A native of Port Pirie, South Australia, Bob McLean migrated to Canada. After he acquired Canadian citizenship, McLean settled in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he ran a "Royalite" gas station.<br /><br />McLean earned his Canadian racing licence in the late 1950s. In 1959 he was involved in a crash while driving an MG in a sportscar race at Westwood. His car rolled but he walked away. Bob McLean was crowned Canadian Champion in 1965 driving a Lotus 23B.<br /><br />In 1966 McLean drove in the 12 Hours of Sebring as part of the privateer Comstock Racing Team. Comstock entered two Ford GT40s, to be driven by four Canadian drivers: Eppie Wietzes and Craig Fisher drove the #17; Bob McLean was to share his #18 car with Jean Ouellet from Rimouski, Québec. McLean was the fastest of the four in qualifying, with a best lap of 3min08.9s, good for 16th on the starting grid. Wietzes started 22nd, three seconds behind him.<br /><br />During the fourth hour of the race Jean Ouellet, then running in thirteenth place, brought the GT40 in to the pits for service and a driver change. Soon after leaving the pits, with McLean at the wheel, the Ford GT40, with a full gas tank, lost a wheel going into the hairpin, rolled several times, hit a telephone pole and erupted in flames. Corner workers had no chance to rescue McLean from the flaming wreckage.<br /><br />After learning of Bob McLean's death, the Comstock Racing Team withdrew its other GT40 from the competition. Jean Ouellet - or, according to different accounts, Oulette, this has not yet been confirmed - was so upset that he gave up on a promising international career.<br /><br />R.I.P
