Paris (AFP)

Fifty years after the death of its founder Bruce McLaren, the eponymous brand, which has become one of the most famous in motor racing, is going through a difficult period due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On June 2, 1970 on the Goodwood circuit (Great Britain), the New Zealand pilot lost control of his monster "CanAm" which disintegrated against an abandoned commissary cabin.

At 32, disappeared the one who, from a simple mechanic arrived penniless from his native country to one of the most talented drivers of his time, is also the founder of a stable today the most successful in F1 behind Ferrari.

On Tuesday, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of his disappearance, his daughter Amanda, born in 1965, inaugurated a statue of his father at the ultra-modern headquarters of McLaren in Woking, a suburb of London. Fifty candles were placed around a McLaren M8D, the model he was driving on the day of his death.

"June 2 is an emotional day for us every year and this is especially true this year. Knowing that Dad is looking at McLaren from above is very moving and he would have been incredibly proud of the successes achieved under his name", said she said.

Winner of four F1 Grands Prix, the first in 1959, the last in 1968 with a car bearing his name, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 at the wheel of a Ford, under controversial conditions recently brought to the screen in the successful film "Le Mans 66".

In North America, unbeatable in the now extinct CanAm series, the McLarens won the Indianapolis 500 Miles three times, the first time in 1974.

Because Bruce's associates continue the adventure after his death. With success, since in 1974 the Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi became world champion of F1 with a McLaren before a new title in 1976 with the British James Hunt.

Difficult years followed, leading to the arrival of a new owner, Ron Dennis. He raised the bar, won a new title in 1984 with Niki Lauda then a whole series with Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna (1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991).

A McLaren also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995, before two other F1 titles with Mika Häkkinen (1998 and 1999).

It was also by driving a car from the British team that Lewis Hamilton won his first world crown in 2008.

- Lean cows -

This was followed by a long period of lean cows, punctuated by the departure of Ron Dennis and the arrival of the American Zak Brown, who brought McLaren back to 4th place in the world constructors' championship in 2019.

"Today, on the 50th anniversary of Bruce McLaren's death, we remember what he created. Bruce was a competitor, innovator and chef, and everyone at McLaren does their best every day. to follow his example, "said Zak Brown on Tuesday.

Symbol of his attachment to the heritage of the brand, he also made him return this year, for the first time since 1979, in the American Indycar championship for which the Indianapolis 500 Miles count.

But the coronavirus pandemic has come to thwart these plans. In addition to racing cars, McLaren also manufactures prestige sports cars, a path that Bruce McLaren embarked on shortly before his death.

This activity is now suffering the full brunt of the global automotive market, while the F1 team's revenue has been severely reduced by the cancellation or postponement until now of all the events of the 2020 world championship.

Just after the announcement with drums and trumpets of the arrival of the Australian pilot Daniel Ricciardo in 2021, McLaren was forced to present a severe savings plan accompanied by the loss of 1,200 jobs, or a quarter of its staff, including around 70 in F1.

In this difficult context, the new lowering last week of the spending limit of the stables from next year will however mitigate the shock, leaving McLaren the hope of finding its place alongside the other big names in motorsport that are Ferrari and Mercedes.

© 2020 AFP