A bronze statue and a haka to commemorate the death of Bruce McLaren

McLaren has unveiled a commemorative statue on the 50th anniversary of the death of founder Bruce McLaren.

The life-size bronze figure has been created by painter and sculptor Paul Oz, who previously produced the sculpture of Ayrton Senna that is also at the McLaren Technology Centre.

It marks the achievements of McLaren, who was killed on June 2, 1970, while testing one of his Can-Am racing cars at the Goodwood Circuit.

After lighting 50 candles around the statue to mark her father's death, daughter Amanda McLaren said: "When my father died in June 1970 – just 12 years after coming to the UK from New Zealand – he had already done so much to realise his ambitions, but the best was still to come.

"McLaren’s accomplishments over more than 50 years in Formula 1, three Indianapolis 500 wins, five successive Can-Am championships, the landmark victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans race and the supercars and hypercars designed, developed and built under the McLaren banner, all stand as his legacy.

“June 2 is always an emotional date for us and that’s particularly true this year. Having ‘Dad’ looking out over McLaren is incredibly moving and I know that he would have been so very proud of the achievements made in his name.”

For McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, such a tribute marked a time to remember what Bruce McLaren created.

"Bruce was a racer, an innovator and a leader, and all of us at McLaren strive each day to follow the example he set us," said Brown.

"Bruce stands as a hero of our sport, immortalised by this statue which is surrounded by his legacy. We take a moment on this important day to mourn his loss, but to also draw inspiration from his life.

"Bruce’s spirit lives on through all the people that work at McLaren today. We race in his honour, fearlessly forward, in the pursuit of better.”

There was also a tribute from Auckland University in the form of a traditional Maori haka.

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