Denny Hulme facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Denny Hulme
OBE

Hulme sitting in his car before the 1965 German Grand Prix
Born	(1936-06-18)18 June 1936 Motueka, New Zealand
Died	4 October 1992(1992-10-04) (aged 56) Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	New Zealander
Active years	1965–1974
Teams	Brabham, McLaren
Entries	112
Championships	1 (1967)
Wins	8
Podiums	33
Career points	248
Pole positions	1
Fastest laps	9
First entry	1965 Monaco Grand Prix
First win	1967 Monaco Grand Prix
Last win	1974 Argentine Grand Prix
Last entry	1974 United States Grand Prix

Denis Clive Hulme (born June 18, 1936 – died October 4, 1992), known as Denny Hulme, was a famous racing driver from New Zealand. He won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1967 with the Brabham team.

From his first race in 1965 to his last in 1974, he competed in 112 Grand Prix events. He won eight races and finished on the podium 33 times. He also placed third overall in the championship in 1968 and 1972.

Denny was also very good at racing sports cars. He was a key part of the McLaren team that won many titles in the Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am) series. He won the Can-Am Drivers' Championship twice.

After his time with Brabham, Hulme raced for McLaren in Formula One, Can-Am, and even the Indianapolis 500. He stopped racing in Formula One at the end of 1974. However, he continued to race Australian Touring Cars.

People called Hulme 'The Bear' because he was a bit gruff and had rugged looks. But he was also a sensitive person. He found it hard to show his feelings unless he was in a racing car. Early in his career, he liked to race barefoot. He thought it helped him feel the car's throttle better. This changed in 1960 when rules became stricter in Europe.

Denny Hulme drove some of the most powerful racing cars of his time. He raced in many different types of events in the same season. These included F1, F2, Indycars, touring cars, Can-Am, and endurance races. After leaving F1, he even raced trucks!

Denny Hulme passed away from a heart attack while racing in Australia in 1992. He was driving a BMW M3 in the 1992 Bathurst 1000 race. He was the first former Formula One champion to die from natural causes.

Early Racing Adventures

Denny Hulme was born on a tobacco farm in Motueka, New Zealand. His father, Clive Hulme, was a war hero. He won a special medal called the Victoria Cross as a sniper in 1941.

Growing up on his family's farm, Denny learned to drive a truck very early. He was sitting on his father's lap when he first started. By age six, he was driving by himself! He left school and worked at a garage. He saved enough money to buy his first racing car, an MG T-type. He quickly started entering hillclimbing events.

After showing great skill, he bought a faster F2 car. He was then chosen for a special program to help New Zealand drivers race in Europe. He started competing in races like Formula Junior and Formula Two. In 1960, he won a race in Italy, but the newspapers back home mostly wrote about another New Zealander, Bruce McLaren.

Sadly, 1960 ended badly when his friend George Lawton crashed and died. Denny was there to help him. Since the New Zealand press wasn't paying much attention to him, Denny decided to race back home. He won the 1961 New Zealand Gold Star Championship.

He also raced at Le Mans for the Abarth team. He won his class there. Then, Ken Tyrrell, a famous team owner, invited Denny to race for his team in 1962. Denny moved to London and worked as a mechanic for Jack Brabham. This helped him get into motor racing.

Jack Brabham gave Denny chances to drive his sports cars and single-seater cars. In 1963, Denny won seven international Formula Junior races. Jack Brabham then asked him to join his F2 team. In 1964, Denny and Jack were a strong team. They finished first and second in the FFSA Trophées de France series. They did it again in 1966. During this time, Denny won three F2 races. He also got to race in some non-championship Formula One events.

Besides single-seater cars, Denny also raced touring cars. In 1963, he won his first big touring car race. It was a six-hour race in very bad weather. Denny and his co-driver, Roy Salvadori, won after the other leading cars were disqualified.

Formula One Career

Racing with Brabham (1965–1967)

Denny Hulme had raced in some non-championship F1 events in 1964. Finally, in 1965, he made his official Formula One World Championship debut. This happened at the Monaco Grand Prix. Later that year, he scored his first points by finishing fourth in France.

