Bruce McLaren facts for kids
Bruce McLaren in 1966
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| Born | Bruce Leslie McLaren 30 August 1937 Auckland, New Zealand |
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| Died | 2 June 1970 (aged 32) Goodwood Circuit, Sussex, England, UK |
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| Formula One World Championship career | |||||||||||
| Nationality |  New Zealand |
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| Active years | 1958–1970 | ||||||||||
| Teams | Cooper, McLaren, Eagle | ||||||||||
| Entries | 104 (100 starts) | ||||||||||
| Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Wins | 4 | ||||||||||
| Podiums | 27 | ||||||||||
| Career points | 188.5 (196.5) | ||||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||||
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Bruce Leslie McLaren (born August 30, 1937 – died June 2, 1970) was an amazing New Zealander. He was a racing car designer, a driver, an engineer, and an inventor!
His name lives on through the famous McLaren team. This team has become one of the most successful in Formula One history. They have won 8 World Constructors' Championships and 12 World Drivers' Championships. McLaren cars also dominated CanAm sports car racing. They won 56 races between 1967 and 1972. Bruce himself drove in many of these wins. McLaren cars have also won three Indianapolis 500 races. They also won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans and 12 Hours of Sebring races.
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Bruce McLaren's Early Life
Bruce McLaren was born in Auckland, New Zealand. When he was nine, he got a hip disease called Perthes disease. This made his left leg shorter than his right.
His parents, Les and Ruth McLaren, owned a garage and workshop. His dad, Les, loved motorcycle racing. But he stopped after an injury before Bruce was born. Instead, he started racing cars at a local level. Bruce spent all his free time at the workshop. This is where he developed his passion for cars.
Bruce McLaren's Racing Career
Bruce's dad, Les, fixed up an old Austin 7 Ulster car. In 1952, when Bruce was 14, he used it for his first race. It was a hillclimb event. Two years later, he raced in his first real competition. He showed a lot of natural talent. He then moved on to faster cars. These included a Ford 10 special and an Austin-Healey. Later, he drove a Formula Two (F2) Cooper-Climax sports racing car. Bruce immediately started changing and improving his cars. He became so good that he finished second in the 1957–58 New Zealand championship.
In 1963, Bruce McLaren started his own company, McLaren Automotive.
Driving for the Win
Grand Prix Racing
In 1958, Bruce's driving in the New Zealand Grand Prix caught the eye of Australian driver Jack Brabham. Jack later asked Bruce to drive for his team. Because of his great potential, Bruce was chosen for a special program. This program helped promising New Zealand drivers get experience in Europe. Bruce was the first driver to get this amazing chance.
Bruce joined the Cooper team and stayed for seven years. He raced in F2 and also in the 1958 German Grand Prix. This race had both F1 and F2 cars. Bruce surprised everyone by finishing as the top F2 car. He was fifth overall among the world's best drivers!
In 1959, Bruce joined the Cooper factory F1 team. He raced alongside Jack Brabham. Bruce won the 1959 United States Grand Prix when he was just 22 years old. This made him the youngest Grand Prix winner at the time. This record lasted for over 40 years! He then won the 1960 Argentine Grand Prix, the first race of the 1960 Formula One season. He finished second in the championship that year.
Bruce won the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix. He ended up finishing third in the championship that year. The next year, he started his own racing team, Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd. Today, it is simply known as McLaren. Bruce kept racing and winning in Cooper cars. He even won the New Zealand Grand Prix in 1964.
Bruce left Cooper at the end of 1965. He then announced his own Grand Prix racing team. His co-driver was another New Zealander, Chris Amon. Chris left in 1967 to drive for Ferrari. In 1968, Bruce was joined by Denny Hulme, who had won the world championship in 1967. Bruce won his fourth career race in his own McLaren car at Spa in 1968. This was the McLaren team's first Grand Prix win! Denny Hulme also won two races in the McLaren-Ford car.
