Bruce mclaren, motor racing driver originators nzedge. 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. Bruce mclaren controversially shades ken miles as the chequered flag is waved at le mans in 1966 photo. Explore the performance of your car and yourself in a controlled and safe environment. Bruce mclaren fi racecar designer driver engineer,builder. When bruce mclaren won le mans posted on sunday, 19 jun 2016 09. Open to all cars from minis to mclarens, grouped to suit speed and skills levels from newcomers to the experienced and race qualified.
Ken miles, the driver behind fords victory over ferrari. The 1966 car was the m2b designed by robin herd, but the programme was hampered by a poor choice of engines. Bruce mclaren net worth, biography, career highlights. His father had invested in a service station in remuera late 1936, after driving.
He became engineer, inventor, constructor, tester and created one of the greatest motor racing teams in history. It won four international championships with four different drivers. Starting from an early age, aucklander bruce mclaren was a brilliant and visionary race car driver. Ceding his victory over to the chris amon bruce mclaren team also meant that miles lost his chance to become the first and only driver to win the triple crown of endurance racing events after he. Bruce mclaren motor racing was founded in 1963 by new zealander bruce mclaren.
It was over 40 years before a younger driver would win a grand prix race. This list does not include drivers who raced mclaren cars that were entered by teams other than mclaren. Bruce mclaren was a race driver from new zealand who was active in formula one in the late 1950s and during the 1960s, but his name became one of the most recognizable ones over the years in the world of motorsport through his eponymous formula 1 team. The 1970 mclaren m10b was the most successful model of formula 5000 car until the appearance of the lola t332 four years later. Drive yourself around the bends of bruce mclaren motorsport parks international motor racing circuit. Bruce mclaren racing career profile driver database. Maiden wins for bruce mclaren cup contenders iribe and. Mclarens formula 1 effort was immediately respected for its solid engineering prowess and fun, nononsense attitude. Included are the seasons in which bruce mclaren entered his own car into the championship. Tony gillet was a successful race car driver who won the belgian hillchampionship in 1979 and 1980 and also took part in dakar rallies. With his restless ambition, he soon founded his own team, bruce mclaren motor racing ltd, in 1963, and took the marque into grand prix racing in 1966. The following is a complete race by race record of mclaren racings involvement in formula one. In 1963, he founded bruce mclaren motor racing ltd, but continued to race with cooper for three more seasons.
Bruce was born on august 30, 1937 in auckland, new zealand. Bruce mclaren simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Driver bruce mclarens formula one series results at circuit. Mclaren cars and drivers have taken the chequered flag at grand prix races 182 times, won 12 formula one world championship titles more than any other. They were to enter the race driving the previous years stp turbine car. Heres the real story behind the le manswinning ford gt40. Le mans engineer ken miles and his role in 1966 race victory. Bruce mclaren was a good race car driver and even better engineer who created a car that no one could match.
Bruce mclaren motorsport park taupo the home of new. His race ended after nine laps due to a terminal oil leak. Mclaren left cooper at the end of 1965 and announced his own gp racing team, with co driver and fellow kiwi chris amon. Bruce mclaren is a member of famous race car driver list. However, because of creating the photo for ford, miles lost the race and came in second due to a technicality. Home of new zealand motorsport bruce mclaren motorsport park is new zealands premier motorsport and driver training facility. Inducted into the international motorsports hall of fame in 1991. Bruce mclaren was hired to evaluate a prototype in august 1963, and work swiftly progressed. Driver bruce mclarens formula one series results at. Bruce mclaren new zealand automobile racer britannica. The controversial finish of the 1966 le mans 24 hours, with the two ford.
While growing up he spent all of his spare time in his parents workshop, around all the vehicles. His name lives on in the mclaren team which has been one of the most. Formula 1 car, f1 drivers, f1 racing, indy cars, car and driver, world championship, race cars, ferrari. Click on the number of races to see individual races for that year. Click on the race name to see the results of that race. Click on the site to see all races run at that track. Bruce mclaren, born bruce leslie mclaren, was a race car driver, designer, engineer, and inventor out of new zealand. Profile for racing driver bruce mclaren from new zealand.
And while the british brand claims that its logo isnt a kiwi, but instead the airflow over a spoiler, the brand hasnt forgotten its new zealand roots, and has shown off an elva wearing the same livery as bruce mclarens iconic 1967 m6a canam race car. Besides being an excellent race car driver, he was also a spectacular test driver. Fittingly, the final race victory of the weekend was claimed by reigning bruce mclaren cup champion, sultan ojjeh, who had worked his. Bruce was to drive a new turbine car built by carrol shelby. Mclaren racing limited is a british motor racing team based at the mclaren technology. If chris had stayed closer to bruce for longer, the story might have been ohsodifferent. Bought in bits by his father who had planned to restore and sell it, yearold bruce convinced him they could turn it into a race car.
