06 Oct Passion and Precision Inspired by Car Racing Great
Dynamic Precision Products is known for manufacturing precision parts for highly demanding industries like technology, aerospace and medical fields, among others. But cars – and car racing – are in the company’s blood.
Rick Rasmussen, Owner and President of Dynamic Precision Products, can still remember watching the legendary race car driver Bruce McLaren behind the wheel. “I will never forget the first time I saw him racing around that track, in his bright orange #4 M8A, dominating the CanAm race,” he says.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of McLaren’s death in a tragic accident. The New Zealander was only 32 when he died in 1970, but he made a lasting impact – not only on Rick but also on the automotive industry and the racing world.
The Life and Legacy of Bruce McLaren
As History.com tells us, “At the time of his death in June 1970, McLaren had been at the top of the international racing world for more than a decade. According to an article about his fatal accident in The New York Times, McLaren was among the wealthiest driver-designers in the sport and was contemplating retirement from driving to devote more time to the business side of his racing interests. The racing team that bears his name survived him, becoming one of the most successful in Formula One history.”
His passion for design and performance also lives on in McLaren’s high-performance road cars. “Sheer determination. That’s what people remember most about our founder, Bruce McLaren. It was alive deep within him even as a 15-year-old schoolboy – driving him to rebuild an old Austin 7 from a box of bits, and compete in his first race,” the McLaren website says.
Bruce McLaren’s passion for cars and for racing combined with that determination to propel him to the top of the Formula 1 racing world. “He won his first grand prix at just 22. The youngest-ever winner at the time,” the company that bears his name reports. “But driving alone wasn’t enough. Bruce had the mind of engineer. He formed a racing team in 1963 to build his own cars. Later, this led to our road car division. Where the spirit of this warm, supremely talented man still inspires every car we build today.”
Car racing and design have changed a lot since Bruce McLaren died on a test track in England 50 years ago, but the qualities that fueled his success on and off the track captured the imagination of a young Rick Rasmussen and provide inspiration for the success of Dynamic Precision Products, a proud American parts manufacturer in Illinois.
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