Orange Times Issue 6
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The Orange Times Bruce McLaren Trust February / March 2015, Issue #6 Bruce McLaren Retirement Village – Grand Opening As mentioned in our first issue, the trust is very proud to be associated with Ryman Healthcare’s newest Retirement Village located at 795 Chapel Road, Howick, East Auckland. Ryman is the country’s largest Aged Care operator presently with 30 Retirement Villages. Traditionally the villages are named after famous New Zealanders. The ‘Grand Opening’ of the village was held on Friday 19th December, to which the Trustee’s were invited as special guests, along with other special guests, existing residents, prospective residents, construction staff, contractors and others. There was certainly a McLaren motor racing flavour to the evening, with orange themed special invitations, white-overalled parking attendants waving chequered flags and, parked under the village centre porte-cochere were the Trust’s McLaren Service Station workshop vintage Austin 7 and a brand new McLaren 650S Spider! Guests enjoyed a cocktail party and a selection of songs from Dame Malvina Major, along with speeches by Ryman Healthcare Managing Director Simon Challies, CFO Gordon MacLeod, and our own Jan McLaren, who had the honour of officially opening the new Bruce McLaren Retirement Village. Jan’s was a particularly memorable speech and included her personal thoughts: “Bruce was well recognised internationally, and it is great to see a tribute to him in his home city. It’s nice to see his name remembered on something permanent outside of the motorsport community. We were very pleased to have been asked.’’ A commemorative plaque in the village centre was then unveiled by Jan, ably assisted by another very special guest, Greeta Hulme. Trustees and partners were all invited, and Trustees present on the night included Paul Hunter, Duncan Fox, Max Colman and Jan McLaren. A further recognition of our heritage is in the naming of the various independent living apartment blocks in the village. Already completed already are the ‘Amon’ and ‘Hulme’ apartments, with ‘Monaco’ currently under construction and ‘Austin’ to follow. The Trust and the McLaren family look forward to a long and rewarding association with Bruce McLaren Retirement Village. Allan Horner Jan & Max ‘fettle’ the Austin 7 prior to the opening Adelle Hulme, Greeta Hulme, Simon Challies, Jan McLaren, Paul Hunter In this Issue… Bruce McLaren Retirement Village Opens P1 NZFMR Report P2 & 3 Trust Register Update P4 Years Gone By, Formula SAE P5 General News, Current Calendar P6 Bruce McLaren Trust Paddock to Podium ‘The Mechanics View’ Soft cover 225 pages, by Max Rutherford Published by Max Rutherford 2015 BMRV Plaque, unveiled by Jan McLaren, 19 December 2014 2015 NZFMR – Celebrating Howden Ganley and Formula 5000 Four Kiwis have achieved points in Formula 1 and this year’s NZFMR set out to honour Howden Ganley – one of our almost unrecognised motorsport legends as most of his wonderful achievements were overseas. Howden drove for “Ken's mechanics were the best - better at what they did BRM, Williams, March and Maki as well as driving in than I ever was at what I did. Mechanics were the only endurance racing. He worked with Bruce McLaren in the true professionals in motor racing; they were artists at their early days. In partnership with Tim Schenken, the Australian work”. Sir Jackie Stewart talking about the Ken Tyrrell F1 driver, he formed TIGA cars. And in later years has been owned Formula One racing team in the late 1960’s after his very involved with the BRDC. The first weekend of the first World Championship win in 1969. Festival was the Champagne Launch of Howden’s excellent New Zealander Max Rutherford tells background stories book “The Road to Monaco”. It is a great read and the daily from F1 and other series in the 1960's with personal signing sessions, with renowned fellow drivers, proved insights to the great drivers and teams of the time: Jackie immensely popular and book sales were superb. Stewart, Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss, Denny Hulme, Frank Gardner. Max worked on building and preparing cars for all those drivers and was close friend to others like Frank Williams and Bruce McLaren. Formula One was dangerous yet exciting as motor racing entered the modern age and 'Gentleman Drivers' gave way to professionalism. We had great interest in this new book by Max at the recent NZFMR Ganley Festival, and sold many copies. It is still available from the Trust, at $39.95 plus p & p. An order form accompanies this issue, so get in quickly to ensure your copy. “It is a great read” (Ed). Also available online at www.bruce-mclaren.com Vern Schuppan, Tim Schenken, and Howden at a signing session. Obscured: Teddy Pilette. Photo: