As the saying goes, not everything on the internet is true. But there are also some facts out there that sound almost too whimsical and out there to be true.
Some of you might have seen a viral post claiming McLaren team boss and CEO Zak Brown once appeared on a gameshow back in the ‘80s. Wheel of Fortune, to be exact. Wait, what?
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
Hyundai’s new Casper-like EV is called the Inster, and it looks absolutely cute
The new Volkswagen Jetta is a Civic-fighter we’re missing out on
It sounds like such a random thing, one that makes you say, ‘really?’ Curious, we tried looking for any confirmation if this is true. But first, here’s a clip of that segment.
After a little bit of digging, the teenager on the show was, indeed the Mclaren team boss himself. It actually didn’t take that long to find it if it was true. Brown confirmed it when the video first surfaced on The Red Flags Podcast’s Instagram reel. And if you still find it hard to believe, here’s a screen cap of the CEO’s comment.
That episode was aired in 1984. 40 years later, that same contestant is responsible for the resurgence of McLaren back to the front of the Formula 1 grid. Who would’ve thought that his appearance on Wheel of Fortune would set his path towards motorsports?
From his first go-kart, he went pro and took 22 International Kart Federation wins, three titles, and even went to Europe and went as far as British Formula 3. But aside from his talent behind the wheel, Brown also had a knack for sales and marketing.
That’s why, by the mid-‘90s, he got into the sports marketing venture, Just Marketing International. Basically, Brown was one of those responsible for bringing in huge sponsors in massive motorsports events, Formula 1 included.
Had that Brown not joined Wheel of Fortune or bought something else with his winnings, McLaren and Formula 1 might be very different to what it is now. Call it fate, destiny, or the butterfly effect, it's amazing to see a rare glimpse of how it all started for one of the sport's most charismatic (and effective) team principals and CEOs.
