Formula 1 Teams

 Bruce Leslie McLaren

Races: 104
Podiums: 27
Career Points: 188

Year	Team	Constructor	Points	Position	Engine	Chassis
1958	Cooper Car Company	Cooper			Climax FPF 2.0 L4	Cooper T45 Cooper T43 Mark II T44
1959	Cooper Car Company	Cooper			Climax FPF 2.5 L4	T51
1960	Cooper Car Company	Cooper			Climax FPF 2.5 L4	Cooper T51 T53
1961	Cooper Car Company	Cooper	14	4	Climax FPF 1.5 L4, Climax FWMV 1.5 V8	Cooper T55 T58
1962	Cooper Car Company	Cooper	29	3	Climax FWMV 1.5 V8, Climax FPF 1.5 L4	Cooper T55 Cooper T60
1963	Cooper Car Company	Cooper	25	5	Climax FWMV 1.5 V8	Cooper T66
1964	Cooper Car Company	Cooper	16	5	Climax FWMV 1.5 V8	T73 Cooper T66
1965	Cooper Car Company	Cooper	14	5	Climax FWMV 1.5 V8	T77 T73
1966	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren	2	9	Ford 406 3.0 V8, Serenissima 3.0 V8	M2B
1967	Anglo American Racers	Gurney	13	7	Climax FPF 2.8 L4, Weslake 58 3.0 V12	Gurney Eagle T1 G F1 T1G
1967	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren	3	10	BRM P56 2.0 V8, BRM P142 3.0 V12	M4B M5A
1968	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren	49	2	BRM P142 3.0 V12, Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	M5A McLaren M7A
1969	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren	38	4	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8	McLaren M7A M7C M9A
1970	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes	McLaren	35	5	Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8, Alfa Romeo T33 3.0 V8	M14A McLaren M14D M7D

Bruce McLaren: Hidden Fears, but Absolutely no Handicaps

By Jeremy McMullen
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When Bruce came to join the Cooper factory team the driver line-up included Masten Gregory and Jack Brabham. Therefore, Cooper would have an incredibly potent list of drivers in its stable. And in the case of Brabham and McLaren, Cooper had a healthy competitive relationship that only helped Cooper improve technically. The effect of these two southern hemisphere drivers would never be more apparent than in 1960 when Bruce would finish the Formula One World Championship 2nd in the Drivers' Championship standings just nine points behind teammate Brabham. And the pairing of the two would prove to be a lethal combination in the Constructors' Championship standings. With their drivers finishing 1st and 2nd in the Drivers' Championship standings it would not be much of a stretch to realize Cooper dominated in the constructors standings as well.

1960 would be an incredible year for Cooper and Brabham and McLaren. Bruce would take his second career victory in the first round of the World Championship that year. Then, during Brabham's run of five-straight victories, there would be two occasions when Cooper would have Brabham and McLaren finishing one-two.

Though the talents of Bruce were undeniable, the presence of Jack Brabham and the rise of Lotus would make victories hard to come by. Still, Bruce's talents were just too valuable and it would not be at all surprising when he would take over as Cooper's number one driver when Brabham left in 1962 to start his own team.

Bruce would remain with Cooper for another four years, serving as the team's number one driver. However, without the kindred-spirit that Brabham was to keep his interests solely within the Cooper team, McLaren started to look to branch out into other forms of racing.

A humble man, Bruce would be one of the first to realize when another driver was quicker than he, and that his own racing career, in each particular series, would have a lifespan to it. On top of everything else, his engineering side would not be allowed to so quietly in the night. While he certainly was a racer, he also had the technical abilities to build his own cars. Therefore, he would make the jump, like Brabham, into creating his own racing team building his own cars.

As it had when he first arrived in England, McLaren would turn to Cooper and would take some of their cars and would rework them to race under his new company, Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd., and would begin racing them in the Tasman Series back in his native New Zealand alongside Tim Mayer. McLaren's prowess would prove indomitable and he would go on to win the title in 1964 and 1965.