The 1969 championship was also successful for McLaren. Bruce finished third overall, even without winning a race. To honor his home country, McLaren's cars had a "speedy Kiwi" bird logo.
Can-Am Series Racing
Bruce McLaren's talent for design and new ideas was clear in powerful sports car racing. When the Can-Am series became popular, the new McLaren cars quickly showed their speed. In their first six races, they finished second twice and third twice.
In 1967, McLaren cars won five out of six races. In 1968, they won four out of six. The next year, McLarens were unbeatable! They won all 11 races. In two of those races, they finished first, second, and third.
Winning at Le Mans
In 1965, Bruce McLaren and his co-driver Ken Miles raced a Ford GT40 in the 24 Hour Race at Le Mans. Their car was leading but had to stop because of a gearbox problem. In 1966, Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon won the race in a Ford GT40. Ford cars finished first, second, and third that year!
Bruce McLaren as a Car Builder
Bruce McLaren was a great driver. But his biggest impact, the McLaren Racing Team, came from his skills as an analyst, engineer, and manager. One time, when he was testing an early McLaren sports car, he noticed something odd. The fuel filler door was flapping as he drove faster. Most people thought it should be pushed down by the air. But it was flapping more! Bruce realized this meant something important about how air moved around the car. He stopped, grabbed some scissors, and cut away part of the car's body behind the radiator. When he drove again, his lap times were faster!
From that moment came the "nostrils" design feature. This design has been a key part of McLaren cars ever since, even on the modern McLaren P1 road car.
Bruce noticed that his team's cars were not as fancy as the Chaparrals built by rival designer Jim Hall. But McLaren cars were more reliable. This meant they won more races and championships. This focus on reliability continued after Bruce's death. It was made even stronger when Ron Dennis later bought the team.
Bruce McLaren's Death
Bruce McLaren died at age 32 on June 2, 1970. He was testing his new McLaren M8D Can-Am car at Goodwood Circuit in England. The back part of the car's body came off at high speed. This made the car unstable. It spun off the track and hit a flag station.
Motorsport writer Eoin Young said that Bruce McLaren had "virtually penned his own epitaph" in his 1964 book From the Cockpit. This means Bruce's own words in his book seemed to predict his fate.
Bruce was survived by his sisters Pat and Jan, his wife Patty, and his daughter Amanda. He was buried in Waikumete Cemetery in Glen Eden.
Bruce McLaren's Legacy
- The team Bruce McLaren started in 1963 kept going after his death. It has won 8 Constructors' Championships and 12 Drivers' Championships in Formula One.
- Bruce McLaren Intermediate School in West Auckland was named after him. It was named shortly after he died. The school is on Bruce McLaren Road, in a suburb called McLaren Park.
- In 2015, the Taupo Motorsport Park in New Zealand was renamed Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park.
- In 2000, Motorsport NZ and the Prodrive Trust created the Bruce McLaren Scholarship. This helps new racing drivers from New Zealand.
- He was put into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.
- He was put into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1991.
- He was put into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 1991.
- He was put into the New Zealand Motorsports Wall of Fame in 1994.
- He was put into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1995.
- The Bruce McLaren Trust in Auckland, New Zealand, keeps his memory alive. They run a small museum.
- In 2007, it was announced that a movie would be made about Bruce McLaren.
- On February 21, 2017, it was announced that Roger Donaldson would make a movie called McLaren.
- The University of Auckland Formula SAE team uses Bruce's racing number 47 for their car. This is to remember him.
- He was put into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame in 2022.
Film About Bruce McLaren
The story of Bruce McLaren was told in the 2017 documentary film McLaren. It was directed by Roger Donaldson.
Images for kids
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McLaren at the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix.
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McLaren in the 1969 German Grand Prix
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McLaren (centre left, white balaclava) prepares to take his seat in his McLaren M7C Formula One car, prior to the 1969 Dutch Grand Prix.
See also
In Spanish: Bruce McLaren para niños
