Bruce McLaren

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This article is about the racing driver. For the academic, see Bruce M. McLaren.

Bruce McLaren
McLaren in 1966
BornBruce Leslie McLaren
(1937-08-30)30 August 1937
Auckland, New Zealand
Died2 June 1970(1970-06-02) (aged 32)
Goodwood Circuit, Sussex, England
Formula One World Championship career
NationalityNew Zealand New Zealander
Active years1958–1970
TeamsCooper, McLaren, Eagle
Entries104 (100 starts)
Championships0
Wins4
Podiums27
Career points188.5 (196.5)[1]
Pole positions0
Fastest laps3
First entry1958 German Grand Prix
First win1959 United States Grand Prix
Last win1968 Belgian Grand Prix
Last entry1970 Monaco Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years1959, 1961–1967
TeamsCooper Car Company
Briggs Cunningham
Aston Martin
Ford Motor Company
Shelby-American Inc.
Best finish1st (1966)
Class wins1 (1966)

Bruce Leslie McLaren (30 August 1937 – 2 June 1970) was a New Zealand racing car designer, driver, engineer, and inventor. His name lives on in the McLaren team, which he founded, and is the second most successful in Formula One championship history, winning a total of 8 World Constructors' Championships and 12 World Drivers' Championships.

McLaren cars dominated CanAm sports car racing with 56 wins, a considerable number of them with him behind the wheel, between 1967 and 1972 (and five constructors' championships), and have won three Indianapolis 500 races, as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 12 Hours of Sebring.

Early life[edit]

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Bruce McLaren attended Meadowbank Primary School. As a nine-year-old, he was diagnosed with Perthes 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;[2] 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.[3] Bruce spent all of his free hours hanging around the workshop and developed his passion during his formative years.

Career[edit]

Les McLaren restored an Austin 7 Ulster, which 14-year-old Bruce used in 1952 when he entered his first competition, a hillclimb. Two years later, he took part in his first real race and showed promise. He moved up from the Austin to a Ford 10 special and an Austin-Healey, then a Formula 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 founded McLaren Automotive in 1963.

Driving career[edit]

Grand Prix[edit]

McLaren at the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix.
McLaren in the 1969 German Grand Prix
McLaren (centre left, white balaclava) prepares to take his seat in his McLaren M7C Formula One car, prior to the 1969 Dutch Grand Prix.

His performance in the New Zealand Grand Prix in 1958 was noticed by Australian driver Jack 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 promising Kiwi driver year-round experience with the best in the world. McLaren was the first recipient, to be followed by others later including Denny Hulme. McLaren went to Cooper and stayed seven years. He raced in F2 and was entered in the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring 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 the 1959 United States Grand Prix at age 22 years 104 days,[4] becoming the youngest ever GP winner (not including the Indianapolis 500) up to that time. This record would stand for more than four decades until Fernando Alonso's victory at the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix. He followed that with a win in the Argentine Grand Prix, the first race of the 1960 Formula One season, and he would finish runner-up that season to Brabham.

McLaren won the 1962 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 as McLaren. 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 Kiwi Chris 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 at Spa in 1968, achieving the team's first Grand Prix win. Hulme won twice in the McLaren-Ford.

The 1969 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.

Can-Am series[edit]

McLaren's design flair and ingenuity were graphically demonstrated in powerful sports car racing. Just as the Can-Am began to become very popular with fans in Canada and the U.S., the new McLaren cars finished second twice, and third twice, in six races.

In 1967, they won five of six races and in 1968, four of six. The following year, McLarens proved unbeatable, winning all 11 races. In two races, they finished 1–2–3.

24 Hours of Le Mans[edit]

In 1965, McLaren and co-driver Ken Miles raced a Ford GT40 in the 24 Hour Race at Le Mans. The car was leading after 45 laps but retired due to gearbox failure. In 1966, McLaren and co-driver Chris Amon won the race in a Ford GT40, in a Ford 1-2-3 finish. The Ken Miles-Denny Hulme entry crossed the line first but had travelled less distance due to the Le Mans style start.[5]

Career as a constructor[edit]

McLaren was a competitive driver, but his legacy, the McLaren 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 the McLaren P1 road car.

