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35-601: The organisers at Donington had hoped to host a non-championship F1 race in the manner of the annual Race of Champions meetings. Despite the lack of wheel-to-wheel racing, Motor Sport magazine chose to report it as "Donington's first Grand Prix for over 40 years". The event was organised to accompany round three of the inaugural BMW M1 Procar Championship , which featured several of the drivers from that year's Formula One World Championship, including Niki Lauda , Mario Andretti , James Hunt , John Watson , Hans-Joachim Stuck , Alan Jones and Nelson Piquet . Also held on 3 June,

70-596: A Cosworth DFV V8 engine, with a time of 1 hour, 18 minutes, and 53.4 seconds , completing 50 laps . The second-place finisher was Pedro Rodriguez , driving a BRM P133 , followed by Denny Hulme in another McLaren M7A . Notably, Graham Hill had to retire due to a driveshaft failure after just 10 laps in his Lotus 49 . The event also witnessed several retirements and non-starters, including John Surtees , whose Lola T100 did not start due to an oil leak. Jo Siffert and Andrea de Adamich also failed to start after crashing during practice. By 1979,

105-510: A London hospital, rather than one in his homeland. Harrison's song " Faster " was released as a charity single to benefit the Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Fund. The programme for the meeting included a race for historic F1 cars, which was held on 2 June. The entrants included Juan Manuel Fangio , Stewart (racing one of his championship-winning Tyrrells), Hunt and Harrison, who drove Stirling Moss 's 1961 Lotus 18 . For

140-618: A further win in Argentina —amongst several podiums—as he finished championship runner-up to teammate Brabham. After a winless 1961 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 1963 to 1965 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 1966 until his death in 1970 . With

175-445: A motorcycle racing enthusiast, but gave that up due to an injury before Bruce's birth, and began racing cars at the club level instead. Bruce spent all of his free hours hanging around the workshop and developed his passion during his formative years. The former garage was first listed as a category 1 historic place by Heritage New Zealand in 2006. After finishing high school at Seddon Memorial Technical College, McLaren enrolled in

210-673: A race mechanic. Bruce McLaren died aged 32 when his Can-Am car crashed on the Lavant Straight just before Woodcote corner at Goodwood Circuit in England on 2 June 1970. He had been testing his new McLaren M8D when the rear bodywork came adrift at speed. The loss of aerodynamic downforce destabilised the car, which spun, left the track, and hit a bunker used as a flag station. Motorsport author Eoin Young said that McLaren had "virtually penned his own epitaph" in his 1964 book From

245-499: A turning point for non-championship Formula One races, and by the early 1980s, it became increasingly difficult to attract major teams to these events. The Race of Champions was eventually discontinued in 1983, as Formula One's professional schedule left little room for non-championship events. † Formula 5000 car This Formula One –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bruce McLaren Bruce Leslie McLaren (30 August 1937 – 2 June 1970)

280-533: Is measured in achievement, not in years alone. He was buried at Waikumete Cemetery in Glen Eden . McLaren was survived by his wife, sisters and daughter, Amanda, who is a brand ambassador for McLaren and is one of the trustees of the Bruce McLaren Trust alongside her husband. His wife died in 2016. ( key ) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) * McLaren was ineligible to score points in

315-663: The 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix . He followed that with a win in the Argentine Grand Prix , the first race of the 1960 Formula One season , and he would finish runner-up that season to Brabham. McLaren won the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix , eventually finishing third in the championship that year. The next year, he founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd, which remains in the Formula One championship simply as McLaren . McLaren continued to race and win in Coopers (including

350-677: 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 eight World Constructors' Championships , two Indianapolis 500s , and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995 . McLaren

385-594: The New Zealand Grand Prix attracted the attention of Jack Brabham , whom he partnered at Cooper in 1959 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 United States Grand Prix , becoming the then-youngest driver to win a Formula One Grand Prix , a record which stood for 44 years . Remaining at Cooper for 1960 , McLaren took

