McLaren extends Intelligent Money British GT Championship Safety Car partnership

McLaren extends Intelligent Money British GT Championship Safety Car partnership

> GT SET TO LEAD SUPERCAR PACK AT ALL SEVEN EVENTS
> McLAREN’S BRITISH GT SAFETY CAR PARTNERSHIP ENTERS SIXTH SEASON

McLaren has extended its long-standing official Safety Car partnership with the Intelligent Money British GT Championship into a sixth successive season.

The manufacturer’s flagship grand touring model, appropriately named ‘GT’, will manage and co-ordinate all on-track activities during each of this year’s seven events and nine races.

The model’s raw performance – 612bhp, 0-62mph in 3.2s and a top speed of 203mph – makes it more than capable of marshalling British GT’s GT3 and GT4 classes, while the bespoke MonoCell II-T carbon fibre tub – a feature first seen in McLaren’s Formula 1 cars of the 1980s – ensures safety is also at the heart of the GT.

McLaren’s Safety Car partnership also complements its wide-ranging support for customer GT racing. As in 2020, this year it boasts more full-season Intelligent Money British GT Championship entries than any other manufacturer.

Balfe Motorsport and Enduro Motorsport have each entered a 720S GT3, while the 570S GT4 is represented by Fox Motorsport, Balfe and Team Rocket RJN.

Two of the latter’s three entries also feature McLaren Driver Development Programme members Michael Benyahia, Harry Hayek, Katie Milner and Alain Valente.

Ian Morgan, Director of Motorsport, McLaren Automotive: “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.”

Lauren Granville, Championship Manager: “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, while the GT model made its first appearance in the role last year when it proved perfectly suited to controlling our supercar pack. We look forward to seeing it at the head of the field again throughout 2021.”

Brands Hatch hosts the opening round of this season’s Intelligent Money British GT Championship on May 22/23.