The Orange Times

Bruce McLaren Trust January / February 2016, Issue #11

In this issue we sadly report on the loss of two McLaren th stalwarts… As previously advised, a trip to celebrate the 50 Can-Am Anniversary at in July has finally been organized.

The Trust wishes to extend sincere At long last House of Travel has been able to locate condolences to the families of Tyler accommodation in Sheboygen and full details of the trip is Alexander and Patty McLaren-Brickett. available from them now. It will be a 13 day trip from the 9th – 21st July, stopping in LA and visiting various motorsport

Tyler Alexander, 1940 - 2016 collections, then flying to Chicago, up to Sheboygen and attendance at the Road America 50th Anniversary event for four days. We will then return via Chicago for a couple of days, where we have the opportunity to visit other museums and

then back home via San Francisco.

This is a small group of around 20 people so to register interest please contact Jan McLaren without delay direct on [email protected] for further information and full details. Alternatively contact Andrea Russell at House of

Travel on [email protected] , ph 0800 167 248.

Confirmations and deposits on this trip will need to be done urgently as we have only a few spaces left.

Tyler Alexander, who died on the 7th of January at the age of 75, was a McLaren man through and through. He started in the shed with the earth floor in 1963 and finished in 2008, by which time the organisation had grown beyond all recognition and operated from their state of the art headquarters.

Apart from a brief period in the early to mid-80s, the American spent his entire career at McLaren. And even after retirement he couldn’t stay away from a place that had become his home and where the people were his family.

The ‘Tyler stories’ are part of McLaren legend – he was both grumpy

and hilarious layered with hardworking no-nonsense common sense

and the wisdom of someone who’dD seen and heard everything. He evolved from mechanic toa engineer and then embraced the computerised age of Formulav 1. He was a huge part of the McLaren domination of the Can-Ami series and, along with Teddy Mayer, Phil Kerr and , wasd part of the backbone that kept McLaren

together following that fatefulR day at Goodwood in June 1970 when their spiritual leader Bruceh was killed. o Michael Clark d e s In this Issue…

Tribute Tyler Alexander, Can-Am Tour P1 NZFMR Report & Photos P2/3

Trustee Report, Tribute Patty McLaren P4 Patty McLaren, Trust Register Update P5

General News, Events Calendar etc P6

Bruce McLaren Trust

We truly appreciated Peter’s effort to make it available for this occasion and I spent quite a lot of time devouring the delightful detailing which Peter has applied to this project.

2016 NZFMR celebrating Porsche

Just as for each of the NZ Festival of Motor Racing events to date, spread over two three-day January weekends, the Trust was able to host members at a favourite spectator spot on the present circuit. For those readers unable to visit the Hampton

Downs motorsport facility, even in recent months, we say McLaren M4A F2 “present circuit” because the development of the complete race Photo: Kevin Porter circuit facility as originally planned for, is well underway. Our display also featured the Trust’s original Austin 7 McLaren With the feature for this years’ Festival being Porsche in service station “workshop hack” which received more than its fair motorsport, the Trust’s display was planned to be less extensive share of attention. What with having to be pushed all the way than was needed for the feature last year, or the from its apartment garage (dead battery and no fuel), caressing Denny Hulme one, two years before that. In spite of this, it of the crank handle by the amply proportioned “Promo” girls who proved to be just as demanding on those of us involved in set-up called by, followed with much help from Brendan Lamain to start and dismantling. it before coaching Allan Horner on driving it, we were able to

return it to its garage under its own power. On arrival with our huge trailer of “stuff”, early on the Thursday Kevin & Jackie before the first day of “petrol fumes”, it was hard to believe that a large race meeting was beginning next day, the only sign being Promo Girls Photo: Kevin Porter the very obliging tents erection blokes beginning their work. Jan McLaren skilfully charmed them into assigning priority to ours. In the mean time we took the opportunity to take a look through the just -completed new Race Control centre and corporate facilities above all the pit garages. We were mightily impressed.