McLaren noticed that his team's cars were less innovative than the Chaparrals of rival driver/designer Jim Hall, but their superior reliability was rewarded by race and championship victories. That culture continued after his death and, when Ron Dennis bought the team, was reinforced by the lessons learned in his early career as a race mechanic.

Death[edit]

Bruce McLaren died aged 32 when his Can-Am car crashed on the Lavant Straight just before Woodcote corner at Goodwood Circuit in England on 2 June 1970. He had been testing his new McLaren M8D when the 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 author Eoin Young said that Bruce McLaren had "virtually penned his own epitaph" in his 1964 book From the Cockpit. Referring to the death of teammate Timmy 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.

McLaren was survived by his sisters Pat and Jan, wife Patty and daughter Amanda. He was buried at Waikumete Cemetery in Glen Eden.[6] Amanda is married to New Zealander Stephen Donnell. She is a brand ambassador for McLaren and is one of the trustees of the Bruce McLaren Trust alongside her husband.[7][8] Patty died in 2016.[9]

Legacy[edit]

In popular culture[edit]

Main article: McLaren (film)

Racing record[edit]

Complete Formula One World Championship results[edit]

(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 WDC Pts.[1]
1958 Cooper Car Company Cooper T45 F2 Climax Straight-4 ARG MON NED 500 BEL FRA GBR GER
5* 		POR ITA MOR
13 		NC 0*
1959 Cooper Car Company Cooper T45 Climax Straight-4 MON
5 		500 NED 6th 16.5
Cooper T51 FRA
5 		GBR
3 		GER
Ret 		POR
Ret 		ITA
Ret 		USA
1
1960 Cooper Car Company Cooper T51 Climax Straight-4 ARG
1 		2nd 34 (37)
Cooper T53 MON
2 		500 NED
Ret 		BEL
2 		FRA
3 		GBR
4 		POR
2 		ITA USA
3
1961 Cooper Car Company Cooper T55 Climax Straight-4 MON
6 		NED
12 		BEL
Ret 		FRA
5 		GBR
8 		GER
6 		ITA
3 		USA
4 		8th 11
1962 Cooper Car Company Cooper T60 Climax V8 NED
Ret 		MON
1 		BEL
Ret 		FRA
4 		GBR
3 		GER
5 		ITA
3 		USA
3 		RSA
2 		3rd 27 (32)
1963 Cooper Car Company Cooper T66 Climax V8 MON
3 		BEL
2 		NED
Ret 		FRA
12 		GBR
Ret 		GER
Ret 		ITA
3 		USA
11 		MEX
Ret 		RSA
4 		6th 17
1964 Cooper Car Company Cooper T66 Climax V8 MON
Ret 		7th 13
Cooper T73 NED
7 		BEL
2 		FRA
6 		GBR
Ret 		GER
Ret 		AUT
Ret 		ITA
2 		USA
Ret 		MEX
7
1965 Cooper Car Company Cooper T73 Climax V8 RSA
5 		9th 10
Cooper T77 MON
5 		BEL
3 		FRA
Ret 		GBR
10 		NED
Ret 		GER
Ret 		ITA
5 		USA
Ret 		MEX
Ret
1966 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M2B Ford V8 MON
Ret 		USA
5 		MEX
Ret 		16th 3
Serenissima V8 BEL
DNS 		FRA GBR
6 		NED
DNS 		GER ITA
1967 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M4B BRM V8 RSA MON
4 		NED
Ret 		BEL 14th 3
Anglo American Racers Eagle T1G Weslake V12 FRA
Ret 		GBR
Ret 		GER
Ret
Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M5A BRM V12 CAN
7 		ITA
Ret 		USA
Ret 		MEX
Ret
1968 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M7A Cosworth V8 RSA ESP
Ret 		MON
Ret 		BEL
1 		NED
Ret 		FRA
8 		GBR
7 		GER
13 		ITA
Ret 		CAN
2 		USA
6 		MEX
2 		5th 22
1969 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M7B Cosworth V8 RSA
5 		3rd 26
McLaren M7C ESP
2 		MON
5 		NED
Ret 		FRA
4 		GBR
3 		GER
3 		ITA
4 		CAN
5 		USA
DNS 		MEX
DNS
1970 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M14A Cosworth V8 RSA
Ret 		ESP
2 		MON
Ret 		BEL NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA MEX 14th 6