From hunterville, new zealand, bruce was the third person to join the mclaren team based in colnbrook, uk and worked on building the race cars. Bruce was a works driver for the british formula one team cooper with whom he had won three grands prix and come second in the 1960 world championship. On a more positive not, chris and bruce mclaren won the 1966 le mans 24hour sports car classic in a 7litre ford v8. From 1959 to 1965 mclaren drove for charles cooper, a british racing car. The whole team clearly adored bruce, who not only raced the cars and ran the team, but designed and engineered the cars, drove the transporter and swept the factory floor. Working with manufacturers also exposed bruce to the top managers and engineers of the day, something that furthered his racing education, and helped him to make his. Bruce mclaren made the teams grand prix debut at the 1966 monaco race of the current formula one teams only ferrari is older. In 1963, he purchased an oldsmobilepowered cooper known as the zerex special. With the opening two races won by drivers who have been competing for fewer than six months, hockenheim provided a fine testament to the driver progression opportunities offered within the pure mclaren gt series. Having proved victorious a total of 8 times during the world constructors championships and 12 times during the world drivers championships, the mclaren formula one team still keeps bruces name alive and well. Bruce leslie mclaren 30 august 1937 2 june 1970 was a new zealand racecar designer, driver, engineer and inventor. At just 22 years of age in 1959, bruce mclaren won the american grand prix. In tandem with his formula 1 ambitions, bruce also built and raced sports cars. Jun 24, 2018 bruce leslie mclaren 30 august 1937 2 june 1970 was a new zealand race car designer, driver, engineer and inventor.
Bruce leslie mclaren 30 august 1937 2 june 1970 was a race car designer, driver, engineer and inventor. Click on the year to see the standings for that year. Between 1958 and 1970, mclaren was a formula one driver who most notably founded the mclaren team, and scored four race wins. Bernard cahiergetty images ken miles, bruce mclaren, ford mk ii, 24 hours of le mans, le mans, 19 june 1966. Click on the site to see all races run at that track view career statistics for bruce mclaren.
Trio of ford gt40s cross finish line at le mans 1966 with new zealanders chris amon bruce mclaren in car. In 1966, he won the le mans 24 hours in a ford gt40 alongside. During this period, bruce drove for his team in sports car races in the united kingdom and north america and also. Mclaren s private team was established for racing in the australasian tasman series, in which bruce was the 1964 champion. Notes points scored separately for different engine suppliers. Mclaren racing enjoyed an extremely dominant stretch between 1967 and 1972, winning a total of 56 races, a number of which with bruce as the driver. From 1959 to 1965 mclaren drove for charles cooper, a.
We have an exciting new addition at bruce mclaren motorsport park. From bruce mclarens first racing car, a little austin ulster, to the legendary road and racing cars that still bear his name, every mclaren tells a unique story. Bruce mclaren was the founder of the company mclaren. Bruce mclaren was the first to admit that he had mixed feelings about le mans, but the race wasnt just a chance to earn some useful pocket money, as it was for many f1 drivers. However, the american thought that car was too powerful and withdrew the entry before the race. Bruce mclaren honored at classic car show in london. Mar 20, 2020 bruce mclaren, born bruce leslie mclaren, was a race car driver, designer, engineer, and inventor out of new zealand. Motor racing was all that mclaren could think about and soon his doting father brought home an austin ulster, towed behind his truck and enough spare parts to get it going, it was hoped. Bruce leslie mclaren 30 august 1937 2 june 1970, born in auckland, new zealand, was a race car designer, driver, engineer and inventor. Bruce leslie mclaren 30 august 1937 2 june 1970 was a new zealand race car designer, driver, engineer and inventor. He became engineer, inventor, constructor, tester and created one of. See more ideas about race cars, racing and bruce mclaren. Bruce mclaren retirement village is named in honour of the famous race car designer, driver, enginee.
Here is a complete list of drivers who raced for the mclaren f1 team. Ken miles, the driver behind fords victory over ferrari at. Ken miles was already a champion race car driver when he took the wheel for ford at le mans 1966, but his victory over ferrari would make him a racing legend. While growing up he spent all of his spare time in his parents workshop. However, research by duncan fox shows that many of the early season m10bs had m10a style tubs. Fifty years since the world lost bruce mclaren, we track down his firstever road car. Here are our picks of 15 pretty sick cars made by race car drivers, that may not be a shelby, but still rocked the race tracks. Nov 14, 2019 besides being an excellent race car driver, he was also a spectacular test driver. Foul play in fords 1966 le mans 24 hour photo finish. The story of the mclaren m6a1 and bruce mclarens triumph. He was killed testing his new canam car at the goodwood circuit near london. Bruce leslie mclaren 30 august 1937 2 june 1970, born in auckland, new zealand, was a race car designer, driver, engineer and inventor his name lives on in the mclaren team which has been one of the most successful in formula one championship history, with mclaren cars and drivers winning a total of 20 world championships.
In 1968, bruce with denny hulme, made his only appearance as a driver at indianapolis. Open to all cars from minis to mclaren s, grouped to suit speed and skills levels from newcomers to the experienced and race qualified. Race car driver, designer and innovator bruce mclaren rose from humble beginnings to forever change the world of motorsport. Aug 17, 2017 heres the real story behind the le manswinning ford gt40. Bruce mclaren net worth, biography, career highlights 2019. As a child bruce mclaren was interested in vehicles. His name lives on in the mclaren team which has been one of the most successful in formula one championship history, with mclaren cars and drivers winning a. Bruce leslie mclaren august 30, 1937 june 2, 1970 was a new zealand race car designer, driver, engineer and inventor. Bruce mclaren is a famous people who is best known as a race car driver. Bruce leslie mclaren was born on 30th of august, 1937, in auckland, new zealand. As ken miles ford was some 20 metres nearer to the starting line than the mclaren car, bruce had therefore covered a greater distance in the same time and so was the winner. Maiden wins for bruce mclaren cup contenders iribe and moss. The cahier collection, bernard cahier ford dominated the le mans 24 hours race in 1966, winning it for the first time, and taking all the podium places with its updated mkii and stellar driver lineup.
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