But it wouldn't stop there. Bruce would really begin to branch out when he started to race in the United States. His first car would be a Zerex sports car purchased from Roger Penske. This would lead to Bruce building his first open-wheel racing car after scoring a deal with Firestone to test their tires.

Year Chassis Engine 1970 McLaren M14D Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8, Alfa Romeo T33 3.0 V8 1970 M14A Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8, Alfa Romeo T33 3.0 V8 1970 M7D Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8, Alfa Romeo T33 3.0 V8 1969 McLaren M7A Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 1969 M9A Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 1969 M7C Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 1968 McLaren M7A BRM P142 3.0 V12, Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 1968 M5A BRM P142 3.0 V12, Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 1967 M5A BRM P56 2.0 V8, BRM P142 3.0 V12 1967 M4B BRM P56 2.0 V8, BRM P142 3.0 V12 1967 T1G Climax FPF 2.8 L4, Weslake 58 3.0 V12 1967 Gurney Eagle T1 G F1 Climax FPF 2.8 L4, Weslake 58 3.0 V12 1966 M2B Ford 406 3.0 V8, Serenissima 3.0 V8 1965 T73 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 1965 T77 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 1964 Cooper T66 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 1964 T73 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 1963 Cooper T66 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 1962 Cooper T60 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8, Climax FPF 1.5 L4 1962 Cooper T55 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8, Climax FPF 1.5 L4 1961 T58 Climax FPF 1.5 L4, Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 1961 Cooper T55 Climax FPF 1.5 L4, Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 1960 T53 Climax FPF 2.5 L4 1960 Cooper T51 Climax FPF 2.5 L4 1959 T51 Climax FPF 2.5 L4 1958 Cooper T43 Mark II Climax FPF 2.0 L4 1958 Cooper T45 Climax FPF 2.0 L4 1958 T44 Climax FPF 2.0 L4

Branching out would be a natural thing for McLaren, for, like so many other drivers of his era, diversifying between single-seaters and sportscars was normal. Still, that didn't mean that all were good both in grand prix and sportscars. However, recognized for his driving and technical abilities, McLaren would have the opportunity to drive everything from Lotus 15s to the Maserati Tipo 63 ‘Birdcage' and would perform well. However, McLaren's greatest moment in sportscars would come during the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.

McLaren became very much interested in the new Canadian-American Challenge Cup series, or what would be known very simply as Can-Am. Virtually unlimited, the Group 7 racers perfectly suited both the driving and the technical side of McLaren. Therefore, he would begin building his own Can-Am racer as well. Over the course of the 1966 season, McLaren would earn a couple of 2nd place finishes and would end up 3rd in the championship standings. However, it would be while driving in the United States that he would come to earn a drive with the Ford factory team and its pursuit of victory at Le Mans.

Paired with fellow New Zealander Chris Amon, the two men would go on to complete 360 miles and would lead home an incredible and dominate one-two-three finish for the Ford GT40. The famous finish would become one of the most iconic in the whole history of Le Mans. It would also provide a glimpse of the future as one of the co-drivers of the 2nd place car would be Dennis Hulme. And the two would become famous in Can-Am racing, leading to the moniker the 'Bruce and Denny Show'.McLaren's time, as a driver, in Formula One would become ever-more frustating. By 1966, he was building his own chassis. While this excited the man, who had also become very astute as a businessman, as a driver, it would be a frustrating time as it took time for a team to become a dominant force in Formula One.

By 1969, it seemed as though McLaren had returned to form in Formula One. Earning his first victory in a car of his own design at the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix, the 1969 season would see Bruce score no less than three podium finishes and would result in a 3rd place finish in the Drivers' Championship for that year. As a team owner, his McLaren-Ford team would finish the season 4th.

But while the 1969 season would seem like a break-out year for McLaren and his own team in Formula One it would vastly pale in comparison to what everyone would witness in Can-Am racing that year.

