Bruce McLaren | |
|---|---|
 McLaren in 1966 | |
| Born | Bruce Leslie McLaren (1937-08-30)30 August 1937 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Died | 2 June 1970(1970-06-02) (aged 32) Goodwood Circuit,Sussex, England |
| Cause of death | Injuries sustained whilst testing the McLaren M8D |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  New Zealander |
| Active years | 1958–1970 |
| Teams | Cooper,McLaren,Eagle |
| Entries | 104 (100 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Podiums | 27 |
| Careerpoints | 188.5 (196.5)[a] |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 3 |
| First entry | 1958 German Grand Prix |
| First win | 1959 United States Grand Prix |
| Last win | 1968 Belgian Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1970 Monaco Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 1959,1961–1967,1969 |
| Teams | Cooper Car Company,Maserati,Aston Martin,Ford,Shelby,McLaren |
| Best finish | 1st(1966) |
| Class wins | 1(1966) |
Bruce Leslie McLaren (30 August 1937 – 2 June 1970) was a New Zealandracing driver,automotive designer, engineer andmotorsport executive, who competed inFormula One from1958 to1970. McLaren was runner-up in theFormula One World Drivers' Championship in1960 withCooper, and won fourGrands Prix across 13 seasons. Inendurance racing, McLaren won the24 Hours of Le Mans in1966 withFord. He foundedMcLaren in 1963, who have since won 10Formula One World Constructors' Championship titles and remain the only team to have completed theTriple Crown of Motorsport.[b]
Born and raised inAuckland, McLaren initially studiedengineering at theUniversity of Auckland before dropping out to focus on hismotor racing career. Having entered his firsthillclimbing event aged 14, he progressed toFormula Two in 1957, winning the New Zealand Championship the following year. His performance at theNew Zealand Grand Prix attracted the attention ofJack Brabham, with whom he partnered atCooper in1959 having already debuted at the1958 German Grand Prix, where he finished fifth in his Formula Two machinery. Aged 22, McLaren took his maiden win at theUnited States Grand Prix, becoming thethen-youngest driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix, a record which stood for44 years. Remaining at Cooper for1960, McLaren took a further win inArgentina—amongst several podiums—as he finished championship runner-up to teammate Brabham. After a winless1961 season for Cooper, McLaren won the1962 Monaco Grand Prix, finishing third inthe championship toGraham Hill andJim Clark. Cooper struggled for performance from1963 to1965 asLotus,BRM andFerrari dominated the championship, prompting McLaren to enter Formula One with his own team. McLaren foundedBruce McLaren Motor Racing in 1963, with whom he competed from1966 untilhis death in1970. With the team, he won theBelgian Grand Prix in1968 and finished third in the1969 World Drivers' Championship. In June 1970, he died while testing theMcLaren M8D atGoodwood, having achieved four wins, three fastest laps and 27 podiums in Formula One.
Outside of Formula One, McLaren competed in nine editions of the24 Hours of Le Mans from1959 to1969, winning in1966 alongsideChris Amon in theFord GT40 Mk II. He was also a two-time champion of theCanadian-American Challenge Cup in1967 and1969, driving his ownM6A andM8B, and won theTasman Series in1964. His legacy has been cemented with theMcLaren Group, whose achievements have included winning nineWorld Constructors' Championships, twoIndianapolis 500s,[c] and the24 Hours of Le Mans in1995. McLaren was inducted into theInternational Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1991.
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Born inAuckland, New Zealand, Bruce McLaren attendedMeadowbank Primary School. As a nine-year-old, he was diagnosed withPerthes disease in his hip that left his left leg shorter than the right.
His parents, Les and Ruth McLaren, owned a service station and workshop in Remuera Rd,Remuera,Auckland;[1] Les McLaren had been a motorcycle racing enthusiast, but gave that up due to an injury before Bruce's birth, and began racing cars at the club level instead.[2] Bruce spent all of his free hours hanging around the workshop and developed his passion during his formative years. The former garage was first listed as acategory 1 historic place byHeritage New Zealand in 2006.[1]
After finishing high school at Seddon Memorial Technical College, McLaren enrolled in the School of Engineering atUniversity of Auckland, however he dropped out after motor racing success; his student record card was reported to have been ended with the words "went motor racing".[3]
In 1972, 2 years after Bruce's death, his great-grandfather celebrated his 100th birthday, it was then after retrieving his birth certificate that their family found that his original surname was 'Howie' rather than 'McLaren', which was thought to have been his original family name, which began with Ben Howie, later McLaren.[4]
Howie, born in the Australian state ofSouth Australia had then relocated toNew Zealand and married a publican’s daughter while residing there. After returning to South Australia, he fell in love with, and subsequently began a relationship with Frances Moyle, a married woman with three children.[5][4] Howie then again relocated to New Zealand with his new wife Frances, adopting the surname 'McLaren', a reference to the famousMcLaren Vale wine region in South Australia (located 40 km (24 mi) south ofAdelaide, the state's capital city), to conceal his old life.[6]
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Les McLaren restored anAustin 7 Ulster, which 14-year-old Bruce used in 1952 when he entered his first competition, ahillclimb atMuriwai, where he won the 750 cc class.[7] Two years later, he took part in his first real race and showed promise. He moved up from the Austin to aFord 10 special and anAustin-Healey, then aFormula Two (F2)Cooper-Climax sports racing car. He immediately began to modify, improve and master it, so much so that he was runner-up in the 1957–58 New Zealand championship series.
