Autosport - McLaren closing in on return to LM

[Kristof]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/114736

McLaren is edging closer to a decision to return to the Le Mans 24 Hours for the first time in nearly 20 years.

The British sportscar manufacturer, which won the race outright with its BMW-engined F1 GTR in 1995, has revealed its desire to produce a GTE version of the 650S GT3 unveiled last week at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

[Grand_Fromage]

I'd like to see McLaren make a REAL return to endurance racing with a proper prototype like the M8B. After Bruce McLaren's death, his company shied away from the thunderous CAN-AM and USRRC series and have never returned as a factory team. Coming back to Le Mans with what is essentially a GT3 with GTE upgrades, seems a bit half-hearted by comparison.

[Boorish Grobian]

McLaren didn't exactly shy away from Can-Am after Bruce's death, they won the title again in 1971 with Peter Revson, and would have won it again in '72 but for the emergence of the Penske campaigned Porsche 917-10.  By 1973 McLaren left the series simply Porsche had driven the cost of competing in the series through the roof, especially when they introduced the cost-no-object 917-30.  That car was a brilliant piece of engineering, but it effectively killed the Can-Am series.
Fax

[Snoring Rhino]

Maybe why Martin Whitmarsh was at the WEC Sliverstone meeting.

[geoffd]

Maybe why Martin Whitmarsh was at the WEC Sliverstone meeting.

Doesn't have much else to do does he!

[lofty]

Whitmarsh is in charge of sweeping up.