By 1967, McLaren would already have his first championship title in Can-Am. However, 1969 would prove to be a season like no other and would firmly establish what had already become known as 'The Bruce and Denny Show'.

              
              
                Over the eleven rounds of the championship that season, McLaren's McLaren Car team would earn victory in all eleven. It would be an amazing season to behold. One race it would be Bruce that would take the victory. The following round would see Denny take the checkered flag. It seemed like it went on like that all season long. In the end, it would be perhaps the most dominate performance by any team in any racing series. Bruce would win the championship title once again having twice as many points as the 3rd place finisher Chuck Parsons driving for Carl Haas' racing team. Denny Hulme would finish in 2nd place, obviously, just five points behind.

Part of Bruce's talent was his humility. Already having faced certain realities in life, McLaren was never really one to let his pride get in the way. Instead, he would likely find an outlet for a faster driver to benefit himself while also providing the means for that other driver to shine. Denny Hulme in Can-Am would be a prime example. Bruce and Denny would share the Can-Am spotlight for four years. But besides Formula One and Can-Am, Bruce would also branch out into Indycar racing and would provide more outlets for drivers to exercise their talents.

In fact, it would be this humility that would ultimately cost Bruce his life, but it would also ensure that McLaren's racing enterprises would carry on strongly into the future. And that would never be more evident than in 1970.

F1 Drivers From New Zealand
Christopher Arthur Amon John Dalton James Howden Ganley	Denis Clive 'Denny' Hulme Graeme Lawrence Bruce Leslie McLaren	Graham McRae John Nicholson Tony Shelly Michael Thackwell

Bruce had become one of the very few, if not the only, great drivers-constructors, and designers of all time and his success in Can-Am as a designer and team owner would lead to a number of knocks on the door by interested parties looking for success. One of those that would be looking for success would be Goodyear. The famous tire supplier desperately wanted to break Firestone's hold on the famed Indianapolis 500 and believed McLaren would be the one capable of designing a car capable of beating the rest of the competition. Bruce would take up the challenge and would enter the world of Indy Car racing.

Bruce had all of the necessary elements of success in the Can-Am cars from the previous couple of years, and therefore, would design an open-wheeler Indy Car based upon the design of the M8. The design would be simple enough. Called the M15A, McLaren's team would enter four cars in the 1970 edition of the 500 mile race. Peter Revson, Chris Amon, Denny Hulme and Carl Williams would all take to the wheels of a car in the race. And though the first attempt would not yield a victory the performance of the car was such that it would earn the Designer's Award.

However, Bruce's decision to yield to the other talented drivers and not to race at Indy, this humble decision, likely and providentially determined the course of events that would transpire just a couple of days after the race.

The day after the Indianapolis 500, Bruce was already on an airplane heading back to England. He had an important engagement. The latest evolution of the M8, the M8D 'Batmobile' as it would become known, would be ready for testing. Keen to repeat as Can-Am champion, McLaren would make the return trip to take up duties as test driver.

Powering the new M8D down the Lavant Straight toward Woodcote, the rear bodywork came loose at high speeds which upset the car and caused a spin. While attempting to recover control of the car, it would strike a barrier used as a flag station. McLaren would die as a result of the injuries.

Immediately, the tragic loss of McLaren would send shockwaves all throughout the racing world for Bruce had not just been part of one racing series, but was an influential figure in quite a number racing disciplines.

To lesser teams, the loss of their figurehead would be absolutely catastrophic. And while his loss would be incredible terrible on the company, Bruce's humility and prowess would enable the company to be in a strong position at the time of his passing. And it would be his death that would show just what strong organization and strong cohesive partnerships could produce. Hulme would go on to win the Can-Am championship in 1970. Peter Revson would take the title in 1971. Soon, McLaren's Indy car program would produce some of the most potent and fast cars ever to enter the 500. And, in 1974, with Emerson Fittipaldi driving an M23, McLaren would have its first World Championship title as a constructor.

