2 replies to this topic

[Dennis David]

Mr.Dennis David

How do you do? I am a Japanese medical doctor practicing in a local city Kumamoto in Japan. My first name is Shigeru and family name is MIYANO.

I found your web site from the link of http://www.group7.suite.dk/ This is Denny Hulme web site. I am the personal friend of late Denny Hulme. And late Bruce McLaren 's family. I organized Bruce McLaren memorial at Go
odwood on the 2nd June 1992, and Denny drove McLaren M8D at Goodwood circuit. And next day, we started from Brighton to challenge Guinness Book record "Economy Drive Round Britain" with Honda Civic ETi. And we made new petrol engine class record. In 1993, Amanda McLaren joined my team and we renewed the record. This year, June 2000, we organized Bruce McLaren 30 years memorial at Goodwood, and we drove round Britain to renew the record with Honda Insight. And we did.

Please access our web site http://www.spheral.com/G-challenge You can know the detail.

By the way the reason why I am writing this e-mail to you. Please add the page about Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren in your web site.

Yours sincerly Dr.Shigeru MIYANO

Minamitsuboi-machi 3-7
860-0848 Kumamoto Japan
E-mail: s-miyano@pd5.so-net.ne.jp

Bruce McLaren Memorial
2 JUNE 1992 GOODWOOD

HOW IT ALL CAME ABOUT. A PERSONAL EXPLANATION

by Dr.Shigeru MIYANO

A long chain of coincidence led to my having the great honour of organising the memorial tribute to Bruce McLaren at Goodwood on 2nd June 1992. I would like to tell you about it.

In August 1981, I was booked on a package tour to Germany. We were meant to visit the Oldtimer Grand Prix but due to a booking mix-up, we missed it by a week. Instead, we watched a minor race at Nurburgring. I was very surprised to find a Honda S800 taking part in it, a car which is rare even in Japan, and I met the owner Michael Ortmann. In 1985, he rescued a Honda S600 race car with very rare 5-speed gear box from England and restored it. And I confirmed this car had won Honda's first international car race victory, at the Nurburgring, in September 1964. The driver on that occasion had been Sir Jack Brabham's No.2, Denis Hulme. With Michael's agreement I wrote to Denis Hulme to invite him to return to the Nurburgring for the 25th anniversary of this historic Honda "first", and to drive this same S600 there. To my delight he agreed. This reunion took place in June 1989, and was extensively reported in German and Japanese magazines.

At the same meeting, I also was able to arrange for Denis to drive a M8F Can-Am McLaren owned by Peter Kaus in the Rosso-Bianco collection. It was during this meeting that Denis told me how Bruce McLaren had been killed while testing Denis' first M8D team car, Denny himself having been prevented from so doing by his injuries at Indianapolis in the preceeding weeks. With the most remarkable display of fortitude, the McLaren Team commemorated the loss of their friend and founder by sending full team to the Can-Am series in 1970 and convincingly winning it. This gave me the idea that it might be possible to reunite Denis and M8D BM8D/4 ,which he drove and got 1970 Can-Am champion,at Goodwood on some future 2nd June,it could be arranged. By chance, I had already met the owner of this car,Robert Horne, in 1984 following a chance meeting with his relative Lucy Horne on a Trans-Siberian journey back in 1983. Lucy introduced me to Robert, and I could gather material of his Ford GT40 and Ferrari 512M. At that time he told me that he has M8D too. I felt that these largely accidental meetings of mine with these people were not entirely matters of chance. I am now convinced that it was Destiny. In this wide world, why these 5 person, Shigeru Miyano,Denis Hulme, Michael Ortmann,Lucy Horne, and Robert Horne have had been connected. At first, this tribute was to be just a small and personal one for Denis but it soon became clear that many other people should be invited and so I asked my friend John Howie in England to arrange private function suitable for the friends of Bruce McLaren. We received tremendous support from everyone we contacted, and that is why the occasion proved to be such a success. It also turned out to have been a most timely tribute to this great man, truly "Engineer, Constructor, Champion and Friend". I am naturally delighted to have been instrumental in bringing it about.

The Launch of McLaren's F1 road car and Denis's recently announced OBE are momentous events, and it is surely fitting that we have this permanent memorial in place at Goodwood. For the arranging of the event that took place on 2nd June 1992, we were guided by "an Invisible Hand". 1992 is 22 years after 1970, somebody says "why 22 years, why not 20 years or 25 years universary?" I wanted to take Denny "the bear" to Monaco GP, because, he won his first GP victory at Monaco GP in 1967. He should be celebrated his 25 years universary of the world champion at Monaco GP. So, I offered him to join my team "Mad Scientist & Crazy Guys". I wanted to challenge the Guinness Book of Records "Economy Drive Round Britain" with Honda Civic ETi. So,I needed drivers. Guinness Book asigned Brighton as the start and finish point.

Goodwood is only 45km to Brighton. So, I made time schejule, 2nd June at Goodwood, "Bruce McLaren memorial", 3rd June, start from Brighton. We had a nice experience 6000km challenging drive round Britain, on 10th June, we ar
rived at Brighton and we made new gasoline engine class record 27.93km/E=78.90mpg. It was the great pleasure for me to have a time with the great driver Denny Hulme.

On 4th October, Denny died by heart attack when he was driving BMW M3 at Tooheys 1000km race in Australia. I was embrassed hearing this sad news. It was the last and only chance for Denny to drive M8D at Goodwood as a requie
m for Bruce McLaren.......

[fines]

What a nice story about two of my biggest heroes, Bruce and Denny.

Thank you, Dennis, and thank you, Dr Miyano!

[Ray Bell]

It was always so strange seeing Denny in those BMWs, driving as he did in the team run by Frank Gardner, who I wouldn't have reckoned as being an old mate of Denny's from the sixties. But who's to say what conversations took place when the Taurenac stopped for a cuppa?
I don't, however, believe in fate. Coincidence, I would call it.