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420-478: The U.S. , the new McLaren cars finished second twice, and third twice, in six races. In 1967 , they won five of six races and in 1968 , four of six. The following year, McLarens proved unbeatable, winning all 11 races. In two races, they finished 1–2–3. In 1965, McLaren and co-driver Ken Miles raced a Ford GT40 in the 24 Hour Race at Le Mans . The car was leading after 45 laps but retired due to gearbox failure. In 1966 , McLaren and co-driver Chris Amon won

455-554: The "nostrils" that have been a key McLaren design feature, including in the McLaren P1 road car. McLaren noticed that his team's cars were less innovative than the Chaparrals of rival driver/designer Jim Hall , but their superior reliability was rewarded by race and championship victories. That culture continued after his death and, when Ron Dennis bought the team, was reinforced by the lessons learned in his early career as

490-548: The Austin to a Ford 10 special and an Austin-Healey , then a Formula Two (F2) Cooper -Climax sports racing car. He immediately began to modify, improve and master it, so much so that he was runner-up in the 1957–58 New Zealand championship series. McLaren founded McLaren Automotive in 1963. His performance in the New Zealand Grand Prix in 1958 was noticed by Australian driver Jack Brabham (who would later invite McLaren to drive for him). Because of his obvious potential,

525-472: The BMW M1 Procar race was televised, and the meeting was given further publicity through the efforts of former F1 driver Jackie Stewart and racing enthusiast and ex-Beatle George Harrison . In a TV interview the pair gave at the circuit, Stewart praised Nilsson's character and determination in using his final weeks to work on setting up the fund; he also emphasised that a Swede had done this to benefit

560-514: The Cockpit . Referring to the death of teammate Timmy Mayer , McLaren had written: 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

595-494: The Donington weekend as an "excellent meeting" and marvelled at Fangio's skills, at age 68. Hamilton also said that the efforts of drivers and others close to Nilsson in raising £800,000 that year for a new cancer treatment unit was a "most rewarding" aspect of 1979 and would outlive the "unfortunate political manoeuvring" that had characterised the season at times. Race of Champions (Brands Hatch) The Race of Champions

630-682: The Memorial Trophy event, the FIA's snub meant that the illegality of the Brabham BT46B "fan car", imposed following the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix , did not apply. Brabham therefore fielded the BT46B driven by Watson in Sweden for Piquet to use in the time trial. The Memorial Trophy was the final competition event for Hunt, who retired from racing immediately afterwards. The BMW M1 Procar round

665-463: The New Zealand GP in 1964). McLaren left Cooper at the end of 1965, and announced his own GP racing team, with co-driver and fellow Kiwi Chris Amon . Amon left in 1967 to drive for Ferrari. In 1968, McLaren was joined by another fellow Kiwi Denny Hulme, who had become world champion in 1967 with Brabham. McLaren took his fourth career win racing his own McLaren car at Spa in 1968, achieving

700-731: The New Zealand International Grand Prix organisation selected him for its 'Driver to Europe' scheme designed to give a promising Kiwi driver year-round experience with the best in the world. McLaren was the first recipient, to be followed by others later including Denny Hulme . McLaren went to Cooper and stayed seven years. He raced in F2 and was entered in the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in which F2 and F1 cars competed together. He astounded

735-519: The School of Engineering at Auckland University , however he dropped out after motor racing success; his student record card was reported to have been ended with the words “went motor racing”. Les McLaren restored an Austin 7 Ulster , which 14-year-old Bruce used in 1952 when he entered his first competition, a hillclimb at Muriwai , where he won the 750 cc class. Two years later, he took part in his first real race and showed promise. He moved up from

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770-413: The bodywork away behind the radiator. Climbing back in the car, he immediately began turning lap times faster than before. Later, he explained, I was first angry that the filler door hadn't been properly closed but then I began to wonder why it wasn't being pressed down by the airflow. The only answer was that there had to be a source of higher pressure air under it than over it. From that session came

805-556: The cancellation of the race, along with various support races. The cancellation was a disappointment for fans, though many teams had already planned to send their number two drivers and older cars due to the proximity of the Long Beach Grand Prix in California . As a result, interest from the top-tier teams was limited, and many teams had already withdrawn before the official cancellation. The cancellation marked

