Interview: Phil Kerr

Many motorsport enthusiasts remember the names of Bruce McLaren and Denis Hulme as part of the Bruce and Denis Show, which dominated Can-Am racing from 1967 to 1972. However, part of the success of the McLaren team stemmed from the people with whom Bruce McLaren surrounded himself; people like Phil Kerr. Phil studied accounting and business management but gravitated to motorsport when he joined a small engineering business in Auckland. He later was on the board of control of the New Zealand International Grand Prix Association and applied to the racing business what he had learned in industry. He was also not a bad race driver and was one of the three names put before the committee of the NZIGP for the “Driver to Europe” for 1958, an honor that ultimately went to Bruce McLaren. As Phil puts it, “They chose the right man.” John Wright caught up with Phil to discuss his time in professional motorsport and his close relationship with friend Bruce McLaren.

VRJ: Can you tell me something of Bruce’s early life and how did you two link up?