17 May 2021
- McLaren Automotive extends relationship with Intelligent Money British GT Championship for sixth consecutive season
- McLaren GT official Safety Car will lead the field at every round
- McLaren most-represented manufacturer on British GT grid, with seven entries across GT3 and GT4 classes
- McLaren Automotive Driver Development Programme (DDP) resumes
McLaren Automotive has extended its relationship with the Intelligent Money British GT Championship for a sixth season, with a McLaren GT safety car again set to lead a grid featuring seven McLaren Customer Racing entries when the championship gets underway at Brands Hatch on May 22/23. The first race also sees the return of the McLaren Automotive Driver Development Programme (DDP), with the four young drivers selected for the programme competing.
The McLaren GT official Safety Car – first seen in last season’s championship – will lead the grid into action at each race and pace the field following any incidents and recovery periods. With a 620PS twin-turbocharged V8 engine enabling 0-62mph in 3.2s and a top speed of 203mph, plus Proactive Damping Control suspension, the performance of the GT is more than a match for the British GT field, which this season boasts more McLaren entries than any other manufacturer.
720S GT3 to challenge for overall championship
The McLaren 720S GT3 was firmly established as a pace-setter in the GT3 class in 2020, with five pole positions and two overall race victories as well as title challenges in the overall and Silver Cup categories.
Balfe Motorsport will return to challenge for overall wins and the championship title, with father-and-son pairing Stewart and Lewis Proctor. Joining them in GT3 will be Enduro Motorsport, with its driver line-up of Morgan Tillbrook and Marcus Clutton.
McLaren DDP returns to join title challengers in GT4 class
McLaren Customer Racing teams competing in the 570S GT4 also had a successful 2020, taking three pole positions and four victories in the class. Mia Flewitt and Euan Hankey won the Pro-Am Cup, while Jordan Collard and Patrik Mathiesen were runners-up in the Silver Cup.
The McLaren Driver Development Programme returns in 2021, with Team Rocket RJN partnering with McLaren Automotive to help nurture four talented young drivers. Michael Benyahia and Alain Valente will race in one 570S GT4, with Harry Hayek alongside Katie Milner in another. A further Team Rocket RJN 570S GT4 will be entered for DDP graduate Jordan Collard and James Kell.
Pro-Am victors Balfe Motorsport returns with Jack Brown and Ashley Marshall, while new Customer Racing team, Fox Motorsport will field Nick Halstead and former British GT4 champion Jamie Stanley.
“We are delighted to continue our official Safety Car partnership with SRO and the Intelligent Money British GT Championship, which continues to be one of the world’s most competitive and thrilling GT championships. Last year showed that the GT wasn’t the only McLaren leading the pack, with McLaren Customer Racing teams claiming six wins and a further 13 podium appearances across the GT3 and GT4 classes. We look forward to even greater success and title challenges in the 2021 season, including the welcome return of our Driver Development Programme in the GT4 class.”
Ian Morgan, Director, McLaren Customer Racing
“We are delighted that McLaren has extended its official Safety Car status into a sixth season. The manufacturer has been ever-present at the front of our grid since 2016, and when the GT model made its first appearance in the role last year, it proved perfectly suited to controlling our race car pack. We look forward to seeing it at the head of the field again throughout 2021.”
Lauren Granville, Intelligent Money British GT Championship Manager
Intelligent Money British GT Championship 2020 – confirmed entries for McLaren Customer Racing teams
720S GT3: GT3 championship
Balfe Motorsport
- Stewart Proctor, Lewis Proctor
Enduro Motorsport
- Morgan Tillbrook, Marcus Clutton
570S GT4: GT4 championship
Team Rocket RJN Motorsport
- Michael Benyahia, Alain Valente
- Harry Hayek, Katie Milner
- Jordan Collard, James Kell
Balfe Motorsport
- Jack Brown, Ashley Marshall
Fox Motorsport
- Nick Halstead, Jamie Stanley
Intelligent Money British GT Championship 2021 calendar
Round 1 Brands Hatch May 22/23
Round 2 Silverstone June 26-27
Round 3 Donington Park July 10-11
Round 4 Spa-Francorchamps July 24-25
Rounds 5 & 6 Snetterton August 7-8
Rounds 7 & 8 Oulton Park September 11-12
Round 9 Donington Park October 16-17
______________
Ends
Notes to editors:
A selection of high resolution images accompanying this release is available to download from the McLaren Automotive media site – cars.mclaren.press
About McLaren Automotive:
McLaren Automotive is a creator of luxury, high-performance supercars.
Every vehicle is hand-assembled at the McLaren Production Centre (MPC) in Woking, Surrey, England.
Launched in 2010, the company is now the largest part of the McLaren Group.
The company’s product portfolio of GT, supercar, Motorsport and Ultimate models are retailed through over 85 retailers in 40 markets around the world.
McLaren is a pioneer that continuously pushes the boundaries. In 1981, it introduced lightweight and strong carbon fibre chassis into Formula 1 with the McLaren MP4/1.
Then in 1993 it designed and built the McLaren F1 road car – the company has not built a car without a carbon fibre chassis since. As part of the Ultimate Series, McLaren was the first to deliver a hybrid hypercar, the McLaren P1™. In 2016, it announced a new hybrid hyper-GT would be engineering, confirming this next Ultimate Series car as the Speedtail in 2018.
2019 saw McLaren launch the 600LT Spider, the new GT and the track-only McLaren Senna GTR. It also unveiled the 620R and McLaren Elva before launching the 765LT the following year.
Most recently, the company unveiled its all-new high-performance hybrid supercar, the McLaren Artura.
The Artura is the first McLaren to benefit from the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA). The MCLA is designed, developed and manufactured at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre in the Sheffield region of England using world-first process and will spearhead the brand’s electrified future.
McLaren Automotive also chooses to partner with like-minded world-leading companies and organisations who push the boundaries in their respective fields. These include AkzoNobel, Ashurst, Dell Technologies, Gulf, Pirelli, Richard Mille and Tumi.
McLaren Group:
The McLaren Group is a global leader in luxury automotive and technology and comprises three businesses: Automotive, Racing and Applied.
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