The year 1966 was Denny's first full season in Formula One. He was now the second driver for the Brabham team, behind Jack Brabham himself. Denny finished fourth overall that year. He got on the podium four times. Jack Brabham won the World title, showing how strong the team was.

Hulme during qualifying for the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix

The 1967 Championship was mostly a battle between the two Brabham drivers, Jack and Denny. Their cars were reliable and consistent. Denny won two races that year. He won at Monte Carlo and the challenging Nürburgring track in Germany. His win in Monaco was impressive. However, the race was also sad because of a serious accident involving another driver.

Denny's second win in 1967 was at the famous Nürburgring. This showed he could win on any type of track. He also finished on the podium six more times. This helped him win the Championship by five points over Jack Brabham. Denny Hulme became the first (and only) Formula One World Champion from New Zealand.

Racing with McLaren (1968–1974)

In 1968, Denny moved to the McLaren team. This team was owned by his friend, Bruce McLaren, also from New Zealand. Bruce and Denny were very successful in the Can-Am sports car series. However, their time in Formula One was a bit harder.

1968 USGP at Watkins Glen. Photo by Bob Sanderson

By the Spanish race, McLaren had a new engine and car. Denny's performance improved a lot. He won the BRDC International Trophy. Then he got second place in Spain. He also won two more races that year, in Italy and Canada. This gave him a chance to win the championship again. But in the final race in Mexico City, his car had a problem. He finished third overall in 1968.

1969 German GP on the Nordschleife

The year 1969 was tough for Denny. His car had many problems. He only scored 20 points. But he did win the final race in Mexico. He finished sixth in the championship.

The 1970s brought new challenges. Denny's friend and team boss, Bruce McLaren, sadly died while testing a Can-Am car. This was very hard for Denny. He also suffered burns to his hands from a fire during practice for the 1970 Indianapolis 500. Because of this, he missed a race. Even with these difficulties, he finished fourth in the championship.

The 1970 Mexican Grand Prix was very crowded. Over 200,000 fans were there. The crowd was hard to control, and drivers worried about safety. Denny even almost hit some children playing near the track during practice.

The 1971 season started well but then became difficult. Denny didn't get on the podium at all that year. He finished ninth in the standings.

Hulme's 1973 McLaren-Ford M23 being shown at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

In 1972, a new sponsor, Yardley, joined McLaren. This helped Denny a lot. He won the race in South Africa. He also had several other podium finishes. He ended 1972 in third place overall. He also won a non-championship race called the International Gold Cup.

Denny only got one pole position in his F1 career. This was in 1973 at the Kyalami track in South Africa. He seemed to like racing there. However, his teammate, Peter Revson, performed better than him in 1973. Denny finished sixth, behind Peter.

In 1973, Denny and McLaren helped improve F1 safety. His car introduced a special life-support system. This system gave the driver breathable air if there was a fire.

Denny won the 1973 Swedish Grand Prix with a bit of luck. The race was looking like a win for Ronnie Peterson. But Peterson's car had a slow puncture. Denny, who had harder tires, passed Peterson on the second-to-last lap to win. Denny felt a bit sad to take the win from Ronnie.

Denny and Peter Revson became very good friends. They also raced together in the Can-Am series. When Peter left McLaren at the end of 1973, Denny was disappointed.

Denny won six Grand Prix races during his time at McLaren. But he was getting close to the end of his F1 career. He was also becoming more worried about the dangers of racing. After a race in Brazil in 1974, his fears became real. In March 1974, during testing, Peter Revson had a bad crash and died. Denny tried to save his friend, but it was too late.

After this accident, Denny announced he would retire from Grand Prix racing at the end of 1974. He won the first race of 1974 in Argentina. He also finished second in Austria. But he didn't have much more impact on the season. He retired with dignity at the end of the year and went back to New Zealand.

Racing Beyond F1

1966 Le Mans 24 Hours

In the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours race, Denny Hulme was driving a Ford GT40 MK II with Ken Miles. They were leading the race. The Ford team wanted their two leading cars to cross the finish line at the same time. But the race officials said a tie was not possible. Denny and Ken's car had qualified faster, so it was considered to have covered a shorter distance. So, even though they crossed the line side-by-side, another McLaren car was declared the winner. Denny and Ken finished second.