An enjoyable benefit from sweating it out over both weekends in an overheated tent, or even under the awning outside, was chatting with someMick of our & Jodynumerous visitors. They ranged from well-known motorsport identities to those who knew little at all about Bruce McLaren, and left more than impressed with what he achieved in his short life. The daily book signing sessions by Howden Ganley (and if you have not read his story yet, do get on Mark Donaldson trying his hand at Race Control. Photo: Jens Fogelberg with it) and Max Rutherford helped attract people, as did the presence of a McLaren P1 road car - believed one of So, it was the first of many long hot days for Trust volunteers only two in NZ - for one day. Derek Etherington, Pat Stephens, Kevin Porter, Allan Horner,

Heath Richards, Jan McLaren, Mark Donaldson and me. Thanks too to Taylor Storr (great nephew to Bruce), David Rhodes and his dad, Graham.

A Trust display highlight for me was Peter and Barbara Herbert’s

1968 McLaren M4A F2, its first time on public display after a truly meticulous restoration. Arguably one of the most beautiful single seat race cars, this particular example is the very one which completed building whilst with Bruce McLaren Motor Racing during 1968. It was brought to NZ for the 1969 , to be followed by winning the 1969 Singapore

Formula Libre GP and the Malaysian GP. McLaren P1 Supercar with a little old red thing – Editors racing Sprite. Photo: Allan Horner 2 Bruce McLaren Trust

Car Display at NZFMR. Photo: Allan Horner

A couple of our Motorsport identity members, Alan Woolf and Max Rutherford. Also noteworthy is Ernie Nagamatsu from California, with his Photo: Allan Horner 1958 Porsche 356 Speedster which, I thought showed impressive

As to be expected, there were a number of Trust members out pace for its age. Ernie has been a regular NZFMR visitor and the there racing but only a handful of McLaren cars. Surely the most Trust loaned him a trailer (originally donated by longstanding greedy was Tony Roberts who, not satisfied with racing just his Trust member, John Draffin) for transporting his car whilst here. McLaren M10A (originally owned/raced by Bob Esseks who, amongst other results drove it into 1st place at the ARRC Atlanta event in 1970), also ran his cherished 1970 Corvette, plus a 1969 Ford Mustang - this admittedly for its owner.

Ernie Nagamatsu Photo: Kevin Porter

Tony Roberts Photo: Kevin Porter Purely as a personal observation, I was disappointed with the small number of F5000 cars out there this year and also the

relatively low entry numbers in the F2 category which ran only for the first weekend. Slightly less greedy was Frank Karl who, besides driving his superbly restored McLaren M10B (which began its racing career in 1970 with UK’s Mike Walker at the wheel under the Alan McKechnie Racing banner), also ran his 1995 RFX in Formula Libre events on the second weekend.

Kenny Smith. Photographer unknown

With the feature for the 2017 Festival being none other than New

Zealand’s Kenny Smith, I would be very surprised if we do not Frank Karl enjoys a beer at the end of a hot day. witness some fantastic fields and historic NZ motor racing. Photo: Allan Horner Jens Fogelberg

Poul Christie was out there on the second weekend in his familiar (ex Sid Taylor/) McLaren M10B. Chris Watson drove in his McLaren M18 - not long out of an extensive restoration. This example began its racing career with Australian, Don O’Sullivan, and has a very interesting subsequent history – as do most I might add.

3 Bruce McLaren Trust

After retiring from racing he founded Tiga Cars with fellow driver , which led to Team Tiga and other ventures. Later he served as Secretary and a Director of the BRDC. In 2013 he was inducted as a member of the New

Zealand MotorSport Wall of Fame.

