Bruce McLaren: In Memoriam, 40 Years Already

Martin Whitmarsh, the current head of the McLaren team, paid tribute to the company’s founder, the late Bruce McLaren, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Kiwi’s death.

The four-time Grand Prix winner who founded McLaren Racing in 1966 was killed in a Can-Am testing accident four years later. Today, after four decades, his team has become one of the most famous in the history of Formula 1.

Whitmarsh stated that in these modern times, the influence of its founder was still present within the team: « The 40th anniversary of Bruce McLaren’s death gives us the opportunity to reflect on his legacy and appreciate how much his original vision still lives within our team. »

He adds:

Bruce made a name for himself as a talented and disciplined race car driver, but also as a pragmatic engineer endowed with inspiration, vision, and determination capable of beating the best teams in motor sports… It is an ethos that remains true to this day, and one that Ron Dennis took care to nurture and promote when he took control of the team in 1980. Thanks to Ron’s direction and good stewardship, McLaren is still a company passionate about technology and engineering, distinguished by its keen sense of competition, attention to detail, and desire to be the best.

Martin Whitmarsh confirms the team’s successes over the years:

«Bruce’s values have allowed us to maintain a legacy of success throughout these six decades of competition with victories in the Formula 1 World Championship, in the Can-Am series in North America, at the Indianapolis 500, in Formula 5000, and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Victory will always be at the heart of McLaren’s DNA.»

The memory of this New Zealander, a jack-of-all-trades genius in motorsport, is thus honored as his name is forever associated with car racing, as Whitmarsh proclaims:

We are honored to uphold the name of McLaren. And, for millions of people around the world, the name McLaren is the benchmark in motor racing. There can be no greater testament to Bruce’s legacy than this.

The little Kiwi team has become a very large one, like many major figures in auto racing who left too soon, Bruce McLaren is in the realm of drivers, and from up there, he can be proud of his team, which still bears his name.