Can-Am (1966–1972)

In 1966, while racing in F1, Denny also competed in the first season of the Can-Am series. He didn't have much success that year. But in 1967, he joined Bruce McLaren's team. This team became incredibly successful. Americans even called them the 'Bruce and Denny Show' because they were so dominant.

1968 McLaren M6B at the Laguna Seca Historics, 2009.

In 1967, the same year he won his F1 title, Denny finished second in the Can-Am championship. He won three races. In 1968, Denny won the Can-Am Championship himself, with three victories. In 1969, the McLaren team won every single race! Denny won five races that year and finished second in the championship to Bruce McLaren.

The 1970 season was hard for the team because Bruce McLaren died. Denny led the team with six wins and won his second Can-Am Championship. In 1971, his friend Peter Revson became his teammate. Peter won the Can-Am title, with Denny in second place. In his last Can-Am season in 1972, Denny finished second again, with two wins.

Denny Hulme had an amazing record in Can-Am. From 1967 to 1972, he won 22 races. He finished second 11 times and third twice. This means he was on the podium in 67% of the races! His 22 wins are the most by any driver in the Can-Am series.

Indy 500

Denny Hulme raced in the Indianapolis 500 four times: in 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1971. His best results were two fourth-place finishes in 1967 and 1968. He missed the 1970 race because of burns to his hands. He was named the 1967 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year.

The 1967 Eagle raced by Hulme in the 1967 Indianapolis 500

Tasman Series

Denny finished third in the 1964 Tasman Series, winning one race. He also got a podium finish in 1967 and 1968.

British Sportscar Championship (1965–1969)

When he wasn't racing in Formula One, Denny sometimes raced in the British Sportscar Championship. He won 12 races during this time, mostly in a Lola T70 car. This included three wins of the famous RAC Tourist Trophy.

After F1

After leaving Formula One, Denny briefly led the Grand Prix Drivers' Association. But he found the job too demanding. He then retired to New Zealand. He started racing touring cars again in the late 1970s. He sometimes partnered with famous driver Stirling Moss.

In 1982, Denny started racing regularly again. He built a team with a Holden Commodore V8 car. They won the New Zealand Production Car Series in 1983–84. Denny also started racing in Australia. He joined Frank Gardner's JPS Team BMW. He finished second in class at the 1984 Bathurst 1000.

In 1986, Denny returned to Europe. He raced in the European Touring Car Championship. He won the RAC Tourist Trophy again, 18 years after his last win there! After that, he raced for Bob Jane's Mercedes-Benz team. Then he joined Larry Perkins in 1987. In 1988, he moved to the new Holden Racing Team. He got his last podium finish with Holden, coming second in the 1988 South Australia Cup.

Denny was also a big fan of truck racing. This became popular in New Zealand in the early 1990s. He even raced Scania trucks in the European Truck Championship.

Death

One of Denny Hulme's favorite races was the Bathurst 1000 in Australia. In the 1992 race, he was driving a BMW M3. He told his team over the radio that his vision was blurry. Then, he had a massive heart attack while driving very fast. His car veered into a wall but he managed to slow it down. When marshals reached him, he was still in the car. He was taken to the hospital but was sadly pronounced dead.

Denny's sister said his health started to get worse after his 21-year-old son, Martin, died in 1988. She believed Denny died of a "broken heart."

Legacy

Several awards are named in Denny Hulme's memory:

• The Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy at the Targa Tasmania race.
• The NZ Motor Cup: Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy in the Toyota Racing Series.

Denny Hulme was played by Ben Collins in the 2019 movie Ford v Ferrari.