In 1975 Howden married Judy Kondratieff, a successful and influential racing driver in her own right. Tragically, she Trustee Report succumbed to cancer in 2007. Howden continues to be The last three months have been extremely busy for us all with involved in motorsport, dividing his time between England, lots happening in behind the scenes. With many of these projects California and New Zealand. requiring loads of man hours, we have all been wondering where the summer has gone. And in the midst of all this, it has been a

sad time also with the passing of Tyler Alexander in early January and then the recent passing of Patty McLaren. Both have fought

courageously the health battles that they have endured over the last few years and they both will be well remembered. Three of the exciting projects that we are currently working on

are, firstly the Roger Donaldson documentary on Bruce and this has involved lots of research and delving deep into our archives, Roger Wills and a very dapper Scott Dixon. Photographer unknown ably motivated by Roger’s research team. And what fun it is to review all the amazing archives that we have.

Secondly, we are working with the author of “Inspired Kids”, Dreydon Sobanja, who specializes in writing books for children about inspirational kiwis. His recent publications include Sir

Edmund Hillary and Jean Batten. His current manuscript on Bruce is a wonderful new project and one that we have wanted to see

produced for some years. The launch date on this book is anticipated later this year. Photo: Jan McLaren The Trustees Thirdly, and most importantly, we have been working on our restructuring of the Business Model and part of this plan is to engage more business mentors to lead us into the future. A list was compiled last year and we are delighted to advise you all that Patty McLaren, 1937 - 2016 the first appointment is that of Howden Ganley as an Advisory Trustee. Howden needs no introduction to most of you and we were delighted to sit down with him after this year’s NZFMR and confirm his appointment. Howden’s skills will be invaluable to the Trust and we look forward to working alongside him. A brief bio of Howden from his book “Road to Monaco” follows:

Howden Ganley grew up in New Zealand, where his ambition was to race yachts or become an All Black. That changed when as a 13-year-old he made a last minute decision to join his father and brother as a spectator at the 1955 NZ Grand Prix. As he recalls, the sound of high powered engines, the fumy aroma of motor oil, and the sight of heroic drivers working the wheel at speed mesmerised him. From that day his focus shifted and he set a goal of competing in Formula 1.

Just 11 years on, he was at the Monaco GP, but as a

mechanic to Bruce McLaren rather than as a driver. In 1971 his A month after Tyler’s passing came the sad news that Patty dream came true when he was signed by BRM. Between 1971 McLaren-Brickett had passed away after a battle with cancer. and 1974 Howden had 41 F1 Championship Grand Prix starts with Bruce McLaren met Patty after being introduced by our old mate four ‘works’ teams, and raced in many non-championship F1 Eoin Young following a dance at Caroline Bay. Bruce was events. infatuated by the attractive blonde and contacted ESY the next day for her phone number. They were married in 1961 and daughter Amanda was born in 1965. Continued, next page…

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…from P4 McLaren chairman and CEO provided the following touching tribute: In each Register article I usually include a teaser or two for

readers and sometimes we know the answer, sometimes not. The "It was with great sadness that I heard the news that Patty last Register article (see p3, OT #9, issued last Oct) included a McLaren, the widow of our company's founder, Bruce, had passed brief section on the M24 “Indy” cars and challenged our readers away. on: “Which McLaren M24 car (chassis # and its driver) was

officially recorded as the first ever to achieve an over 200 mph Patty was a wonderful woman, and, over the 46 years that have average speed lap at Indianapolis?” elapsed since Bruce's death in a testing accident at Goodwood in the summer of 1970, she has always remained close to the Much to my delight, we received a response from a former BMMR company that bears her husband's name. mechanic, Neil Pennell a Kiwi of course, who built one of the M24s in 1976 at Colnbrook before working for the team at the 1977, She was especially resolute in the period immediately after Bruce's 1978 & 1979 Indy 500. The information from that, and our accident, inspiring 'my boys', as she used to refer to the men who subsequent correspondence, has been invaluable to me in trying made up the grief-stricken team, not only to keep McLaren alive to correct and update the Trust M24 Register. It verifies that only but also to make it successful. five (not seven as per my last article) M24s were built. Three for BMMR and the other two for Penske Racing together with which We have therefore lost not only a great lady but also a direct link ones were, or became, M24Bs. In turn, we now have much better to our company's origins. certainty on the ownership/race history for each car, although we

