June 2nd 1970.... Bruce McLaren

I was doing some research for the 1965 NZGP and thinking that is already 50 years ago. But then I realized that it is almost June 2nd. I was in Sydney 45 years ago and went into a post office and the counter person said "I am sorry to hear about your fellow New Zealander ". I had not heard the news about Bruce's death before that and it came as a complete shock. I think we all grow up having a hero and that is what Bruce McLaren was to me. He could have walked on water in my book. He was an inspiration and I always wanted try to get an opportunity to meet him or eventually to work for him. That never happened.
Thank you Bruce for all that you created in that very short life time that you had.
I remember what you wrote about Timmy Mayer when he died at Longford.
" In his eulogy of team mate and friend Tim Mayer, Bruce McLaren wrote: "The news that he had died instantly was a terrible shock to all of us, but who is to say that he had not seen more, done more and learned more in his few years than many people do in a lifetime? To do something well is so worthwhile that to die trying to do it better cannot be foolhardy. It would be a waste of life to do nothing with one's ability, for I feel that life is measured in achievement, not in years alone."
Great eulogy from a great man.
45 years ago. Never to be forgotten.

(Ken Hyndman )

Seems nothing like that long ago!
I was heading from where I was boarding in Dunsandel to book tickets to the UK that very afternoon, for a job that Jim Palmer had organised for me. My landlady told me that she had heard on the news that "some NZ racing driver" had been killed. I never did book the tickets believing that only 3 people knew, me, Jim and Bruce.
As you say Ken, never forgotten.

Rhys,
You mentioned Dunsandel and that brought back another memory for me. We had travelled to Dunsandel in January 1961 to visit my relatives the Mackie family. (Did you know them ?) My mother had lost her watch and dad called the airport (Harewood) and they said had a watch but it had been stood on. The next day we drove in heavy rain up to the airport to get the damaged watch for Mum. As we left the rain abated and so our uncle was showing us the sights of Christchurch around Cathedral Square when we heard a lot of cheering and horns honking and down the road towards us came Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren driving their Coopers after competing in the very wet Lady Wigram Race. They had their helmets off and laughing and enjoying themselves. I think that is the closest I got to Bruce. Wish I'd had a camera ready but that is the last thing you expect to see coming down the road.
(that was an unforgettable memory for me indeed.)

(The last time I saw Bruce McLaren was when he climbed into the ambulance at Pukekohe,Jan. 1968
to check on his new driver, Denis Hulme who had just survived a tremendous accident after tangling
with Laurence Brownlie along the back straight. I was on the hill and remember seeing Hulme's car tumbling amid a huge cloud of dust and dirt. )


( Ken Hyndman )

A scrap book cutting from June 1 1990. Bay of Plenty Times. 20 th anniversary.

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40th anniversary 2010.

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(Ken Hyndman )

45 years ago today - it is hard to believe that so many years have since passed by. I can still remember the morning phone call from my Dad to tell me the sad news - I was stunned. It certainly wasn't an unheard of situation back in those days unfortunately.

I think that the McLaren Festival was a great way for Kiwi's to remember him and the turn out of cars especially from overseas was amazing. A mark of the respect that Bruce was held in by so many people.

Mike

I remember stumbling around in the kitchen at my parents' place getting ready for school and being slammed by the radio news bulletin. It was as though I had lost a friend even though I had never met him and the connection was through motor racing magazines and waiting to hear the results of the latest GP or CanAm race on the radio. Building the orange models and slot cars connected me to Bruce in a strange but not impersonal way to the guy with the million dollar smile. Thanks for the memories Bruce.

Attachment 29395Attachment 29396

Great photos of Bruce in typical pose.

Love that M7/M14 - one on the nicest F1 cars of the period in my eyes. Would love to see one in action with the DFV humming.

A beauty, for sure : that's up the Pegaso Ramp at the 1970 Spanish GP where Bruce in the M14A finished second to Jackie Stewart, with Mario Andretti third : Stewart and Andretti in March 701s.

I was in Form 2 at Papakura Intermediate and a kid in my class told me - how can that be 45 years ago?

It all came flooding back the first time I watched the Trio At The Top documentary. Eoin Young had gone to work that morning at Autocar magazine, got off the train at Waterloo and strolled into the office, and some bloke said, "Oh, have you heard the news ? Your mate's been killed. "
Poor old Eoin. When I saw that I wept instantly. I can recall from that time in 1970 that I felt cheated. Cheated on Bruce's behalf, as he had so many irons in the fire and it was all coming to fruition. For as much as he had achieved, we knew he had so much more left unattained. Talk about roll your sleeves up and get stuck in. What a star.

I knew Eoin pretty well and it would have taken quite something to bring on tears. A nice careful driver like Bruce died in a racing car whereas an acrobat like Nuvolari died in a bed - go figure...

I think it was Nigel Roebuck who wrote something like that - only much better.

Eoin told me that story too (at the tail end of a long red wine filled evening) . He said that he was totally distraught and that at the time wondered if there was any more future for him. Thankfully there was, otherwise we would have missed on his abilities too.

https://youtu.be/9ZHMjdzw0w0

What a wonderful "McLaren way" to honour the 40th anniversary of his death...I never get sick and tired of watching this clip!