Denny Hulme

Lore & Background

Born and raised in the South Island, Hulme was the son of Clive Hulme, who was a World War II sniper. Hulme achieved eight race wins, one pole position, nine fastest laps and 33 podiums in Formula One. He also finished third in the overall standing in 1968 and 1972. Hulme showed versatility by dominating the Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am) for Group 7 sports cars.

As a member of the McLaren team that won five straight titles between 1967 and 1971, he won the individual Drivers' Championship twice and was runner-up on four other occasions. Hulme was nicknamed 'The Bear', because of his "gruff nature" and "rugged features"; however, he was also "sensitive (...) unable to express his feelings, except in a racing car". During the early part of his career, Hulme preferred to race bare foot as he believed that it gave him a better feel of the throttle.

This changed in 1960 when he started competing in the more highly regulated European championships. Following his Formula One tenure with Brabham, Hulme raced for McLaren in multiple formats—Formula One, Can-Am, and at the Indianapolis 500. Hulme retired from Formula One at the end of the 1974 season but continued to race Australian Touring Cars. In 1962, Hulme joined the Brabham team as a mechanic, later becoming a driver for the team.

Reader's Guide

Hulme was born on a tobacco farm belonging to his parents in Motueka in the South Island of New Zealand. His father Clive Hulme was awarded a Victoria Cross, as a sniper, while fighting in the Battle of Crete in 1941. While growing up on his family's farm in Pongakawa (near Te Puke), Hulme learned to drive a truck while sitting on his father's lap; by the age of six, he was driving solo. He left school and went to work in a garage.

He saved up enough money to buy an MG TF, promptly entering this in hillclimbing events. After that his father brought an MGA for him. After making impressive progress he purchased a F2 Cooper-Climax, subsequently being chosen for the New Zealand Driver to Europe program, along with fellow New Zealander, George Lawton. The pair of young New Zealanders began competing in Formula Junior and Formula Two across Europe, in a Cooper-BMC and Cooper–Ford respectively.

Hulme won the 1960 Gran Premio di Pescara for Formula Juniors, but the newspapers back in New Zealand made no mention of this, as they wrote only about Bruce McLaren. However, the year, 1960 ended in disaster, when Lawton crashed during a race at Roskilde (Denmark) dying in Hulme's arms. As the New Zealand press were ignoring Hulme, he hired a 2½ litre Cooper from Reg Parnell and entered it in the 1960 New Zealand Gold Star Championship. He won the title straight away.

He appeared at Le Mans for the Abarth team, taking a class win in S850 the class (partnered by fellow New Zealander Angus Hyslop), before Ken Tyrrell invited the likable (but sometimes gruff) New Zealander to race in his Formula Junior and Formula Two team, in 1963, when Tony Maggs was unavailable due to his Formula One commitments. Once there, basing himself in London, Hulme worked as a mechanic in Jack Brabham's garage in Chessington and began to pave his way on his motor-racing path.

It was Brabham who gave him drives in his Brabham sportscars and single seaters. During the 1963 season, he won seven International Formula Junior and after some impressive performances there, it was his old boss Jack Brabham who gave Hulme the call and he joined the Australian legend's F2 team. In 1964, the pair set about dominating the Championship that year, resulting in a one–two finish in the FFSA Trophées de France series. The pair also finished one–two in the 1966 series.

Did You Know?

• Hulme won the 1961 New Zealand Gold Star Championship, not 1960.
• Hulme joined the Brabham team in 1962 as a mechanic and later driver, not Ken Tyrrell's team.