* McLaren was ineligible to score points in the 1958 German Grand Prix because he was driving a Formula Two car.

Non-championship results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
1958 Cooper Car Company Cooper T45 Climax Straight-4 BUE GLV SYR AIN
13 		INT
9 		CAE
1959 Cooper Car Company Cooper T45 Climax Straight-4 BUE GLV
6 		AIN
3 		INT
Ret
Cooper T51 OUL
Ret 		SIL
1960 Cooper Car Company Cooper T51 Climax Straight-4 BUE
Ret 		GLV
4
Cooper T53 INT
14 		SIL
3 		LOM OUL
4
1961 Cooper Car Company Cooper T53 Climax V8 LOM GLV PAU BRX
2 		VIE SOL
4 		KAN DAN MOD FLG OUL
3 		LEW VAL RAN NAT RSA
Cooper T55 AIN
2 		SYR
WD 		NAP LON SIL
Ret
1962 Cooper Car Company Cooper T55 Climax V8 CAP BRX LOM LAV
1 		GLV
2 		PAU AIN
2 		INT
5 		NAP MAL CLP
3
Cooper T60 RMS
1 		SOL KAN MED DAN OUL
Ret 		MEX
Ret 		RAN NAT
1963 Cooper Car Company Cooper T66 Climax V8 LOM
4 		GLV
2 		PAU IMO SYR AIN
5 		INT
2 		ROM SOL KAN MED AUT OUL
6 		RAN
1964 Cooper Car Company Cooper T66 Climax V8 DMT
3 		NWT
Ret 		SYR
Cooper T73 AIN
Ret 		INT
15 		SOL MED RAN
1965 Cooper Car Company Cooper T77 Climax V8 ROC
5 		SYR SMT
4 		INT
6 		MED RAN
1967 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M4B BRM V8 ROC
Ret 		SPR
5 		INT
5 		SYR OUL ESP
1968 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M7A Ford-Cosworth V8 ROC
1 		INT
2 		OUL
1969 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M7B Ford-Cosworth V8 ROC
Ret
McLaren M7C INT
6 		MAD OUL
1970 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M14A Ford-Cosworth V8 ROC
Ret 		INT
4 		OUL

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results[edit]

Year Team Co-drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
pos.
1959 United Kingdom Cooper Car Company United Kingdom Jim Russell Cooper Monaco S 2.0 79 DNF DNF
1961 United States Briggs Cunningham United States Walt Hansgen Maserati Tipo 63 S 3.0 31 DNF DNF
1962 United States Briggs Cunningham United States Walt Hansgen Maserati Tipo 151 E +3.0 177 DNF DNF
1963 United Kingdom David Brown Racing Dept. United Kingdom Innes Ireland Aston Martin DP214 GT +3.0 59 DNF DNF
1964 United States Ford Motor Company United States Phil Hill Ford GT40 P 5.0 192 DNF DNF
1965 United States Shelby American Inc. United Kingdom Ken Miles Ford GT40X P +5.0 89 DNF DNF
1966 United States Shelby American Inc. New Zealand Chris Amon Ford Mk.II P +5.0 360 1st 1st
1967 United States Shelby American Inc. United States Mark Donohue Ford Mk.IV P +5.0 359 4th 4th
1969 United Kingdom John Woolfe Racing United Kingdom John Woolfe McLaren M6B S 5.0 - DNA DNA
Source:[15]

