McLaren Sportscars

[Accident]

Originally Posted by MitchZ06

You don't think teams that can attract pro drivers/already have them (Hexis, Gulf, United) wouldn't run in GTE-Pro?

I'm sure they would want to be at Le Mans, but I would imagine that going up against factory Ferraris, Corvettes, Astons, and Porsches might be a bit discouraging when a team is thinking about throwing down some serious money for a new car/cars when they already own GT3 cars that they are competitive with.

Admittedly though, I haven't really been following the FIA things this year so I don't know, have any of those teams announced intentions to run a GTE version of the car?

I'd like to see them run as a serious effort, but I would also fully understand if no team fancied the idea of being an also-ran behind a line of factory cars in the GTE-Pro ranks.

[MitchZ06]

Gulf was at the ELMS test day and ran both their Vantage and the McLaren (which had ELMS numberboards on it) and I've got a good feeling they'll likely run one car in Pro with some McLaren factory drivers and support (Bell, Parente, etc) with Roald and Stuart in an Am car.


Hexis is likely to go BES next year but with the drivers they have and the likely factory support they'll get I've no doubt they'll be in GTE in 2014 (BES in prep for longer races?).

And United....well they've also got some pro's and have had the intention for a long time to race at Le Mans and ALMS so I wouldn't put it past them to go GTE.


All speculation however...

[The Badger]

Originally Posted by joeb

Our good friend Jag has tweeted that Auto sport is reporting McLaren to GTE officially in 2013. Anybody know anymore about this?

While this is fantastic news indeed , I thought it would only be a matter of time . Last I heard from Ron Dennis a few years ago , Le Mans was his new kettle of fish and unfinished business .

Question : Is Dennis leading this project ? Has Gordon Murry anything to do with it ?

[urdragon]

As discussed before, there is a major reward of promotion in the WEC series than everywhere else, even without winning. The possibility of a team like hexis into wec would depend on the Mclaren involvement anyway, my consideration is, if there are not this entrants is cause of the running difference costs of a GT3 car or a GTE car, and the wec high costs and the facts there are no "wild cards" for Le mans single entry (would cut down costs).

Current GTE is impossible without a factory involvement, and factories enter to have a real chance to win, so would have to employ the same resources as existing entries to have interest to enter.

[MitchZ06]

Yes but there's no actual Ferrari or Porsche factory teams are there? No...just works supported entries which I expect those 3 will likely be (so in essence 'factory' McLaren teams).

[urdragon]

Yes, it should be studied why there is no work teams association with some brands to enter GTE like Nissan, Lamborghini, Audi o Merc but in terms of Mclaren today we may hear something. Anyway heavily supported, none of these work teams pay one driver, If those work teams had to pay such stars and the rest of costs, that would be impossible, that's why hexis alone cannot cover those costs, its up to brands (together with work teams) to finally choose enter WEC (Asuming there is no wild card for Le Mans).

[CTD]

Originally Posted by The Badger

While this is fantastic news indeed , I thought it would only be a matter of time . Last I heard from Ron Dennis a few years ago , Le Mans was his new kettle of fish and unfinished business .

Question : Is Dennis leading this project ? Has Gordon Murry anything to do with it ?

As Ron Dennis is head of the McLaren road car branch, i think he has a lot to say, but directly leading it might be too much together with his other roles.

[The Badger]

I dont know what other roles Ron plays anymore . I know he has handed the F1 rains over , or at least I think he has .

What is his charge now days ?

[CTD]

Originally Posted by The Badger

I dont know what other roles Ron plays anymore . I know he has handed the F1 rains over , or at least I think he has .

What is his charge now days ?

According to Wiki:

Ronald "Ron" Dennis CBE (born 1 June 1947) is the executive chairman of McLaren Automotive and McLaren Group, and is also a significant shareholder in both companies. He was also the team principal of McLaren, the group's Formula One team, until 2009.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Dennis

[MitchZ06]

MD of McLaren Automotive I believe is his 'official' title.

Ron clearly said however that McLaren as a factory team (IE 'McLaren Racing') would not return to Le Mans unless to race for overall victory with something relevant to their street cars. They will however run a similar program to what Ferrari and Porsche do and I'm sticking to my guns that Hexis, Gulf and United Autosports will be their 3 'main' works supported teams.

[Simmi]

Autosport said that McLaren might run the car initially in-house to get the early development done, as with the GT3 car, before handing over the reins to the customers. So I don't think we'd ever see McLaren/CRS on the entry list for Le Mans in '14. Think '13 is probably a bit early to go to La Sarthe unless they want an entry to 'test'. I'm sure the ACO would grant them that.

[MitchZ06]

Yeah I'm talking 2014 here too (same 2011/2012 routine McLaren pulled with the GT3). I doubt they'd go back to Le Mans with such a 'new' car, more likely to just run select WEC/ELMS/ALMS rounds and then over to customers in 2014.

[Fogelhund]

http://www.racer.com/mclaren-set-for...rticle/261105/

This week's AUTOSPORT magazine has revealed McLaren is set to add a GTE-spec version of its popular MP4-12C that has raced in GT3 formats across Europe for a few seasons.

It's possible McLaren will undertake a several-race trial run for 2013 before a full-season introduction for 2014, and the potential, however small, exists the GTE version could run at next year's 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Nothing new, but still a link.

[Mt. Lynx]

Good news!
Can you imagine how cool a wider bodied MP4-12C will look?

[MitchZ06]

The GT3 is 1995mm, isn't the class limit for GTE 2000mm?

[gwyllion]

Originally Posted by MitchZ06

The GT3 is 1995mm, isn't the class limit for GTE 2000mm?

The width limit for GTE has been increased to 2050 mm. Hence the recent wide body kit for Porsche.

[TF110]

That's an additional 2 inches they have to play with. The mechanical grip on those cars must be serious.

[MitchZ06]

Another 55mm to play with should mean a ton more aero and mechanical grip

[The Badger]

Waivers , Ferrari have a width waiver .

Ask SRT Viper what the class limit is for engines while your at it .

[gwyllion]

Originally Posted by The Badger

Waivers , Ferrari have a width waiver.

Ferrari had a width waiver

The maximum width has been increased for the whole GTE class. That is why Porsche built the wide body 911 this year.

[TF110]

Isn't the 2012 C6R ZR1 2050mm as well? I think all the top teams are that width. I'll have to double check about the Aston Martin.

[MitchZ06]

All 2012 cars were built to the new max width forced on the ACO by the F458 being wide, no waivers this year for that...

[Tim the Grey]

After all, you can make a car WIDER, but NARROWER would be, um, INTERESTING.
Why do cars continually have to get BIGGER? When are they going back to small, slim, light, and quick?

[MitchZ06]

Wider cars handle better...

[Tim the Grey]

Just realised where we are. About 5 miles Left of Topic!

SORRY!

(I agree, they CAN corner quicker, but disagree about a pure HANDLING advantage? That's weight distribution, surely?)