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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
R.I.P
