Bruce McLaren

McLaren in 1966 Bruce Leslie McLaren (30 August 1937 – 2 June 1970) was a New Zealand racing driver, automotive designer, engineer and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . McLaren was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Cooper, and won four Grands Prix across 13 seasons. In endurance racing, McLaren won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in with Ford. He founded McLaren in 1963, who have since won nine World Constructors' Championship titles and remain the only team to have completed the Triple Crown of Motorsport.

Born and raised in Auckland, McLaren initially studied engineering at the University of Auckland before dropping out to focus on his motor racing career. Having entered his first hillclimbing event aged 14, he progressed to Formula Two in 1957, winning the New Zealand Championship the following year. His performance at the New Zealand Grand Prix attracted the attention of Jack Brabham, with whom he partnered at Cooper in having already debuted at the 1958 German Grand Prix, where he finished fifth in his Formula Two machinery. Aged 22, McLaren took his maiden win at the , becoming the then-youngest driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix, a record which stood for 44 years. Remaining at Cooper for , McLaren took a further win in Argentina—amongst several podiums—as he finished championship runner-up to teammate Brabham. After a winless season for Cooper, Brabham won the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix, finishing third in the championship to Graham Hill and Jim Clark. Cooper struggled for performance from to as Lotus, BRM and Ferrari dominated the championship, prompting McLaren to enter Formula One with his own team. McLaren founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing in 1963, with whom he competed from until his death in . With the team, he won the in and finished third in the 1969 World Drivers' Championship. In June 1970, he died whilst testing the McLaren M8D at Goodwood, having achieved four wins, three fastest laps and 27 podiums in Formula One.

Outside of Formula One, McLaren competed in nine editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans from to , winning in alongside Chris Amon in the Ford GT40 Mk II. He was also a two-time champion of the Canadian-American Challenge Cup in 1967 and 1969, driving his own M6A and M8B, and won the Tasman Series in 1964. His legacy has been cemented with the McLaren Group, whose achievements have included winning nine World Constructors' Championships, two Indianapolis 500s, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in . McLaren was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1991. Provided by Wikipedia
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