McLaren foundedBruce McLaren Motor Racing in 1963.
His performance in theNew Zealand Grand Prix in 1958 was noticed byAustralian driverJack Brabham (who would later invite McLaren to drive for him). Because of his obvious potential, the New Zealand International Grand Prix organisation selected him for its 'Driver to Europe' scheme designed to give a promisingKiwi driver year-round experience with the best in the world. McLaren was the first recipient, to be followed by others later includingDenny Hulme.McLaren went to Cooper and stayed seven years. He raced in F2 and was entered in theGerman Grand Prix at theNürburgring in which F2 and F1 cars competed together. He astounded the motor racing fraternity by being the first F2, and fifth overall, in a field of the best drivers in the world.
McLaren joined the Cooper factory F1 team alongside Jack Brabham in 1959 and won the1959 United States Grand Prix at age 22 years 104 days,[8] becoming the youngest ever GP winner (not including the Indianapolis 500) up to that time. This record would stand for more than four decades untilFernando Alonso's victory at the2003 Hungarian Grand Prix. He followed that with a win in theArgentine Grand Prix, the first race of the1960 Formula One season, and he would finish runner-up that season to Brabham.
McLaren won the1962 Monaco Grand Prix, eventually finishing third in the championship that year. The next year, he founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd, which remains in the Formula One championship simply asMcLaren. McLaren continued to race and win in Coopers (including the New Zealand GP in 1964).
McLaren left Cooper at the end of 1965, and announced his own GP racing team, with co-driver and fellow KiwiChris Amon. Amon left in 1967 to drive for Ferrari. In 1968, McLaren was joined by another fellow Kiwi Denny Hulme, who had become world champion in 1967 with Brabham. McLaren took his fourth career win racing his own McLaren car atSpa in 1968, achieving the team's first Grand Prix win. Hulme won twice in the McLaren-Ford.
The1969 championship was also a success, with McLaren finishing third in the standings despite taking no wins. In tribute to his homeland, McLaren's cars featured the "speedy Kiwi" logo.
McLaren's design flair and ingenuity were graphically demonstrated in powerful sports car racing. Just as theCan-Am began to become very popular with fans inCanada and theU.S., the new McLaren cars finished second twice, and third twice, in six races.
In1967, they won five of six races and in1968, four of six. The following year, McLarens proved unbeatable, winning all 11 races. In two races, they finished 1–2–3.
In 1965, McLaren and co-driverKen Miles raced aFord GT40 in the24 Hour Race at Le Mans. The car was leading after 45 laps but retired due to gearbox failure. In1966, McLaren and co-driverChris Amon won the race in aFord GT40, in a Ford 1-2-3 finish. TheKen Miles-Denny Hulme entry crossed the line first but had travelled less distance due to theLe Mans style start.[9]
McLaren was a competitive driver, but his legacy, theMcLaren racing team, stems from his abilities as an analyst, engineer, and manager. In the early days of McLaren sports cars, McLaren was testing and as he drove out of the pits, he noticed the fuel filler access door was flapping up and down as he drove. The current aerodynamic thinking was that it should have been pressed more firmly in place as the speed of the car increased. Instead, it bounced more vigorously as the speed increased. Instantly, his frustration at the sloppy work changed and he had an insight. Stopping in the pits, he grabbed a pair of shears and started cutting the bodywork away behind the radiator. Climbing back in the car, he immediately began turning lap times faster than before.
Later, he explained,
I was first angry that the filler door hadn't been properly closed but then I began to wonder why it wasn't being pressed down by the airflow. The only answer was that there had to be a source of higher pressure air under it than over it.
From that session came the "nostrils" that have been a key McLaren design feature, including in theMcLaren P1 road car.
McLaren noticed that his team's cars were less innovative than theChaparrals of rival driver/designerJim Hall, but their superior reliability was rewarded by race and championship victories. That culture continued after his death and, whenRon Dennis bought the team, was reinforced by the lessons learned in his early career as a race mechanic.