Pat Stephens Tim Schenken, Howden and Teddy Pilette Photo: Pat Stephens An enthusiastic crowd at the daily signing sessions 2 Bruce McLaren Trust Max Rutherford also launched his new book “Paddock to Podium” and had signing sessions also in the Trust marquee. The Road to Monaco Another very interesting book and well worth a read. My Life in Motor Racing Hard cover 448 pages, by Howden Ganley Published by Denley Publications 2015 You can order your copy of either book on line at: www.bruce-mclaren.com, pop in to see us at the Trust office, or use the order form sent out with this issue of Orange Times. On display this year in our marquee were the University of Auckland, Engineering School’s F:SAE team, David Manton’s F3 Brabham BT21A to honour Sir Jack Brabham, the Cooper T62 in which Bruce won the 1962 Australian Grand Prix Kevin & Jackie (currently raced and owned by Dave Allison from the USA), and the first track-side appearance of the Trust’s “Workshop Austin 7” following on from its Auckland debut at the Bruce McLaren Retirement Village opening. Displays of Howden Ganley associated vehicles were distributed throughout the Hampton Downs infield and from time to time his fabulous Lotus 11 was on display outside our marquee. New Zealander Howden Ganley raced cars at the highest level internationally at the apex of motor racing’s most glamorous and dangerous era – the 1960s and 70s, when Formula 1 drivers enjoyed rock star status, while dicing in cars and on circuits that had virtually none of the safety features today’s drivers take for granted. The catalogue of carnage from those free-wheeling years makes for grim reading at times, yet the drivers, designers, marshals and other circuit insiders had a free-spirited camaraderie and testosterone fuelled bravado that cannot be replicated in today’s super-hyped, made-for-media world. The Road to Monaco is the story of one man’s journey from dreamy-eyed kid to the race tracks of the world. The Dave Allison Cooper T62 Photo: David Rhodes Mick & Jody The Formula 5000’s as expected were noisy and spectacular Launched at the NZFMR Ganley Festival, Howden’s new book ‘flew off the shelves’ and of course for those lucky enough to with an incredible array of approximately 50 F5000 cars be present at the festival, their copies were also personally taking part in the event. All of them, lined up behind the pit autographed by the man himself. garages for a photo shoot, was a most amazing sight. More about the F5000’s and the rest of the event in the next issue Howden’s book is a must for your motor sport library and of The Orange Times. available from the Trust at $99.95 plus p & p. An order form accompanies this issue of Orange Times or order online at www.bruce-mclaren.com Howden with his ex Formula 1 BRM about to do some demo laps. The car also raced with a large field of other F5000s. Photo: Pat Stephens F5000 lineup David Rhodes & Jan McLaren 3 Bruce McLaren Trust Clarifying with Howden Ganley some of the ownership background with the F5000 M18 which began its racing life under Barry Newman in UK and Europe with Howden One of a number of ways of obtaining reliable information about and others at the wheel – still owned by the person to the present (and sometimes past) ownership and/or the current whom Howden sold it in about 2001. whereabouts of specific McLaren cars up to 1980 and the M30 F1 (being our cut-off point) is from attendance at Historic race There were six McLaren M10 Formula 5000 (or Formula A) cars at meetings. Hampton Downs, all of them currently NZ based and each with their own unique early history. For example: Last year, for example, Trustees Duncan Fox and Jan McLaren were obliged to include in their luggage, a document prepared by The M10A/B driven in the race events by owner, Grant myself covering questions about many of the US based McLaren Clearwater. The first owner of this car was Sir Nicholas race cars. Similarly, The Orange Times Editor was saddled with a Williamson (a colourful character, sometimes referred to similar document for UK based cars when he attended the as the “hillclimbing baronet”, who passed away at a Silverstone Classic last July. For that event alone, Allan identified tender 63 years in 2000). Sir Nick won the 1970 British 5 ownership updates. For this reason, I had eagerly looked Hillclimb Championship with the M10A. forward to being able to talk not only with current McLaren owners but also with past drivers and BMMR mechanics at the recent NZFMR at Hampton Downs. I was by no means disappointed – very delighted in fact (some great stories too). For instance: David Allison, from USA with the #47 Cooper T62 Climax which Bruce McLaren drove with so much success in early 1960’s Tasman Series, beginning with winning the Nov 1962 Australian GP at Perth (at Commonwealth Games time).