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1970 It didn't seem to matter what anyone else tried - Ferrari, Lola, March BRM or Chapparal - the orange Gulf-McLarens just kept on winning. They had trounced allcomers in 1967, 1968 and 1969 and the only thing that seemed inevitable was more of the same in 1970. Work began on the M8D at Colnbrook in late '69. New regulations forced on the Can-Am series by the FIA were to outlaw the suspension mounted aerofoils and the car now gained high tail fins with a wing attached between them. The new profile this gave the car earned it the nickname " the batmobile". To counter the loss of lap-time this would have caused, McLaren looked for more power. A new 7.6 litre Chevy engine was fitted. An 8 litre unit was available to the team but the engine department were concerned it would be too unreliable.
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| But then tragedy struck on the 2nd June. Bruce was testing the M8D at Goodwood in England. Accelerating out of a corner, a pin securing the tail body section had worked loose. The panelling lifted and was ripped off in the airstream. This yanked the rear wheels clear of the road and the car careered violently into a concrete reinforced earthbank. The crash was unsurvivable. The team were shattered by the tragedy but vowed to honour the McLaren name and proceed with the M8D. RIGHT: Bruce McLaren 1937-1970 |  |
For the first three races, Dan Gurney was brought in to partner Denny in Bruce's car. Denny was still recovering from burns he had sustained during practice for the previous Indy 500 race and Gurney won the first two races. Denny quickly returned to form, winning the third race at Watkins Glen. Gurney was forced out of the team for the remainder of the season by his sponsors Castrol who were unhappy for him to be winning in the Gulf-backed cars. Englishman Peter Gethin was draughted in but struggled to match Hulme's speed. Hulme was champion again, winning 6 races and securing 132 points to third placed Gethin's 56.
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(Photo used with kind permission of the Mathews Collection) |