The Cooper Days |
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| 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 |
In
January and February 1957 (summer time down-under) Australian Jack Brabham raced a
1.5 litre, bob tailed, centre seat Cooper in New Zealand. A month later Bruce's father
'Pop' McLaren - bought the car. The names McLaren and Brabham kept in touch all that year
eventually agreeing on a deal for the 1958 season. Jack Brabham would bring to New
Zealand, a pair of single seat Coopers which he and Bruce would race. Success was
immediate. At their first race, the New Zealand Grand Prix at Ardmore in January 1958,
Bruce finished second behind Brabham and was awarded the New Zealand International Grand
Prix Association's "Driver to Europe" Scholarship. The award launched his career. Bruce left for Europe to
race with the Cooper Team. In the European summer of 1958, he began racing Formula
One and Formula Two cars for Cooper Racing team. At the end of the 1959
Formula One season he had his first
Grand Prix win at Sebring in the United States.
At 22 he was the youngest driver ever to win a Grande Epreuve. His records still
stands today.
Bruce McLaren Motor Racing was formed to compete in the 1964 Tasman Series down under, while still continuing as a works driver for the Cooper organisation till the end of 1965, when he left to enter his own Formula 1 car in the 1966 world championship.
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1960
saw Bruce drive the Formula 1 