Tag: MP4-12C GT3

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Bathurst 12 Hour Ferrari McLaren Mercedes-Benz

Erebus Mercedes on pole for 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour

Maro Engel, Erebus Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3

Maro Engel has claimed pole position for the 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour in this afternoon’s Class A-only Qualifying 3 session with an outstanding lap time of 2:03.8586. Engel’s time in the #1 Erebus Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 was 0.0835s faster than Mika Salo’s provisional pole time from this morning.

That means Engel now holds the fastest recorded lap for a closed roof car around Mount Panorama and along with his Erebus teammates they become the inaugural winners of the Allan Simonsen Pole Position Trophy.

Starting from P3 tomorrow will be the #37 McLaren 12C GT3 which went 2:04.0006 at the hands of Shane van Gisbergen. Alongside the McLaren will be the #63 Erebus Mercedes which couldn’t quite pull off a late charge for pole, when Will Davison was the last car across the line, setting a time of 2:04.2563.

Rick Kelly’s 2:04.7643 lap set during the morning session was enough to put the #32 Nissan GTR on the third row. A dispute over technical regulations saw the #23 Lamborghini Gallardo forced to change to 2013-spec and move from Class B up to Class A. The team spent the morning session making the required changes, mostly to do with aerodynamics. David Russell returned to the track in the afternoon to top the time sheets in Qualifying 2 and his time of 2:05.0320 secured P6 on the starting grid.

You could throw a blanket over the next three cars, all Audi R8 LMS Ultras. The Audis posted their fastest times in the cooler morning conditions, with the #9 Network Clothing R8 recording a 2:05.5919 lap; the #3 Phoenix Racing R8 was desperately close with a time of 2:05.5946 and the #25 United Autosports R8 went 2:05.7175.

The top 10 is rounded out by #48 Lamborghini Gallardo which recorded its 2:06.3498 time in the morning session.

After collecting the pole trophy Engel paid tribute to Simonsen, killed at Le Mans last year, as well as his former teammate Sean Edwards, who died after a testing accident in Queensland where he was acting as a private tutor.

2014 Bathurst 12 Hour – Qualifying times
Qualifyng 1 | Qualifying 2 | Qualifying 3

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McLaren Motorsports Video

Would you say no to the McLaren MP4-12C GT3?

McLaren MP4-12C GT3

Chris Harris was offered an impromptu drive of a McLaren MP4-12C GT3 and, for our benefit, of course, he cancelled his plans and took to the track. He discovered the brakes are first class, but the car’s front-end didn’t talk to him like he thought it might. A connection to the MP4-12C road car? Not so much.

Watch the video after the break to see if he enjoyed himself.

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McLaren Motorsports

McLaren GT green lights 12C GT Can-Am Edition

McLaren 12C Can-Am Edition

McLaren GT has good news for readers with a spare £375K (AU$575K) to burn. They’ve announced they will turn the 12C Can-Am Edition from concept to reality, with a limited production run confirmed today.

The 12C Can-Am was first shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August this year. It’s a track-only special that is, to date, perhaps the most desirable 12C money can buy.

Weighing in at only 1200kg, there’s 630hp on offer from the 3.8 litre twin turbo V8, more than any previous 12C. The tailored aero package provides lashings of mechanical grip, with up to 30% more downforce than the road going model. Despite those impressive figures it’s worth noting the 12C GT Can-Am does not comply with any competition regs, so it’s strictly a toy for rich boys and girls.

McLaren GT is limiting total production to 30 examples, so you’d best get in quick if you’d like to get your name onto one.

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McLaren

McLaren MP4-12C GT3 at Goodwood FoS

The annual Goodwood Festival of Speed was held last weekend. Each year it seems to get bigger and bigger. McLaren Automotive took along their race-ready MP4-12C GT3 and made this video.

It’s a little disappointing that we don’t really see, or hear, the 12C GT3 at full noise. Great looking car, though.

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McLaren Motorsports

McLaren MP4-12C GT3 pricing announced

McLaren MP4-12C GT3

A few days ago McLaren GT had its official launch press conference. It’s the separate company set up by McLaren and CRS Racing Team for the development and running of the MP4-12C GT3 program.

They’ll be racing their own cars, of course, but if you’ve got nothing better to do with your Sunday afternoons in 2012 you too can race a 12C GT3. All you’ll need is £310,000 for the “race ready” car and a racing budget. Too easy!

For the 2012 season McLaren GT will have 20 cars ready to race, so if you get saving now you just might be in luck.

After the break you can see a nice selection of images of the McLaren MP4-12C GT3 in its stunning orange livery, along with some highlights from the press conference and more.

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McLaren

VIDEO: McLaren MP4-12C GT3 officially launched

McLaren MP4-12C GT3

McLaren recently launched their race-ready MP4-12C GT3 at Circuito de Navarra in Spain. The car is set to make its racing debut later this year.

After the break you can see a raft of videos showing the 12C GT3 in action, starting with Martin Whitmarsh waxing lyrical about the company’s new toy, before plenty of on-track footage.

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McLaren

Evo takes another look at McLaren MP4-12C GT3

McLaren MP4-12C GT3

When the McLaren MP4-12C GT3 was taken for its first test run the other day, the chaps from Evo magazine were on hand. They filmed this short, but sweet, clip of the GT3 car being driven around Silverstone.

There’s something so right about the brutal efficiency of a purpose-built racecar. The mechanical noises they make are perfect. The video is available after the break, check it out now.

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McLaren Motorsports

McLaren MP4-12C GT3 comes to life

McLaren MP4-12C GT3

In December last year McLaren announced they would be making a return to GT racing. Now that the launch of the MP4-12C road car is out of the way they can focus on the launch of the MP4-12C GT3. And that’s exactly what has transpired when the 12C GT3 was given its first outing last week.

A new company, called McLaren GT, has been set up to coordinate the GT3 program and the initial driving honours were given to Andrew Kirkaldy, McLaren GT Project Manager and Chris Goodwin, McLaren Automotive Chief Test Driver.

You’ll be surprised to learn they both think their new racecar is going to be tops.

Andrew Kirkaldy said: “In the first tests, the car is achieving excellent results in many areas including handling, powertrain and other aspects of dynamic performance.”

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McLaren Motorsports

McLaren announces return to sports car racing in 2012

McLaren MP4-12C GT3

McLaren Automotive has announced they will return to sports car racing in 2012. CRS Racing, in partnership with McLaren, will develop a GT3 version of the new MP4-12C. Targetted to European-based privateer entries, CRS will also coordinate sales and support for the 12C GT3.

Martin Whitmarsh, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Team Principal reckons their return to GT competition with the MP4-12C was an obvious move, “Racing is in our blood—it was natural to develop a GT3 car alongside the 12C road car.

“The 12C’s architecture and design was always aimed at high-performance and ease of maintenance—two key criteria for potential customers.”

As part of the development process McLaren and CRS will compete in a handful of GT races across Europe in 2011, with a view to offering a small number of cars ready to race in the 2012 FIA GT Championship.

More information will be posted in due course on a dedicated McLaren GT website. For now, you can read the official press release after the break. This is accompanied by an impressive promo video, based on McLaren’s last foray into GT racing, where they won the 1995 Le Mans 24 hour race on debut with the legendary McLaren F1 GTR.

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