Formula One racecar driver Bruce McLaren: biography, achievements and interesting facts

Every motor sport fan mentally makes up his own lists of world-class pilots. One of them is necessarily titled as "safe, experienced and highly skilled driver; Unsinkable ". Bruce McLaren (Bruce McLaren) headed such a list for many. So the shock, in addition to grief, after his sudden death at Goodwood during the testing of the new McLaren car for Can-Am, was particularly strong. The more ironically cruel was the fact that he deliberately decided not to participate in the two McLaren races in Indianapolis and returned to England to pursue, as usual, the test of impeccably trained Can-Am machines.

The pilot, who was only 33, with his ageless, joyful, youthful appearance, easily forgot that of all the world-class drivers he was, with the exception of his friend Jack Brabham, the most experienced of all, in terms of the duration of participation in competitions.

McLaren Bruce: biography of the rider

He was born on 30.08.37 in Auckland, New Zealand, in the family of Las and Ruth McLarens. At the age of 16, he was already a license holder, participating in his first mountain races on Austin 7. His father, an engineer and a motorcycle racer, encouraged him and was his biggest supporter.

Bruce Leslie McClaren, especially when he was tired, was noticeably limping. This was the result of an ailment known as Legg-Perthes disease, which suddenly strikes previously healthy nine-year-old boys and chases them to bed in the orthopedic ward of the hospital for up to two years. After recovery, the hip joint no longer functions as before and sometimes aches a bit.

Looking back, it becomes clear that Bruce's exceptional sense of humor, steadfastness, patience and mischief originated or, at least, crystallized during this long period.

Case in the hospital

One case is worth remembering. Bruce was always a quiet leader and during his stay in the clinic he led his peers, locked in wheelchairs for four wheelchairs, to secret night outings down winding, smooth, inclined paths. The steering was, of course, pathetic, and, naturally, there were numerous raids on the flower beds. An important part of this story is that all the team members and its leader returned to their beds not caught and unscathed.

His parents had great importance in his early life. Their support and parental care clearly helped to develop as Bruce's adult joyful acceptance of life's ups and downs, his compassion, kindness, interest in other people and his great determination to succeed.

Tour to Europe

It is also appropriate to add the objective genetic factor of inherited traits. Bruce was the first recipient of the New Zealand International Grand Prix Scholarship "Racer to Europe". This allowed the young pilot to come to the Old World, but on arrival he remained practically on his own. 20-year-old Bruce McClaren and his friend Colin Binland in the role of mechanics entered the English land in 1958. Jack Brabham, John and Charles Coopers replaced his father's father so necessary, and the two New Zealanders moved to their workshop to literally build their own Formula 2 racing car, Cooper.

It was not long before Bruce McLaren, the Formula 2 racer, with his successful performances made the enthusiasts look into the race program to find out who this young and very young member of the Commonwealth is. But everyone was surprised by the 1958 competition at the German Grand Prix, which combined the F1 and F2 races at the Nurburgring. The final of this episode was best commented on by Jack Brabham: "I do not know. Several Arabs came with three wrenches and a spare wheel only to fill in the list of participants, and then they won this bloody race. "

Start at the Tyrrell

In general, Bruce came fifth and first among F2 cars, climbing the podium next to Tony Brooks, who won the Formula One race in Vanualla the same day. That's when Bruce McLaren started his real racing career.

The biography of the rider changed dramatically when, in the same 1958, the Tyrrell team, which was distinguished by the ability to select talented pilots, suggested that Bruce ride at his F2 Cooper, and this friendship and educational experience played a big role. The perfectionism of McLaren began to manifest itself in many ways. The late Noddy Groman and Mike Barney were friends and scrupulous mechanics of Cooper. An hour before the start, Bruce approached them with a small list in his hand and said: "Noddy and Mike, you poured it up to the top with oil?" The mechanics, not even willing to respond, threw him a murderous glance. If they did not even look at him, McClaren could not help but open the lid of the jellied mouth to look inside.

Going to Cooper

The following year, he joined the team "Cooper" with Jack Brabham and Masteen Gregory. Few people know that Bruce McClaren studied at an engineering college and in the following years there were no other two drivers who would have more time involved in testing, developing and preparing cars than he and Brabham. This was the period of the most important and happy hard work.

