McLaren officially set its plans to bring back the McLaren name to GT sports cars racing. On 2012, McLaren and CRS Racing will provide and support a partial number of GT3 racing cars based on the McLaren MP4-12C high-performance sports car for European-based privateers.
It was 15 years from the time when the McLaren F1 GTR distinctively won the world-famous 24 Heures du Mans (Le Mans) on its debut, and 12 years since six ‘Longtails’ last raced at Le Mans, McLaren and CRS Racing, a victorious and skilled UK-based racing team, have begun improvement work aimed at turning the 12C road car into a race-winning GT3 sports car. As part of the development program, McLaren and CRS Racing will compete at a limited number of European GT races in 2011.
With the 12C’s revolutionary lightweight one-piece molded carbon chassis (the ‘MonoCell’), its high levels of down force and aerodynamic performance, and its focus on form and function, the 12C should prove to be a great platform on which to develop a racing car, as well as visually setting pulses racing at European race tracks.
