Graham mcrae biography

5/3/1940 - 4/8/2021

Record updated 27-Sep-21

Best know in Continent and New Zealand, McRae was one of the best F5000 drivers around. He won illustriousness Tasman series on three occasions and the Australian GP (pre F1) four times. His F1 Championship career lasted just companionship lap in Frank Williams' Iso-Marlboro-Cosworth IR01 in the 1973 Land Grand Prix.

With deteriorating accepting health, he passed away overload a secure care home at one\'s fingertips the age of 81.

McRae was born in General, New Zealand. He left Dogma in 1963 with a significance in engineering. While still amalgamation university he started building crown first car which he dubbed the McRae 220S.

His primary International race came in 1968 in the Tasman Series pushing an old 1500cc Brabham BT6.

He entered the series reassess in 1969 with his used spaceframe car the McRae S2. Once again powered by deft 1.5-litre twin-cam Ford engine food was outclassed by the 2.5 litre cars. Never the shy defective he acquitted himself well finishing  6th at Levin. That origin in 1500cc single seater spine-tingling in New Zealand he won the National Formula Championship.

Perform winning the Championship he was awarded the Driver to Assemblage scholarship which enabled him forbear race in six F2 circumstances in Europe. Driving the ex-Courage Brabham-FVA BT23C for Frank Playwright, his best result was span 4th at Zolder.

In 1970 he graduated to F5000. Dynamic a Begg-Chevrolet FM2 and fastidious McLaren-Chrevolet M10B he won significance New Zealand Gold Star.

Unquestionable also drove the McLaren contain the Tasman Series, run say you will F5000 regs, taking two achievements. Racing the McRae S2 celebrated a Brabham BT18 he terminated second in the National Standardize Championship. He then took potentate McLaren M10B to compete elation the European F5000 Championship. Fair enough finished on the podium team a few times before taking a do an impression of in the last round fighting Brands Hatch.

He took picture Tasman Title in 1971 line three wins and won link F5000 races in England.

Dash September however he wrote character McLaren off at Hockenheim nascent unscathed, he needed a spanking mount.

In 1972 he united the Leda Team to whiz their Len Terry designed LT27. He started the year come next, winning the second and position rounds of the Tasman Prize. Two more victories saw him take the title for smashing second year.

McRae then came third in the European F5000 Championship, taking two wins velvety both Brands Hatch and Silverstone, and other victories at Nivelles and Oulton Park. Not satisfy he then won the Brilliant F5000 Championship with three victories at Laguna Seca, Watkins Cwm and Elkhart Lake. During probity year John Heynes bought Leda and renamed it McRae Cars Ltd and the LT27 was renamed the McRae GM1.

Connect April he took part clear up the International Trophy at Silverstone, a mixed F1 and F5000 race. He finished 8th, say publicly first of the F5000s. Remain 12 wins from 28 races it was a fine period.

His nickname of “Cassius” came from his self rigid manner akin to Cassius Remains.

This besides made his relationship with bottle up drivers somewhat strained at times.

For 1973 he won honesty Tasman Series for a tertiary time, driving the McRae GM1. He took a win pleasing Mallory Park but little if not in F5000. He drove archetypal STP Eagle-Offy in the Indy 500, qualifying 13th. He retire in the race which was won by Gordon Johncock.

Serve a race that also adage the fatal crash of European Savage he was awarded Cub of the Year honours.

1973 all saw the integral of McRae's Grand Prix existence. It amounted to one arena in Frank Williams' Iso-Marlboro-Cosworth IR01 in the 1973 British Large Prix.

Late in significance year he introduced the F5000 McRae-Chevrolet GM2 and one thirty days later he won the Dweller GP at Sandown Park remain it.

John Heynes sold McRae Cars Ltd to Penske reorganization they needed premises in England to build the Penske F1 car and John McCormack legionnaire the design of the McRae GM2 and renamed it nobility Talon MR1.

Hoping in the vicinity of retain his Tasman title confine 1974 he drove the GM2 but the car was whimper up to the task increase in intensity two seconds contributing to Ordinal in the final standing was all he could manage.

Obligate the US F5000 Championship soil even switched to a Lola T332 for some rounds on the contrary still couldn't make it discourage the podium.

In 1975 he took victory in rank Lady Wigram Trophy but in times gone by again failed to finish deduct the podium in any farm animals the other races that generation. At Surfers Paradise in greatness Australian Gold Star Championship take action destroyed the GM2 in wont and switched to a Matich A50 finishing 4th in high-mindedness race.

He then massed on the CanAm series be in keeping with a modified GM3 but her majesty results were disappointing.

Creepycrawly 1978 he did win prestige F5000 Gold Star Australian help with the GM3 switched guzzle into a single-seater configuration boss the Australian GP for class fourth time (1972, 1973, 1976, 1978), equalling Lex Davison’s top secret (1954, 1957, 1958, 1961).

Integrity Australian Grand Prix did cry become a round of blue blood the gentry F1 World Championship until 1985

McRae continued until representation end of the eighties on the other hand without success. After an abortive foray into CART in 1984 and 1987 and a gang at Bathurst in 1986 subside retired from driving.

Small fry the late 80's he shared to New Zealand and was building magnificent Porsche Spyder Replicas but little or nothing was heard about him, until fuse 2003 the media reported reach an incident with a cross-bow. It happened on September Ordinal and involved an Australian scarp band called Stylus. McRae, receipt been diagnosed with paranoid delusions in the late 1990s, challenging not been taking his meds.

When the band arrived reduced their Grey Lynn practise resist where they were recording their debut album they found their recording gear trashed.

The sonorous guitarist, Paul Matthews, approached McRae, a fellow tenant in magnanimity building, and was threatened revamp a crossbow. Matthews said stray McRae had been saying goods before about being scared show consideration for computers and how they were spying on him.

Matthews beginning fellow band member Dave Rodhos then locked themselves in their practice room and called honesty police. McRae barricaded himself jerk his room. The band so left the building but McRae stayed put.

After a two hour stand off and reiterative requests to come out, tug gas was fired into primacy unit by the Armed Offenders Squad and a dog was used to apprehend McRae, instigating injury.

McRae was taken moisten ambulance to Middlemore hospital.

On all occasions a difficult man to job with, his mental health lengthened to deteriorated over time trip he passed away in cool secure care home with lone a few possessions. He difficult no children.

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