Bruce McLaren

Bruce Leslie McLaren (30 August 1937 – 2 June 1970) was a New Zealand race-car designer, driver, engineer and inventor.

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

Bruce McLaren
Bruce 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, West Sussex, England, UK
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality New Zealand
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)

His name lives on in the McLaren team which has been one of the 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

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

Les McLaren restored an aging 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

Grand Prix
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. 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 a fine 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

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. (McLaren, Hulme, and Mark Donohue).

24 Hours of Le Mans

In 1966, McLaren and co-driver Chris Amon won the prestigious 24 Hour Race at Le Mans in a Ford GT40, in a Ford 1-2-3 finish. The Ken Miles/Denny Hulme entry crossed the line first but travelled less distance due to the Le Mans style start.[5]

Career as a constructor

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

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.

Legacy

Film
Main article: McLaren (film)

The story of Bruce McLaren was told in the 2017 documentary film McLaren by Roger Donaldson.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(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 F2 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 V8 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

(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 Tasman Series results
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
gollark: Mostly in factorio though.
gollark: I've always said that trees were the enemy.
gollark: So you neutralized the dendrohazard?
gollark: That's a tree. And a wall.
gollark: The wall demon was SCP-████, SCP-████ and an unknown number of apiopyrohazards.

References
  1. 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. "Taupo renamed after legendary Bruce McLaren". speedcafe.com. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  7. Lyons, Pete. "Bruce McLaren, Sports Cars, Class of 1995". Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  8. "McLaren film is launched". Grandprix.com. 19 January 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2007.
  9. "McLaren trailer: new film tells the story of motor racing icon Bruce McLaren – video". The Guardian. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2017.

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.

Sporting positions
Preceded by
None		 Tasman Series Champion
1964		 Succeeded by
Jim Clark
Preceded by
Jochen Rindt
Masten Gregory		 Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
1966 with:
Chris Amon		 Succeeded by
Dan Gurney
A. J. Foyt
Preceded by
John Surtees		 Can-Am Champion
1967		 Succeeded by
Denny Hulme
Preceded by
Dan Gurney		 Brands Hatch Race of Champions winner
1968		 Succeeded by
Jackie Stewart
Preceded by
Denny Hulme		 Can-Am Champion
1969		 Succeeded by
Denny Hulme
Records
Preceded by
Troy Ruttman
22 years, 80 days
(1952 Indianapolis 500)		 Youngest driver to score
points in Formula One
21 years, 253 days
(1959 Monaco Grand Prix)		 Succeeded by
Ricardo Rodríguez
20 years, 123 days
(1962 Belgian GP)
Preceded by
Stirling Moss
24 years, 303 days
(1954 British GP)		 Youngest driver to set
fastest lap in Formula One
21 years, 322 days
(1959 British Grand Prix)		 Succeeded by
Fernando Alonso
21 years, 321 days
(2003 Canadian GP)
Preceded by
Troy Ruttman
22 years, 80 days
(1952 Indianapolis 500)		 Youngest driver to score a
podium position in Formula One
21 years, 322 days
(1959 British Grand Prix)		 Succeeded by
Elio de Angelis
21 years, 307 days
(1980 Brazilian GP)
Preceded by
Stirling Moss
25 years, 302 days
(1955 season)		 Youngest Formula One
World Drivers' Championship runner-up
23 years, 5 days
(1960 season)		 Succeeded by
Lewis Hamilton
22 years, 287 days
(2007 season)
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