Biography - Murray McLaren

I was involved in the very first Swift DB-1 Formula Ford built down in Orange, California along with David Bruns, John Gianelli, Paul White and many others in late 1983. I was involved with CenterLine Racing at the time and had won the North American Atlantic Championship in 1982 with Dave McMillan. The first DB-1 was raced by R.K. Smith and won the Run-Off's down at Road Atlanta in a dramatic race, started from the pole and ran off the road but came back to win on the last lap. I was also involved part-time on some of the other model Swifts during assembly and testing with designer David Bruns, the DB-2 Sports 2000 and the DB-3 Formula Ford 2000.

In 1987 we built the first DB-4 cars at: 1418 S. Central Park Ave, in Anaheim, California. (near Disneyland!) John Gianelli, myself and David Bruns ran the prototype with help from Stuart Moore as Steve Shelton who drove that car in its first race at Watkins Glen. After that, Swift Cars President R.K. Smith drove the car and we were his crew, we won at Portland, Oregon and Atlanta, Georgia then the big Memphis Shoot-Out at the end of the season. Jimmy Vasser was 2nd in the third car we had built for P.1 Racing. (40 car field).

Then I came back to New Zealand towards the end of the year and Dean Hall raced the Prototype in our N.Z. series with Graeme Lawrence Racing, the first DB-4 to race in N.Z. He was lapped in the N.Z. Grand Prix but I figured out the problem with the engine and he won the Lady Wigram Trophy. I was the Swift Cars rep in N.Z. and after that we sold more cars...

I went back to Swift Cars in 1988 to build more DB-4's but the company was sold to Bill Fickling (P.1 Racing) & Jim Chapman who moved the operation from Anaheim, L.A. down to San Clemente, towards San Diego. I left part-way through the year to work with Hiro Matsushita at Dwayne Anderson Racing in his Rookie Atlantic season. He won at Westwood, Vancouver and was third in the series won by Dean Hall. Steve Shelton won the East Coast series with Stuart Moore Racing. Then I put a deal together for Hiro to race in the 10 race N.Z. Atlantic series in early 1989.

We had six DB-4's racing in N.Z. in early 1989. Dean Hall won the N.Z. Grand Prix at Pukekohe and the series in a new car (his team mates were Mark Smith & Scott Gibson). I ran Hiro Matsushita with Dwayne Anderson Racing and we were 2nd in the NZGP & won the Lady Wigram Trophy at Wigram in Christchurch. Another Japanese driver Kenji Momoto and kiwi Paul Radisich also drove older DB4's in 1989.

Then we ran Hiro in the West Coast Atlantic series where he won the series with race wins at Long Beach, Westwood twice & Seattle. R.K. Smith also won for us at Sears Point and was second to Mark Dismore at Willow Springs while Hiro was away in Japan. Hiro later bought the company off Fickling & Chapman then built a new 'state of the art' factory & wind tunnel in San Clemente which he still owns today. He still has his second DB-4 (017-89)which is in Japan, the car he won the Championship in.

In 1990 I came back to N.Z. and helped Ken Smith, who I managed to switch (from Ralt) to Swift Cars. He won the N.Z. Grand Prix and the series. Craig Baird raced the ex-Dean Hall car in N.Z. and won the Lady Wigram Trophy. Graeme Lawrence ran Robbie Groff & Jovy Marcelo, so we had 4 DB-4's in N.Z.

Then I put a deal together with Dwayne Anderson Racing and we ran Jovy Marcelo in North America where he was 'Rookie of the Year' and I was voted 'Crew Chief of the Year'. Jovy went on to win the Championship the following year with P.1 Racing but I was his adviser!

We had six DB-4's racing again in N.Z. in 1991, Craig Baird won the N.Z. Grand Prix and also won the series. I was with Ken Smith again and we won the Lady Wigram Trophy over Craig Baird at Ruapuna. Mark Smith, Mike Berg, Sandy Dells & Barrie Flett also raced DB-4's in N.Z. that year.

Then I was involved with numerous drivers racing DB-4's in North America but retired back to N.Z. where we ran other young racing drivers. I won the N.Z. Grand Prix again twice with Simon Wills driving Formula Holden V6 powered F.3000 cars late in the 90's and also did F.3 in England with Simon. Now I write about motor racing for N.Z. Racer magazine and I am also a judge for the N.Z. SpeedSport Scholarship for young 'up & coming drivers'. We have six DB-4's down here in N.Z., Ken Smith still has three (018-88, 032-89 & 033-89), Steve Donaldson has Hiro's original car 001-88, John Clegg has 016-89 and Canadian Evan Williams races a beautifully restored DB-4 009-88 by Barry Leitch at Invercargill, near the most southern race track in the world, Teretonga. I will be down there next month, for the N.Z. Grand Prix. m.mac