McLaren wants to take the owners of its cars racing and on Tuesday announced plans for a new GT one-make race series coming in 2018. Alongside the race series announcement, McLaren also revealed that a new 720S GT3 race car is under development and will arrive for track duty in 2019.
The one-make series will cover various European race circuits and aims to recruit owners who already have extensive track-driving experience. The company said it will allow more experienced owners, with an international D license at minimum, to take their first steps into the racing world, but it will also launch a driver development program to educate and curate new drivers. McLaren will identify talented new drivers, work with them, and develop tailored programs to enhance their racing skills to eventually create the next-generation class of GT drivers.
McLaren Driver Development Program
Said drivers might find their way behind the wheel of the newly announced 720S GT3. The car will follow the 650S GT3 and will make its competitive debut with customer teams in the 2019 season. The company will engineer the race car for full GT3 compliance and will compete with it globally. The 720S GT3 will start with a MonoCage II carbon-fiber structure, while a race-spec version of the brand's 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 will be mounted in the middle of the car. A 6-speed sequential automatic transmission will send an undisclosed amount of power to the rear wheels.
2019 McLaren 720S GT3
As for the body, McLaren will shave weight with composite and lightweight carbon fiber, and the 720S will also gain a special aerodynamic package. Adjustable dampers and coil-over springs will be fitted at the front and rear.
To support McLaren's expanded foray into motorsports, it is also establishing a network of retailers to specialize in the sale of track cars. To start, 10 retailers across the globe will sell the brand's motorsport products, including dealers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.
McLaren will provide more details on the one-make series, including an event schedule, in the months to come. In the meantime, its new dedicated facility in Woking, England, continues work on the 720S GT3.