Denny Hulme

Denis Hulme was a New Zealand racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1965 to 1974. Nicknamed “The Bear” for his rugged appearance, Hulme won the 1967 Drivers’ Championship with Brabham.

Nationality	New Zealander
Born	Denis Clive Hulme 18 June 1936 Motueka, New Zealand
Died	4 October 1992 (aged 56) Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia

Alongside a Championship in 1967, Hulme’s F1 career netted him eight race victories, one pole position, nine fastest laps, and 33 podium finishes. He also placed third in the overall standings in both 1968 and 1972.

While racing in Formula 1, Hulme also drove in the Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am) for Group 7 sports cars. As a member of the McLaren team, which dominated the series by winning five consecutive titles from 1967 to 1971, Hulme clinched the series Championship twice and finished runner-up four times.

After his stint in Formula One with Brabham, Hulme joined McLaren, competing in various categories, including Formula One, Can-Am, and the Indianapolis 500. He retired from Formula One at the end of the 1974 season but continued his racing career in Australian Touring Cars and other formats.

Known for his gruff nature, Hulme earned his nickname “The Bear,” but he was also described as sensitive and reserved, finding it difficult to express his emotions except when behind the wheel. Early in his career, he famously preferred to race barefoot, believing it gave him a better feel for the throttle, but switched to standard footwear when competing in the highly regulated European championships in the 1960s.

Throughout his career, Hulme drove some of the most powerful cars of his time, competing in a variety of racing formats, including Formula One, Formula Two, Indycars, saloon and touring cars, Can-Am, and endurance races—all within a single season. Even after retiring from Formula One, he remained active, participating in truck races.

Hulme passed away in 1992 after suffering a heart attack while driving a BMW during the Bathurst 1000 in Australia. He became the first former Formula One World Champion to die of natural causes, in contrast to several others who had perished in racing accidents or other incidents.

Denny Hulme Formula One World Championship career

F1 Career	1965–1974
Teams	Brabham, McLaren
Entries	112
Championships	1 (1967)
Wins	8
Podiums	33
Career points	248
Pole positions	1
Fastest laps	9
First entry	1965 Monaco Grand Prix
First win	1967 Monaco Grand Prix
Last win	1974 Argentine Grand Prix
Last entry	1974 United States Grand Prix

Denny Hulme Teammates

15 Teammates	Involvement	First Year	Last Year
Jack Brabham	23	1965	1967
Dan Gurney	7	1965	1970
Giancarlo Baghetti	1	1965
Chris Irwin	1	1966
Bruce McLaren	25	1968	1970
Derek Bell	1	1969
Andrea De Adamich	9	1970
Peter Gethin	14	1970	1971
Nanni Galli	1	1970
Jackie Oliver	3	1971
Peter Revson	23	1972	1973
Brian Redman	4	1972
Jody Scheckter	7	1972	1973
Jacky Ickx	1	1973
Emerson Fittipaldi	15	1974

Race Wins

Win Number	Grand Prix
1	1967 Monaco Grand Prix
2	1967 German Grand Prix
3	1968 Italian Grand Prix
4	1968 Canadian Grand Prix
5	1969 Mexican Grand Prix
6	1972 South African Grand Prix
7	1973 Swedish Grand Prix
8	1974 Argentine Grand Prix

Complete Formula One Results

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	WDC	Points
1965	Brabham Racing Organisation	Brabham BT7	Climax V8	RSA	MON 8	BEL		GBR Ret		GER Ret									11th	5
1965	Brabham Racing Organisation	Brabham BT11	Climax V8				FRA 4		NED 5		ITA Ret	USA	MEX						11th	5
1966	Brabham Racing Organisation	Brabham BT22	Climax L4	MON Ret	BEL Ret														4th	18
1966	Brabham Racing Organisation	Brabham BT20	Repco V8			FRA 3	GBR 2	NED Ret	GER Ret	ITA 3	USA Ret	MEX 3							4th	18
1967	Brabham Racing Organisation	Brabham BT20	Repco V8	RSA 4	MON 1	NED 3													1st	51
1967	Brabham Racing Organisation	Brabham BT19	Repco V8				BEL Ret												1st	51
1967	Brabham Racing Organisation	Brabham BT24	Repco V8					FRA 2	GBR 2	GER 1	CAN 2	ITA Ret	USA 3	MEX 3					1st	51
1968	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren M5A	BRM V12	RSA 5															3rd	33
1968	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren M7A	Ford V8		ESP 2	MON 5	BEL Ret	NED Ret	FRA 5	GBR 4	GER 7	ITA 1	CAN 1	USA Ret	MEX Ret				3rd	33
1969	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren M7A	Ford V8	RSA 3	ESP 4	MON 6	NED 4	FRA 8	GBR Ret	GER Ret	ITA 7	CAN Ret	USA Ret	MEX 1					6th	20
1970	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren M14A	Ford V8	RSA 2	ESP Ret	MON 4	BEL	NED	FRA 4	GBR 3	GER 3	AUT Ret	ITA 4	CAN Ret	USA 7	MEX 3			4th	27
1971	Bruce McLaren Motor Racing	McLaren M19A	Ford V8	RSA 6	ESP 5	MON 4	NED 12	FRA Ret	GBR Ret	GER Ret	AUT Ret	ITA	CAN 4	USA Ret					13th	9
1972	Yardley Team McLaren	McLaren M19A	Ford V8	ARG 2	RSA 1	ESP Ret													3rd	39
1972	Yardley Team McLaren	McLaren M19C	Ford V8				MON 15	BEL 3	FRA 7	GBR 5	GER Ret	AUT 2	ITA 3	CAN 3	USA 3				3rd	39
1973	Yardley Team McLaren	McLaren M19C	Ford V8	ARG 5	BRA 3														6th	26
1973	Yardley Team McLaren	McLaren M23	Ford V8			RSA 5	ESP 6	BEL 7	MON 6	SWE 1	FRA 8	GBR 3	NED Ret	GER 12	AUT 8	ITA 15	CAN 12	USA 4	6th	26
1974	Marlboro Team Texaco	McLaren M23	Ford V8	ARG 1	BRA 12	RSA 9	ESP 6	BEL 6	MON Ret	SWE Ret	NED Ret	FRA 6	GBR 7	GER DSQ	AUT 2	ITA 6	CAN 6	USA Ret	7th	20

Sources:

1. Denny Hulme. Wikipedia.com
2. statsf1.com