McLaren: Late tribute to the founder
VERDIENT Bruce McLaren, motorsport legend and founder of the racing and sports car company that still bears his name, has been posthumously awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Auckland.
Engineer, innovator and racing driver Bruce McLaren, who was born in 1937 and died in an accident at Goodwood in 1970, was honored for his contributions to engineering in a ceremony at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. Daughter Amanda McLaren accepted the award on his behalf.
Successful racing driver
After Bruce McLaren completed the first year of his Bachelor of Engineering degree at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, he was the first recipient of the New Zealand International Grand Prix Association's Driver-to-Europe Scholarship. In 1959, at the age of 22, he became the youngest winner of a Formula One World Championship race - a record that remained unbroken for 44 years. Four years later, he founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd. With teammate Denny Hulme, Bruce dominated the Can-Am championship series from 1966 to 1970.
Admired car brand
Today's McLaren is an affirmation of Bruce's vision as a manufacturer of lightweight, carbon-fiber supercars and as a pioneering racing team competing globally in Formula One, Indycar, Formula E, Extreme E and Esport. The award of the doctorate honoris causa to Bruce McLaren is one of four posthumous honorary doctorates to be conferred as part of the University of Auckland's 140th anniversary celebrations. The university also plans to establish an engineering research center to honor and build on Bruce McLaren's legacy.
The proposed Bruce McLaren Centre for High Performance Engineering will nurture future generations of New Zealand engineers and focus on the integration of high-performance materials and innovative design.
