Denny Hulme Championship Years

Lore & Background

Hulme was born on a general farm in Motueka, South Island, New Zealand. His father Clive Hulme was a World War II sniper awarded the Victoria Cross. Hulme learned to drive a truck by age six. After working in a garage, he bought an MG TF and later an MGA from his father. He was chosen for the New Zealand Driver to Europe program with George Lawton. In 1960, Lawton died in a crash at Roskilde, Denmark, dying in Hulme's arms. Hulme won the 1961 New Zealand Gold Star Championship, then raced for Ken Tyrrell's Formula Junior and Formula Two team in 1962. He worked as a mechanic in Jack Brabham's garage and later joined Brabham's F2 team. In 1963, he won seven International Formula Junior races. In 1964, he and Brabham dominated the FFSA Trophées de France series, finishing one–two. Hulme also won the 1963 Six-Hour European Touring Car Championship race with Jack Brabham.

In Their Own Story

The air at Zandvoort was thick with sea salt and the smell of burning rubber. Denny Hulme gripped the wheel of his white-and-orange M23, the Cosworth engine screaming a high-pitched note that echoed off the dunes. He wasn't just driving; he was wrestling the car through every corner, feeling the vibration of the tarmac through the steering column. As he crossed the line to secure another crucial points finish, the weight of Bruce's legacy felt lighter, replaced by the heavy, satisfying reality of a championship within reach.

Reader's Guide

Hulme made his Formula One World Championship debut in 1965 at Monaco. In 1966, his first full season, he finished fourth overall with four podiums. In 1967, he won the World Championship with Brabham, taking two wins (Monaco and the Nürburgring) and six additional podiums. He moved to McLaren in 1968, winning two races that year (Monza and Canada) and finishing third in the championship. In 1969, he won only the Mexican Grand Prix and finished sixth. In 1970, after Bruce McLaren's death, Hulme continued racing despite burns to his hands from a methanol fire at Indianapolis, finishing fourth in the championship. He also finished third in the overall standings in 1968 and 1972. Hulme retired from Formula One at the end of the 1974 season but continued to race Australian Touring Cars.

Did You Know?

• Hulme is the only New Zealander to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship.
• He won the World Championship with only one career pole position, at the 1973 South African Grand Prix.
• Hulme was nicknamed 'the Bear' because of his gruff nature and rugged features.
• He preferred to race barefoot early in his career, believing it gave him a better feel of the throttle.
• Hulme won the Can-Am Drivers' Championship twice as part of the McLaren team that won five straight titles between 1967 and 1971.