KIWIS CAN FLY!
Arriving in Britain for my six-month overseas experience in 1968 and finding New Zealand assuming such a prominent place in international motor sport was indeed heartening. The previous few years had seen Australians dominating Grand Prix (GP) racing but now the Kiwis were all the rage and stealing the action.
At Silverstone in late April that year McLarens in the hands of Denny Hulme and Bruce McLaren came first and second in the Daily Express Trophy for Formula 1 (F1) cars, while the works Ferrari of Chris Amon was third — a remarkable one-two-three for New Zealanders and a feat never since repeated in an F1 event. That wasn’t all; Hulme also took the Sid Taylor Lola-Chevrolet to victory in the sports car race the same day.
The Silverstone trophy was no easy stroll for the Kiwis. McLaren led from the start, with Mike Spence in the works British Racing Motors (BRM) V12 battling furiously with Hulme, who got the better of the British driver before passing his teammate into the lead. However as the field completed the eighth lap there was no sign of Hulme’s yellow McLaren.
He finally came around in fifth position slumped in the cockpit. When