are not fully there yet. And this is just for five McLaren cars! On behalf of all 3000 of us at McLaren, I therefore pay tribute to Patty and offer our heartfelt condolences to her family and many Back to that last question: The first car to officially exceed a 200 friends. mph average speed lap at Indianapolis was M24-04, driven by Tom Sneva for the Penske Team and credited with 200.401 mph May she Rest in Peace." in qualifying for the 1977 race. Tyler Alexander is said to have been furious that the BMMR M24 driven by Johnny Rutherford - Farewell to a vibrant, fun-loving lady. lapping faster than the Penske car during practise - did not take Michael Clark pole in 1977. It was found afterwards to be because of an AN fitting preventing the engine from making full boost for qualifying.

To round off on M24s for now, the above picture was taken during the 1978 Indy pit stop competition (inaugurated in 1977), won by Team McLaren (who also won again in 1979, the final year for the Photo credits: Two favourite photos from the McLaren Family collection McLaren team at Indianapolis). The car pusher (and jack man) that were sent home by Bruce and Patty. was Neil Pennell (wearing blue cap), Steve Roby was the RR wheel changer, Randy Carter the wheel carrier shown at RF. Phil Previous page – photographer unknown Sharp was the RF changer. To give you an idea of the level of Above – Richard Fitzgerald, London research detail behind our McLaren Registers, I think the car used/shown here is M24-05, as opposed to M24-01 which to be used again (it had been upgraded to M24B spec’s for 1978) by Johnny Rutherford for the 1978 race, one of some key clues being race car #4 (instead of #4T). I imagine the “driver” in this photo was Johnny Rutherford – unless someone was “sitting in” for him!

For next time: A McLaren Can-Am car with a Mercedes engine –

who can guess what this was? Jens Fogelberg 5

Bruce McLaren Trust

General News & links Current Calendar February 2016 Roger Wills and a very dapper Scott Dixon. Photo: Mark Donaldson M12GT for Sale March 10th – 13th VHRR Classic Festival of Motorsport, Phillip Island, Victoria

th March 13 VCC Roycroft Trophy Races, Hampton Downs

March 17th – 20th

F1 Grand Prix, Melbourne Fancy a rare McLaren road car? This M12GT was recently put on sale in the USA. Take a look at the ClassicDriver.com story on this April 21st – 24th amazing piece of history here. Historic Can-Am 50th Anniversary feature race, Road Atlanta

Formula SAE Update rd th June 23 – 26 Goodwood Festival of Speed featuring Can-Am Cars

July 8th – 10th Our Auckland University SAE team and No.47 can feel reasonably LeMans Classic. 2016 marks 50th Anniversary of Bruce’s happy with their 4th place and a World Ranking of 16th at the SAE- Ford GT40 win Australasia 3 day International Student Competition held in Melbourne in early December. July 14th – 17th Quoting from their website: “2015 was a tough year, with quite a Historic Can-Am 50th Anniversary feature race and few issues during the dynamic events, and some disappointing celebration, Road America statics results. But we worked hard to overcome our issues for a solid finish. We are very proud of our business presentation team and it's good to see Auckland back on top in this category”.

Results by Category:

Efficiency 2nd

Skidpad 4th

Acceleration 4th

Design 7th

Business Presentation 1st

Cost 21st

Autocross 5th

Endurance 10th

th Shelby builds 50 Anniversary GT40

Contact Us 590 Remuera Road, Remuera, Auckland 1050 PO Box 109 050, Newmarket 1149

Phone: 09 522 8224

If you don’t have the wherewithal to obtain the real deal (and who Mobile: 027 289 7850

has?), Shelby American’s ‘continuation’ 50th Anniversary GT40 MKII Email: [email protected]

– built in collaboration with Superformance and Safir GT40 – is News Ed: [email protected] almost certainly the next best thing…

Another ClassicDriver.com story link here. www.bruce-mclaren.com

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