Complete British Saloon Car Championship results[edit]

(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
5 		AIN
3 		SIL
3 		CRY SIL
Ret 		BRH
4 		OUL
3 		SNE
3 		13th 16 4th
1965 Nippon Racing Isuzu Bellett C BRH OUL SNE GOO
DNS 		SIL CRY BRH OUL NC 0 NC
Source:[16]

Complete Tasman Series results[edit]

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

Complete Canadian-American Challenge Cup results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics 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 Chevrolet V8 MTR
2 		BRI
3 		MOS
Ret 		LAG
3 		RIV
Ret 		LVG
3 		3rd 20
1967 Bruce Mclaren Motor Racing McLaren M6A Chevrolet V8 ROA
Ret 		BRI
2 		MOS
2 		LAG
1 		RIV
1 		LVG
Ret 		1st 30
1968 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M8A Chevrolet V8 ROA
2 		BRI
Ret 		EDM
2* 		LAG
5 		RIV
1 		LVG
6 		2nd 24
1969 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M8B Chevrolet V8 MOS
1 		MTR
2* 		WGL
1 		EDM
Ret 		MDO
2 		ROA
1 		BRI
2 		MCH
1 		LAG
1 		RIV
Ret 		TWS
1 		1st 165
Source:[17]

* Joint fastest lap.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Up until 1990, not all points scored by a driver contributed to their final World Championship tally (see list of points scoring systems for more information). Numbers without parentheses are Championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.
  2. ^ "McLaren Garage (Former)". New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  3. ^ Eppstein, Maureen (21 January 1961), "Car Racing Dominates McLaren Household", The Press.
  4. ^ United States Grand Prix, Tom Burnside Photograph Collection, Revs Institute, Revs Digital Library.
  5. ^ "The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  6. ^ Gray, Matthew (2009). "City of the Dead". In Macdonald, Finlay; Kerr, Ruth (eds.). West: The History of Waitakere. Random House. p. 380. ISBN 9781869790080.
  7. ^ Turner, Mandy (8 August 2018). "Interview: McLaren ambassador, Amanda McLaren". Drive. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  8. ^ Cheney, Alexandra (22 September 2022). "Amanda McLaren on Building Legacy and Creating Identity". Elite Traveler. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  9. ^ Piddington, Stu (9 February 2016). "McLaren CEO pays tribute as Bruce McLaren's widow Patty McLaren passes away". Stuff. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Taupo renamed after legendary Bruce McLaren". speedcafe.com. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  11. ^ Lyons, Pete. "Bruce McLaren, Sports Cars, Class of 1995". Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  12. ^ "McLaren film is launched". Grandprix.com. 19 January 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2007.
  13. ^ "McLaren trailer: new film tells the story of motor racing icon Bruce McLaren – video". The Guardian. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  14. ^ "Past laureates". Business Hall of Fame. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  15. ^ "All Results of Bruce McLaren". racingsportscars.com. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  16. ^ de Jong, Frank. "British Saloon Car Championship". History of Touring Car Racing 1952-1993. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Can-Am - final positions and tables". World Sports Racing Prototypes. 2 October 2005. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2022.

Related Books:

  • From the Cockpit by Bruce McLaren
  • Bruce McLaren: Racing Car Constructor by George Begg
  • McLaren – The Man, Cars & Team by Eoin Young
  • Eoin Young's McLaren Book
  • The Last Season – The Life of Bruce McLaren by Jeanne Beeching
  • The Golden Era of New Zealand Motor Racing by Graham Vercoe

A list of further such volumes can be viewed at Historical Books -- Bruce McLaren Trust - History of motorsport racing legend and founder of McLaren F1 and Can-Am teams.

External links[edit]

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