Honours and Awards

• 1967 – New Zealand Sportsman of the Year.
• 1967/1970/1974 – Winner of the Hawthorn Memorial Trophy.
• 1992 – Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services to motorsport.
• 1993 – Inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.
• 1994 – Inducted into the New Zealand Motorsports Wall of Fame.
• 1998 – Inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
• 2002 – Inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Racing Record

Career Summary

Complete Formula One World Championship Results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Non-Championship Formula One Results

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

Complete British Saloon Car Championship Results

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

Tasman Series

Complete Canadian-American Challenge Cup Results

(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	Pts
1967	Bruce Mclaren Motor Racing	McLaren M6A	Chevrolet	ROA 1	BRI 1	MOS 1	LAG Ret	RIV Ret	LVG Ret						2nd	27
1968	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren M8A	Chevrolet	ROA 1	BRI Ret	EDM 1	LAG 2	RIV 5	LVG 1						1st	35
1969	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren M8B	Chevrolet	MOS 2	MTR 1*	WGL 2	EDM 1	MDO 1	ROA 2	BRI 1	MCH 2	LAG 2	RIV 1	TWS Ret	2nd	160
1970	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren M8D	Chevrolet	MOS 3	MTR Ret	WGL 1	EDM 1	MDO 1	ROA Ret	ATL Ret	BRA 1	LAG 1	RIV 1		1st	132
1971	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren M8F	Chevrolet	MOS 1	MTR 2	ATL 2	WGL 2	MDO Ret	ROA Ret	BRA 2	EDM 1	LAG 3	RIV 1		2nd	132
1972	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren M20	Chevrolet	MOS 1	ATL Ret	WGL 1	MDO 4	ROA Ret	BRA Ret	EDM 2	LAG Ret	RIV 19			2nd	65
Source:

• Joint fastest lap.

Indianapolis 500

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans Results

Year	Team	Co-drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class pos.
1961	Abarth & Cie	Angus Hyslop	Fiat-Abarth 850 S	S 850	263	14th	1st
1966	Shelby-American Inc.	Ken Miles	Ford GT40 Mk.II	P+5.0	360	2nd	2nd
1967	Holman & Moody	Lloyd Ruby	Ford GT40 Mk.IV	P+5.0	86	DNF	DNF

24 Hours of Daytona

Year	Team	Co-drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class pos.
1966	Team Chamaco Collect	Victor Wilson	Ferrari 250LM	P+2.0	53	DNF	DNF
1967	Ford Motor Company (Holman & Moody)	Lloyd Ruby	Ford Mk IV	P+2.0	299	DNF	DNF

Complete Bathurst 1000 Results

Year	Team	Co-drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class pos.
1982	JPS Team BMW	Stephen Brook	BMW 635 CSi	A	41	DNF	DNF
1984	JPS Team BMW	Leopold von Bayern	BMW 635 CSi	Group A	148	15th	2nd
1985	Auckland Coin & Bullion Exchange	Ray Smith	Holden VK Commodore	C	146	DNF	DNF
1986	Bob Jane T-Marts	Franz Klammer	Mercedes-Benz 190E	B	157	9th	2nd
1987	Enzed Team Perkins	Larry Perkins	Holden VK Commodore SS Group A	1	2	DNF	DNF
1988	Holden Special Vehicles	Larry Perkins Tom Walkinshaw	Holden VL Commodore SS Group A SV	A	137	DNF	DNF
1989	Benson & Hedges Racing	Alan Jones Tony Longhurst	Ford Sierra RS500	A	158	5th	5th
1990	Benson & Hedges Racing	Alan Jones	Ford Sierra RS500	A	65	DNF	DNF
1991	Benson & Hedges Racing	Peter Fitzgerald	BMW M3 Evolution	2	157	4th	1st
1992	Benson & Hedges Racing	Paul Morris	BMW M3 Evolution	2	32	DNF	DNF

Images for kids

• 

  Hulme sitting in his car before the 1965 German Grand Prix

• 

  Hulme during qualifying for the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix

• 

  1968 USGP at Watkins Glen.

• 

  1969 German GP on the Nordschleife

• 

  Hulme's 1973 McLaren-Ford M23 being demonstrated at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

• 

  Denny Hulme in 1973.

• 

  The 1967 Eagle raced by Hulme in the 1967 Indianapolis 500

• 

  1968 McLaren M6B at the Laguna Seca Historics, 2009.

See also

In Spanish: Denny Hulme para niños