniversary of its founder's passing - a fitting tribute to the great man.
Wednesday 2 June 2010 marks the 40th anniversary for the death of Bruce McLaren, the Kiwi racing driver who went on to establish what has long since been one of Formula 1's most recognised and successful teams.
Son of Les and Ruth McLaren, Bruce was born in Auckland on 30 August 1937. As a 9-year-old, he contracted Perthes syndrome in his hip, leaving him with a left leg which was shorter than the right and a permanent limp.
As a youngster, McLaren spent free time in his parents' service station and garage in suburban Remuera, located two and a half miles from Auckland's city centre - a district which also housed the late Sir Edmund Hillary, one of two explorers who became the first known to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Although McLaren's name is synonymous with the team, his first involvement with motorsport came as a driver, engineering his own equipment and entering his first hill climb competition with an Austin 7 Ulster at the age of 14 in 1952. However, having progressed from a Ford 10 special to an Auntin-Healey and then a Formula 2-specification Cooper-Climax, McLaren came of age when he finished second overall in the New Zealand championship season of 1957-58.
McLaren was spotted during this time, by none other than future World Champion Jack Brabham, with the New Zealand International Grand Prix Organisation then handing him the 'Driver in Europe' label as the best newfound talent of 1958.
This helped Bruce progress to Cooper, which that year finished third in the first ever F1 Constructors' Championship. Driving a Formula 2 car on the formidable German Nordschleife circuit, McLaren made his Formula 1 debut in the same race as the two formulae competed alongside each other. Bruce stunned all by finishing in the top five, despite being six and a half minutes behind race winner Tony Brookes' Vanwall.
For 1959, he stepped up to the main Cooper squad alongside Champion-to-be Brabham, engraving his name as one of the sport's most successful newcomers ever by - in an F1 career which eventually spanned a century of races - clinching victory at Sebring on 12 December; by doing so at the age of 22 years and 80 days, McLaren was at that point F1's youngest ever race winner. Two more wins came for Cooper at the 1960 Argentine Grand Prix - from 13th on the grid - and 1962 Monaco Grand Prix, beating reigning Champion Phil Hill by just 1.3 seconds.
Although the top spot may have eluded him, McLaren twice finished in the top three of the World Championship, courtesy of the runner-up spot in '60 and third in '62.
Also in 1962, Bruce established what was set to become one of the sport's most legendary marques - Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd, nowadays known officially as McLaren Racing. Leaving Cooper at the end of the 1965 campaign, which produced just one podium result and ninth overall in the standings, McLaren followed in the footsteps of Brabham by entering his own team for 1966, partnered by compatriot Chris Amon. '66 also saw the pair share a cockpit in France's legendary Le Mans 24 Hour endurance race, winning in a Ford GT40.
The first two F1 seasons with the new team yielded three points each, translating to 16th and 14th in the final standings, although Bruce - now joined by fellow countryman and reigning title holder Denny Hulme, who made the move from Brabham - finished fifth overall in 1968 after clinching an historic victory (the fourth and final of his career) in Belgium, leading home Pedro Rodriguez's BRM and Jacky Ickx's Ferrari.
There were also wins for Hulme, in Italy and Canada, and 'The Bear' then clinched the Mexican Grand Prix of 1969 - a season in which Bruce failed to collect a win but still finished in the top three of the drivers' standings.
McLaren also enjoyed success in sports car racing, carrying the renowned orange colour scheme which later made an appearance in pre-season testing for the 2006 F1 season; Bruce moved into Can-Am (Canadian-American Challenge Cup), fast becoming popular with race fans on the other side of the pond.
Enjoying several race wins and podium finishes, the McLarens dominated in incredible fashion in 1967 and 1968, winning five out of six races in one year and all 11 events the next, two of them being clean sweeps in the form of 1-2-3 finishes for McLaren, Hulme and American Mark 'Captain Nice' Donohue.
Tragically, whilst testing his M8D car at Goodwood in West Sussex, New Zealander McLaren left the road on the entrance to Woodcote corner on 2 June 1970. With the car's rear bodywork having been jettisoned due to a failure just moments before, he was sent into spin before heading for a trench used by flag marshals. Bruce Leslie McLaren had lost his life at the tender age of 32.
Although today confirms that the man himself may have been gone from motor racing for four decades, McLaren's name and team have lived on under the watchful eyes of the late Teddy Mayer, Ron Dennis and now Martin Whitmarsh.
With 8 Constructors' Championship to its name, McLaren lies third in the all-time rankings, behind only Ferrari and Williams - and second when it comes to the most points scored, having amassed a grand total of 3,553.5 up to Sunday's Turkish Grand Prix.
The race at Istanbul Park also saw Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button produce an impressive 1-2 result and the team's 167th Formula 1 race victory, less than a week before the 40th anniversary of its founder's passing - a fitting tribute to the great man.
#3
06-03-2010, 06:39 PM
His sister works incredibly hard to preserve his legacy through the Bruce McLaren Trust. They do a great job, and operate out of the old family garage/ workshop which became a petrol station and mechanic.
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