Bruce McLaren died aged 32 when hisMcLaren M8DCan-Am car crashed on the Lavant Straight just before Woodcote corner atGoodwood Circuit inEngland on 2 June 1970. He had been testing the M8D when its rear bodywork came adrift at speed. The loss of aerodynamic downforce destabilised the car, which spun, left the track, and hit a bunker used as a flag station.
Motorsport authorEoin Young said that McLaren had "virtually penned his own epitaph" in his 1964 bookFrom the Cockpit. Referring to the death of teammateTimmy Mayer, McLaren had written:
The news that he had died instantly was a terrible shock to all of us, but who is to say that he had not seen more, done more and learned more in his few years than many people do in a lifetime? To do something well is so worthwhile that to die trying to do it better cannot be foolhardy. It would be a waste of life to do nothing with one's ability, for I feel that life is measured in achievement, not in years alone.
He was buried atWaikumete Cemetery inGlen Eden.[10] McLaren was survived by his wife, sisters and daughter, Amanda, who is a brand ambassador for McLaren and is one of the trustees of the Bruce McLaren Trust alongside her husband.[11][12] His wife died in 2016.[13]
(key) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
* McLaren was ineligible to score points in the1958 German Grand Prix because he was driving a Formula Two car.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Co-drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 |  Cooper Car Company | Jim Russell | Cooper Monaco | S 2.0 | 79 | DNF | DNF |
| 1961 |  Briggs Cunningham | Walt Hansgen | Maserati Tipo 63 | S 3.0 | 31 | DNF | DNF |
| 1962 | Briggs Cunningham | Walt Hansgen | Maserati Tipo 151 | E +3.0 | 177 | DNF | DNF |
| 1963 | David Brown Racing Dept. | Innes Ireland | Aston Martin DP214 | GT +3.0 | 59 | DNF | DNF |
| 1964 | Ford Motor Company | Phil Hill | Ford GT40 | P 5.0 | 192 | DNF | DNF |
| 1965 | Shelby American Inc. | Ken Miles | Ford GT40X | P +5.0 | 89 | DNF | DNF |
| 1966 | Shelby American Inc. | Chris Amon | Ford Mk.II | P +5.0 | 360 | 1st | 1st |
| 1967 | Shelby American Inc. | Mark Donohue | Ford Mk.IV | P +5.0 | 359 | 4th | 4th |
| 1969 | John Woolfe Racing | John Woolfe | McLaren M6B | S 5.0 | - | DNA | DNA |
Source:[21] | |||||||
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap.)
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Pos. | Pts | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Peter Berry Racing Ltd | Jaguar Mk II 3.8 | D | SNE | GOO ovr:5 cls:5 | AIN ovr:3 cls:3 | SIL ovr:3 cls:3 | CRY | SIL Ret | BRH ovr:4 cls:4 | OUL ovr:3 cls:3 | SNE ovr:3 cls:3 | 13th | 16 | 4th |
| 1965 | Nippon Racing | Isuzu Bellett | C | BRH | OUL | SNE | GOO DNS | SIL | CRY | BRH | OUL | NC | 0 | NC | |
Source:[22] | |||||||||||||||
| Year | Chassis | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Cooper T70 | LEV (3) | PUK 1 | WIG 1 | TER 1 | SAN Ret | WAR 2 | LAK (3) | LON 2 | 1st | 39 (47) |
| 1965 | Cooper T79 | PUK Ret | LEV (5) | WIG 2 | TER 2 | WAR Ret | SAN 4 | LON 1 | 2nd | 24 (26) | |
| 1968 | BRM P126 | PUK Ret | LEV Ret | WIG 5 | TER 1 | SUR | WAR | SAN | LON | 6th | 11 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Bruce McLaren Motor Racing | McLaren M1B | ChevroletV8 | MTR 2 | BRI 3 | MOS Ret | LAG 3 | RIV Ret | LVG 3 | 3rd | 20 | |||||
| 1967 | Bruce Mclaren Motor Racing | McLaren M6A | ChevroletV8 | ROA Ret | BRI 2 | MOS 2 | LAG 1 | RIV 1 | LVG Ret | 1st | 30 | |||||
| 1968 | Bruce McLaren Motor Racing | McLaren M8A | ChevroletV8 | ROA 2 | BRI Ret | EDM 2* | LAG 5 | RIV 1 | LVG 6 | 2nd | 24 | |||||
| 1969 | Bruce McLaren Motor Racing | McLaren M8B | ChevroletV8 | MOS 1 | MTR 2* | WGL 1 | EDM Ret | MOH 2 | ROA 1 | BRI 2 | MCH 1 | LAG 1 | RIV Ret | TWS 1 | 1st | 165 |
Source:[23] | ||||||||||||||||
* Joint fastest lap.
Related Books:
A list of further such volumes can be viewed atHistorical Books -- Bruce McLaren Trust - History of motorsport racing legend and founder of McLaren F1 and Can-Am teams.
