Many countries throughout the world have willingly given the talent of their young drivers to racing. New Zealand is one of these nations and contributed some of the brightest talent that Formula 1, and other series, have ever seen, both as drivers and engineers. It was from this lush and stunning island country that three of the greatest talents in F1, CAN-AM, and Sports Cars emerged. Bruce McLaren, Denny Hulme, and Chris Amon contributed to not only Formula 1, but several series, in ways that changed racing forever. New Zealand’s contribution to F1 is far more than you may first think.
Bruce McLaren’s legacy is easy to see, it lives on in both the race team that bears his name and the supercars that do as well. Last year with the 50th anniversary of McLaren, a new generation of fans were exposed to the legend that is McLaren. Bruce McLaren was born August 30, 1937. He grew up in Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand. His parents owned a service station and workshop , where McLaren’s passion for all things automotive was born and fostered. He moved up through New Zealand’s racing ranks, eventually winning New Zealand’s “Driver to Europe” award. This gave McLaren the chance to drive with some of the most talented racers, engineers, and mechanics in motorsport at the time. It wasn’t long before he was picked up by Cooper and in 1959 he won his first Grand Prix -The United States Grand Prix – at age 22 and 80 days, making him the youngest driver at the time to have done so. McLaren’s success continued to grow and in 1963 he founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd, which is now the legendary McLaren Racing. As a car owner, McLaren had fellow Kiwis Chris Amon and Denny Hulme, drive for him. McLaren’s bond with Hulme was an especially successful one with the two of them dominating CAN-AM and F1 for many years creating what some people called the “Bruce and Denny Show”. Between the two drivers Team McLaren won several championships, in F1 and CAN-AM, as well as competing at the Indy 500 several years in a row and winning the prestigious designer’s award. While McLaren was a good driver, his real talent, and contribution to racing, lay in his career as a constructor. McLaren had a true innovative spirit and created cars years ahead of their time. Wings, aerodynamics, and reliability were just a few of the aspects of racing that McLaren’s innovation and creativity advanced in motorsport. In fact, to this day the “nostrils” visible on McLaren F1 cars can trace their genesis to a moment when McLaren found a fuel filter access door not closing properly. When he saw the door flapping in the wind, McLaren exited the car, right in the middle of the pits, took tools from a mechanics box, and cut away the body work causing the problem. The ingenuity and forward thinking that helped to propel McLaren as a driver, and team, to championships also served to carry F1 into the future.
Another famous New Zealander who made his mark on F1, and racing in general, was Chris Amon. Amon is commonly acknowledged as one of the best F1 drivers to have never won a championship, let alone a World Championship race. Amon got his start with Cooper, just as Bruce McLaren had done. His ticket to Europe, however, came in the form of racer Reg Parnell, who encouraged Amon to come to England and sign with his team. From there Amon springboarded into the world of F1, CAN-AM, and Le Mans. Amon drove, for a few years, for McLaren, honing his skills and chasing that elusive championship. In 1967 Amon left to drive for Ferrari in a deal that at the time caused a tremendous amount of chatter as Amon was one of the highest paid drivers ever. Amon had a style, a precision, and a hunger like few drivers have. He would eventually retire from F1 and drive sports cars before attempting an F1 comeback, in which he was reasonably successful. A championship, however unfortunate, proved always to be just out of his reach. He was a driver ahead of his time and while he did not win a world championship, his style of driving and insatiable drive for a championship laid the path for future drivers to follow.
Last, and certainly not least, is Denny Hulme. Hulme was born in Motueka, New Zealand and grew up on a tobacco farm but always had a passion for cars and racing. Hulme began to work in a garage as a mechanic when he was young and eventually saved enough money to buy his first racecar himself. It was onward and upward from there and Hulme became a mechanic in Australian Jack Brabham’s garage. Hulme volunteered to drive a test the car one day and upon seeing him do so, Brabham made him the driver for that car. The two eventually dominated the F2 series that season and things began to really take off. Hulme would win a F1 championship for Brabham in 1967 making him the first, and only to date, F1 World Champion from New Zealand. In 1968 Hulme left Brabham to join Team McLaren. Hulme and McLaren formed an enduring bond and began to win with a regularity that some people found disturbing, but win they did. The two crossed the barriers between series and won with amazing ability in F1, CAN-AM, and even storming the gates of the Indy 500. Hulme, often known at “The Bear” had a brilliant and big personality that matched his large frame. His talent lie in being able to wrestle more from the car than it was willing to give and push it to become the vision McLaren had for it. Hulme, along with McLaren, helped to usher in a new era of racing, pushing the limits of innovation and driver ability to create an empire of winning cars and winning teams.
Many drivers, from many nations, have contributed to F1 in ways too numerous to count. Few have contributed like New Zealand, however, with their contribution of Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon, and Denny Hulme. Three of the greatest drivers in F1 history who were in fact changing the future of motorsport with every ounce of innovation, determination, and grit that they had.
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