There are all-around drivers that are talented enough to compete in a number of different racing disciplines and prove fast and capable in each. However, there are a very few in the entire history of racing the fall into the category of Bruce McLaren. Bruce was an all-around racer of an entirely different sort. Technically proficient and skilled as a driver, McLaren was able to combine all of his talents to be a winner as a driver and a champion as a designer and constructor. His legacy is secure. And the fact that the McLaren name continues to be one of the most dominant names in Formula One is not merely a testament to his talents for sure, but also, to that love of life and of dedication to his craft that championed the talents of others to make the whole stronger.

Bruce McLaren, therefore, wasn't so much a man as an ideal that attracted and drew the most talented in every aspect of motor racing. It would be this ideal that lives on, and, as a result, so too does the man himself.

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Sources:
'The Bruce McLaren Biography', (http://www.bruce-mclaren.com/info_pages.php/pages_id/2). Bruce McLaren Trust. http://www.bruce-mclaren.com/info_pages.php/pages_id/2. Retrieved 17 August 2012.

'The Man', (http://www.thebrucemclarenmovie.com/wscars.htm). The Bruce McLaren Movie: The Official Bruce McLaren Movie Website. http://www.thebrucemclarenmovie.com/wscars.htm. Retrieved 17 August 2012.

'Drivers: Bruce McLaren', (http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-mclbru.html). GrandPrix.com. http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-mclbru.html. Retrieved 17 August 2012.

'Complete Archive of Bruce McLaren', (http://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/archive/Bruce-McLaren-NZ.html). Racing Sports Cars. http://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/archive/Bruce-McLaren-NZ.html. Retrieved 17 August 2012.

'The Cars', (http://www.bruce-mclaren.com/the-cars/indy-500/m15.html). Bruce McLaren Trust. http://www.bruce-mclaren.com/the-cars/indy-500/m15.html. Retrieved 17 August 2012.

Wikipedia contributors, 'McLaren', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 17 August 2012, 14:54 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McLaren&oldid=506002775 accessed 17 August 2012

Wikipedia contributors, 'Can-Am', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 June 2012, 02:46 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Can-Am&oldid=497161549 accessed 17 August 2012

Wikipedia contributors, 'Bruce McLaren', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 August 2012, 04:23 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bruce_McLaren&oldid=507482987 accessed 17 August 2012

Formula One World Drivers' Champions
1950 G. Farina 1951 J. Fangio 1952 A. Ascari 1953 A. Ascari 1954 J. Fangio 1955 J. Fangio 1956 J. Fangio 1957 J. Fangio 1958 M. Hawthorn 1959 S. Brabham	1960 S. Brabham 1961 P. Hill, Jr 1962 N. Hill 1963 J. Clark, Jr. 1964 J. Surtees 1965 J. Clark, Jr. 1966 S. Brabham 1967 D. Hulme 1968 N. Hill 1969 S. Stewart	1970 K. Rindt 1971 S. Stewart 1972 E. Fittipaldi 1973 S. Stewart 1974 E. Fittipaldi 1975 A. Lauda 1976 J. Hunt 1977 A. Lauda 1978 M. Andretti 1979 J. Scheckter	1980 A. Jones 1981 N. Piquet 1982 K. Rosberg 1983 N. Piquet 1984 A. Lauda 1985 A. Prost 1986 A. Prost 1987 N. Piquet 1988 A. Senna 1989 A. Prost	1990 A. Senna 1991 A. Senna 1992 N. Mansell 1993 A. Prost 1994 M. Schumacher 1995 M. Schumacher 1996 D. Hill 1997 J. Villeneuve 1998 M. Hakkinen 1999 M. Hakkinen	2000 M. Schumacher 2001 M. Schumacher 2002 M. Schumacher 2003 M. Schumacher 2004 M. Schumacher 2005 F. Alonso 2006 F. Alonso 2007 K. Raikkonen 2008 L. Hamilton 2009 J. Button	2010 S. Vettel 2011 S. Vettel 2012 S. Vettel