McLaren GT still on track
McLaren GT completes public development programme at Silverstone
October 12, 2011
Last weekend marked the final race in the public development programme for the McLaren GT team who have spent the last six months developing the MP4-12C GT3 race car.
Despite both cars retiring from the Blancpain Endurance Series at the weekend, the Silverstone race was invaluable to the on-going development of the 12C GT3.
With the 60 and 59 cars in action at the weekend, the fastest lap set by the number 60 car was only 1/10th short of the fastest lap by the eventual race winner.
The end result was 19th place for car 60 with Adam Christodoulou, Klass Hummel and Phil Quaife at the wheel completing 76 laps in 2 hours and 51 minutes. Danny Watts, Oliver Turvey and Alvaro Parente drove car 59 which finished 26th – 51 laps in 2 hours and 30 minutes.
In sixth months, the 12C GT3 has gone from its first ever shakedown to leading the grid in pre-qualifying at Silverstone at the weekend – McLaren GT’s last race for the year.
CRS Racing, part of the Cobra Group, has teamed up with McLaren GT to develop the 12C GT3 race car. CRS racing, formed by Chris Niarchos and Andrew Kirkaldy in 2007, entered into a partnership with the McLaren Group in 2010 to create McLaren GT.
McLaren GT Project Manager Andrew Kirkaldy said: “Customer feedback at Silverstone was very positive, with clients particularly impressed by race pace of the 12C GT3. McLaren GT will continue to work closely with its customers to deliver the most drivable, efficient and reliable GT car on the grid next season.”
McLaren GT will continue to make rapid progress with the 12C GT3 through a number of independent test programmes at top facilities across Europe.