It was also a time when the leaders in sports began to understand that although it was important to have the maximum engine power, the lap time can be shortened by setting the chassis. Ken Tyrrell was here a pioneer, and he always had a high opinion of Bruce in this regard. As explained by Tyrrell, one of the most difficult things that a driver should provide when testing is driving at a constant speed, a circle after a circle, and then the opportunity to talk about the behavior of the car, etc. This is where the basis for the subsequent development of the entire area of motorsport was laid .

Experience and stability

At the end of 1959, Bruce McClaren at 22 years old became the youngest driver who ever won the Formula 1 World Cup race - the US Grand Prix at Sebring. For the Cooper 1959 was the first of two successive golden years, as the team won the championship of manufacturers, and in 1960, Jack retained the title of world champion, and 23-year-old Bruce took second place in the standings of the pilots. McLaren won a total of four Grand Prix: USA (1959), Argentina (1960), Monte Carlo (1962) and Belgium (1968). An indicator of his experience and stability over the years is that in the cumulative rating of all the championships he took the fifth place after Graham Hill, Fangio, Jim Clark and his friend Brabham.

He remained in the Cooper team until 1966, replacing Bradham in driver # 1 when Jack left it in 1962 to build his own sports cars. At this time, McLaren began a persistent versatile expansion into all branches of motorsport, including sports cars. He enjoyed it and got many friends in the USA. In 1966, he won the 24-hour race at Le Mans with Chris Amon on the 7-liter Ford II Mark and the following year a 12-hour Sebring with Mario Andretti on the Ford Mark IV.

Your team

Another important stage was achieved in 1963-64, because he wanted to secede and have his own team. For the "Formula" Tasman he had two of his own specially built 2.5-liter Cooper. The late Timmy Mayer spent his first European season in Formula 3, speaking for Ken Tyrrell's kennel, and Bruce, extremely impressed with his talent, invited the young pilot to join him on the opposite side of the globe. This was to be a kind of rehearsal, since John Cooper was also impressed enough to sign a contract with a young American next season as a co-pilot and McLaren in place of the first. Although Bruce won this championship, the new team returned to mourning due to the tragic death of Timmy during the practice before the last race of this series. For Teddy Mayer, the manager of the deceased brother, and the mechanics of Tyler Alexander, however, this was the beginning of their long subsequent joint work and, ultimately, the creation of the company McLaren Racing Ltd. In 1966 with Teddy Mayer as a partner. From this moment, McLaren showed another quality. He became an astute businessman and hardworking leader.

Bruce McClaren remained a world-class driver, but more and more his maturity allowed him to calmly feel that others were faster than him, and that his future lies in the field of design, construction and development. Then cars were built Formula 1 McLaren and Bruce won in 1968 in the Belgian Spa on his own McLaren-Ford, and then in the same year, the pilot of his team, Denny Halm won the Grand Prix of Italy and Canada.

The tragic ending

All this time in the minds of Bruce and Teddy Meyer there were plans that would lead to the top of his career - the Canadian-American Cup for sports cars of Group 7. McLaren Racing Ltd. Was supported by the sponsors of Chevrolet, Goodyear, Reynolds and Gulf and created a car that won five of the six races in the 1967 series, four of six in 1968 and all 11 in 1969. This superior dominance in the series gave many awards and Bruce Leslie McLaren, whose biography was so suddenly and tragically interrupted, for these outstanding achievements was to receive the Seagrave Trophy of the Royal Automobile Club. But this was not meant to happen.

Bruce McLaren, whose death occurred on June 2, 1970 on the Lavant straightway of the "Goodwood" track just before the turn of Woodcough, tested the new M8D when the rear of the car broke away at full speed. The loss of aerodynamic clamping force destabilized the car, which began to spin, got off the track and hit the fence.

Personal life

Bruce married Patty Briquett four years after they met at a party in Timar, where he came to local competitions. November 20, 1965 they had a daughter, Amanda.

Interesting Facts

• In Auckland, McLaren named the school, the park, the industrial park, the street and the hall in the school where he studied.
• In 1990, Bruce was introduced to the Hall of Fame of New Zealand, in 1991 - to the Hall of Fame of International Motor Sport and in 1995 to the Motorsport Hall of Fame of America.
• McLaren won his first Grand Prix in the US at Sebring in 1959.
• Won the winner in the race "24 Hours of Le Mans" in 1966.
• He came first at the 12-hour race at Sebring in 1967.
• Bruce became the champion of Can-Am in 1967 and 1969.