#BritishGT extends Official Safety Car Partnership with McLaren Automotive

The British GT Championship is delighted to confirm that McLaren Automotive will remain its Official Safety Car Partner for a fourth successive season in 2019.

The announcement comes after series organisers, SRO Motorsports Group, revealed a record 38-car full-season entry list during Media Day at Donington Park on March 5.

The McLaren 720S GT3 and 570S GT4 account for six of this year’s total entries. A seventh has now been added in the shape of British GT’s Safety Car, which will encompass a variety of models from across McLaren’s Sports Series and Super Series range.

Indeed, the 570S Coupe, 570S Spider and 570GT – all part of the McLaren Sports Series roster – are again scheduled to make appearances, while the Super Series’ 720S Coupe will make its debut as a British GT Safety Car in 2019.

The models in the Sports Series and Super Series are just as at home on track as on the road, with each one using motorsport technologies to deliver optimised power, precision and protection.

At the centre of each model sits a lightweight carbon fibre chassis. Originally developed by McLaren and showcased on the MP4/1 Formula 1 car of 1980, carbon chassis technology has featured in every McLaren model since, including the iconic McLaren F1. Today, every McLaren features the latest in carbon fibre chassis technologies, which ensure the ultimate in occupant protection.

The 720S GT3 and 570S GT4 race cars competing in British GT share the same chassis architecture as their road-going counterparts, while their race-optimised styling and V8 engines remain unmistakably McLaren.

Benjamin Franassovici, British GT Championship General Manager: “We are delighted to confirm the status of McLaren Automotive as British GT’s official Safety Car partner for a fourth consecutive season and to further strengthen the manufacturer’s ties with SRO Motorsports Group. The championship is going from strength to strength, as evidenced by this year’s record 38-car full-season entry. It is also great to see McLaren Automotive so well represented with six entries, which include the new 720S GT3. We are very proud that a manufacturer of McLaren’s stature has chosen the British GT Championship as the platform to showcase the latest models in its range, including the 720S for the first time.”

Balfe Motorsport will hand the new McLaren 720S GT3 its British GT debut during the championship’s curtain raiser at Oulton Park on April 20 & 22, while five more 570S GT4s are split between Tolman Motorsport, HHC Motorsport and Balfe Motorsport.