840-553: The motor racing fraternity by being the first F2, and fifth overall, in a field of the best drivers in the world. McLaren joined the Cooper factory F1 team alongside Jack Brabham in 1959 and won the 1959 United States Grand Prix at age 22 years 104 days, becoming the youngest ever GP winner (not including the Indianapolis 500) up to that time. This record would stand for more than four decades until Fernando Alonso 's victory at

875-651: 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

910-419: The pits, he noticed the fuel filler access door was flapping up and down as he drove. The current aerodynamic thinking was that it should have been pressed more firmly in place as the speed of the car increased. Instead, it bounced more vigorously as the speed increased. Instantly, his frustration at the sloppy work changed and he had an insight. Stopping in the pits, he grabbed a pair of shears and started cutting

945-511: The race in a Ford GT40 , in a Ford 1-2-3 finish. The Ken Miles - Denny Hulme entry crossed the line first but had travelled less distance due to the Le Mans style start . McLaren was a competitive driver, but his legacy, the McLaren racing team, stems from his abilities as an analyst, engineer, and manager. In the early days of McLaren sports cars, McLaren was testing and as he drove out of

980-511: The relevance and prestige of the Race of Champions had diminished significantly due to the expanding Formula One calendar , which included 16 official Grand Prix events. As reported by Motor Sport Magazine , the 1979 Race of Champions was initially scheduled for March 18, 1979 , but it was cancelled due to heavy snow. The snowfall, measuring up to six inches on the Friday before the event, forced

1015-602: The team's first Grand Prix win. Hulme won twice in the McLaren-Ford. The 1969 championship was also a success, with McLaren finishing third in the standings despite taking no wins. In tribute to his homeland, McLaren's cars featured the "speedy Kiwi" logo. McLaren's design flair and ingenuity were graphically demonstrated in powerful sports car racing. Just as the Can-Am began to become very popular with fans in Canada and

1050-544: The team, he won the Belgian Grand Prix in 1968 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 1959 to 1969 , winning in 1966 alongside Chris Amon in

1085-618: Was a New Zealand racing driver , automotive designer , engineer and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from 1958 to 1970 . McLaren was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1960 with Cooper , and won four Grands Prix across 13 seasons. In endurance racing , McLaren won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 with Ford . He founded McLaren in 1963, who have since won eight World Constructors' Championship titles and remain

Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-687: Was a non-championship Formula One motor race held at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent , United Kingdom between 1965 and 1979, and again in 1983. It often attracted high quality entries from the Formula One World Championship. The first race was won by Mike Spence . The last running of the event was the last non-championship Formula One race (excluding the Formula One Indoor Trophy sprint event) and

1155-553: Was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1991. Born in Auckland , New Zealand, Bruce McLaren attended Meadowbank Primary School . As a nine-year-old, he was diagnosed with Perthes disease in his hip that left his left leg shorter than the right. His parents, Les and Ruth McLaren, owned a service station and workshop in Remuera Rd, Remuera , Auckland ; Les McLaren had been

1190-534: Was won by Piquet. Jones won the time trial, ahead of Hunt's Wolf WR8 and Andretti's Lotus 79 . Other events on 3 June included demonstration laps by former F1 drivers such as Stewart, Dan Gurney , Denny Hulme and Fangio. The latter drove a Mercedes-Benz W125 . There was also a Formula Three Championship round, won by Michael Roe , and a BMW saloon car race, won by Martin Brundle . In his round-up of 1979 for Autocourse , journalist Maurice Hamilton described

1225-399: Was won by reigning World Champion Keke Rosberg in a Williams - Cosworth after a tight battle with F1 rookie, American driver Danny Sullivan in a Tyrrell -Cosworth. The 1968 Race of Champions was held at Brands Hatch on March 17, 1968 , and was notable for the close competition between leading teams and drivers. Bruce McLaren won the race, driving a McLaren M7A , powered by

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