June the 2nd

[Michael Clark]

We'll all have our own story - the day in 1970 we woke to the news.

I was a fortnight shy of 12 and had already become well used to racing drivers being killed in racing cars - but as Nigel Roebuck once wrote, or at least words to the effect of - Bruce McLaren was never going to die in a racing anymore than Tazio Nuvolari was going to die in a bed...

Of all the Kiwis that have left for Europe to make a living from motor racing of any kind - drivers, journos, mechanics, engineers etc, their way was paved by Bruce - 'we' could never have had a better pioneer

[Oldfart]

It was just unbelievable at the time. I was on my way south from where I lived to go and buy the plane ticket to go and work there. It is still a very sad day.

[ERC]

I was working at the Old Bailey as a dock officer and remember well, on the way home in the evening, on the prison coach to Wormwood Scrubs to drop off the prisoners, seeing the newspaper sellers' posters by the roadside that just said "GP driver killed at Goodwood". I don't know why, but I knew straightaway it was Bruce.

[jamie]

Yes it was A Big Shock STILL miss his Smile when he met some one he hadent seen for awile and that quiet hi Jamie

[Frosty5]

It's amazing where you know where you were when a major incident takes place. I was working on one of Sanfords fishing trawlers repairing the ice system when the boss came down to the engine room and said that Bruce had been killed at Goodwood. Unbelievable news and took some time to recover. I had met and spoken with him at Puke as a flag marshal and for a time was just in a daze. This could not happen but regrettably was true. A childhood hero and still get the goosebumps when his name is mentioned. As Michael Clark says a true pioneer.

[Michael Clark]

Eoin Young emailed this morning to say he can still remember getting off the train at Waterloo and walked to the Autocar offices - he walked in and a bloke said 'Sorry to hear your mate got killed'

[Grant Sprague]

Yep was sad & still is , I was searching when I was young for the when , where & whys . As I got older I headed of to UK like some of us . After a couple of years to miss some of the uk winter , I was on annual holidays & skipped down to the Canary Islands on flight I meet a beautiful long legged nurse called Sue , we struck up a relation ship on the plane lol . Any way she lived in a beautiful village called Chichester on the out skirts was Good Wood where Bruce died , I found out the whys ,the when & finally the visited the circut I climbed the southern embankment of the track all walking distance from Sue,s flat in Chichester . I looked at the circut took in the atmosphere & energy & left feeling sad & empty.......... But hey we have to move on ..... Kind Regards Guys ...... Grant

[CUSTAXIE50]

Yep was sad & still is , I was searching when I was young for the when , where & whys . As I got older I headed of to UK like some of us . After a couple of years to miss some of the uk winter , I was on annual holidays & skipped down to the Canary Islands on flight I meet a beautiful long legged nurse called Sue , we struck up a relation ship on the plane lol . Any way she lived in a beautiful village called Chichester on the out skirts was Good Wood where Bruce died , I found out the whys ,the when & finally the visited the circut I climbed the southern embankment of the track all walking distance from Sue,s flat in Chichester . I looked at the circut took in the atmosphere & energy & left feeling sad & empty.......... But hey we have to move on ..... Kind Regards Guys ...... Grant I think back at what Peter Blake said,you check your work you check it again,than you check it 25 times.I have always said Bruce was let down on that black day.