PARENTE TAKES WIN NUMBER FIVE IN AMERICA AS THE 650S GT3 FIGHTS HARD IN THE TOTAL 24 HOURS OF SPA

August 2, 2016 by McLaren Automotive

Seven examples of the McLaren 650S GT3 were in action over the weekend, taking part in the Total 24 Hours of Spa and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course round of the Pirelli World Challenge. As a result of the challenging weekend, McLaren GT associated drivers and customer teams now lead the points tallies in seven of the standings associated with the two championships, including McLaren leading the Pirelli World Challenge Manufacturer Championship.

Factory Drivers starred in the Ardennes Forest, as Rob Bell, Côme Ledogar and Shane van Gisbgergen in the #58 Garage 59 McLaren 650S GT3 scored valuable points at the six-hour mark of the gruelling Spa 24 Hours to retain the lead in the Blancpain GT Series Drivers Championship for Bell, and Teams Championship for customer team Garage 59, as well as the Blancpain Endurance Cup Championships for all three drivers and the team. The trio led the race in the opening stages with Ledogar taking the the position with a bold move through the famous La Source / Eau Rouge section of the circuit, but dropped down the order to finish P32 after making heavy contact while negotiating backmarkers through the hours of darkness.

The other two McLarens in the race suffered similar bouts of bad luck. The #59 650S GT3 piloted by McLaren GT Academy Drivers Alex Fontana, Struan Moore and Andrew Watson all ran well – and as high as second at one point in the ultra-competitive 65-car GT field – but retired with accident damage after a head-turning 24-hour race debut performance.

McLaren P1™ GTR Driver Mentor Bruno Senna, alongside Duncan Tappy and 'Pipo' Derani in the Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Team-liveried #60 650S GT3 meanwhile had a competitive showing in terms of pace, but suffered at the hands of other cars multiple times in the night which required several visits to the pits. This prevented a fight through the standings in the second half of the race, and the trio finished P40.

In North America, Factory Driver Àlvaro Parente won his fifth Pirelli World Challnege race of the season driving the #9 customer-run K-PAX Racing 650S GT3. He lined up alongside 17-year old teammate Austin Cindric who claimed pole position, with McLaren filling three of the top four positions on the grid. Parente's win means he continues to lead the Drivers Championship, with K-PAX Racing topping the Teams Championship. K-PAX Racing along with Gainsco/Bob Stalling Racing's efforts also vaulted McLaren into the lead of the PWC Manufactuerers Championship standings during the weekend.

In the race though, Parente took control early, getting past Cindric after the first caution period ended a few minutes into the race. The pair then ran close for the remaining laps, while Jon Fogarty brough the #99 Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing McLaren home a season

About McLaren Automotive:

McLaren Automotive is a British manufacturer of luxury, high-performance sports cars, located at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in Woking, Surrey.

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Following the global launch of McLaren Automotive in 2010, the groundbreaking 12C was launched in 2011, the 12C Spider in 2012, and the limited-run McLaren P1™ went into production in 2013. In keeping with its plan to introduce a new model each year, the company unveiled the 650S, in coupe and Spider form in 2014, and has announced the Sports Series among the models to be introduced in 2015. The brand continues to expand, and McLaren posted a profit during 2013 – only the third year of vehicle production. This was followed in 2014, by a third consecutive year of growth in sales with a record 1,649 vehicles delivered via a dedicated global network of retailers in every major automotive market.

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To support the development, engineering and manufacture of its range of innovative and highly acclaimed sports cars, McLaren Automotive has partnered with world leading companies to provide specialist expertise and technology including, AkzoNobel, ExxonMobil, Pirelli and SAP.

Designed for the track; Developed for the road

The connection between Formula 1 and road cars at McLaren is a natural process of experience, knowledge, principles and process transfer. Through the integration of 50 years of Formula 1™ racing expertise and knowledge, and over 20 years of heritage in producing landmark sports cars, McLaren Automotive designs, develops and builds a range of technologically advanced and groundbreaking high performance sports cars which are designed to be a no compromise drive on both road and track.

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