New Zealand Mourns Pioneer Graham McRae | FormulaPassion.it

Only one race in F1, which lasted a few hundred meters due to a problem with the accelerator. Still, the footprint left by Graham McRae in motoring it has been of great importance, especially for New Zealand, a country that certainly does not have motoring in its DNA. The former driver and builder died on August 4, 2021 at the age of 81.

Graham McRae went down in history for being a driver who competed and won at the wheel of cars that bore his name because he built it. He started at home by developing a Maserati for hillclimb races in New Zealand, winning a scholarship to participate in some F2 races in Europe in 1969. Once in the Old Continent, McRae bought British racing car manufacturer Leda and renamed McRae Cars Ltd. The Leda LT27 F5000 was renamed by McRae GM1 (Graham McRae 1), a car that had great success. The single-seater that the public remembers with the most nostalgia, however, is the GM3 as spectators could see what was happening inside the cockpit through the Plexiglas panels.

McRae won the Formula Tasman three times (in 1971, 1972 and 1973) and took part in the 1973 F1 British Grand Prix at the wheel of a Marlboro-sponsored ISO team Frank Williams. In that same season Graham McRae also participated in the Indianapolis 500, finishing in 16th position, thus claiming the title of rookie of the year – rookie of the year – of that edition. Rest in peace, pioneer.

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