- 2013-SPECIFICATION MCLAREN 12C GT3 OFF TO A WINNING START IN EUROPE AS SÉBASTIEN LOEB RACING CLAIMS VICTORY IN FRANCE
- NINE-TIME WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER SÉBASTIEN LOEB WINS ON HIS FIA GT SERIES DEBUT IN 12C GT3 PARTNERED WITH MCLAREN GT FACTORY DRIVER ALVARO PARENTE TO TAKE VICTORY IN FRANCE
- THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE VICTORY CAN BE VIEWED HERE:
Apr 3, 2013.- McLaren GT kicked off the 2013 European GT season in style, with French rally-ace Sébastien Loeb claiming victory in the opening round of the FIA GT Series at Nogaro. The nine-time WRC world champion, racing one of two 12C GT3s being campaigned by the French-based team, has chosen to share driving duties with the young Portuguese driver Alvaro Parente, who is part of the McLaren GT factory driver programme.
The weekend got off to a strong start with the team qualifying on the front and second rows for the FIA GT Series Qualifying Race. From here, Loeb and Parente went on to claim a hard-fought victory, recording a win for the 2013-specification 12C GT3 on its European debut, and its third in as many outings.
The second race saw Loeb start from pole position, and maintain a lead up until the pit window opened for the mandatory pitstop and driver change. The sister 12C GT3 of Mike Parisy and Andreas Zuber showed competitive pace, and steadily moved through the field despite the tricky, wet conditions. However, during the second half of the hour-long race, both Sébastien Loeb Racing 12C GT3s were hit with driver penalties, dropping them back before finishing 11th and 12th.
Commenting on the weekend, and the team’s victory, Sébastien Loeb explained: “This was a really good event for us, and I am really pleased that we came away with the win on Saturday. We made a few small mistakes over the weekend, which affected the final result in the second race but, overall, I am happy with the performance of the team, and with how I drove.
“Over the course of the weekend the 12C GT3 felt great, especially in the dry conditions. There are some areas of set up where I feel we can find some more pace, and we need to work on optimising the balance in the wet, but I really enjoyed the event, and we showed good pace.”
The results, in one of the most competitive GT series, build on last week’s winning result in Asia, and see Sébastien Loeb Racing joint second in the standings in the Pro Championship.
About McLaren GT
McLaren GT was launched as a new brand within the McLaren Group early in 2011, and is the race car manufacturing arm based in Woking, Surrey at the former home of McLaren Racing. Following a development year, McLaren GT supplied more than 20 examples of the 12C GT3 for racing in Europe in 2012. Each of the customer teams worked closely with McLaren GT engineers during the competitive debut season, with the opportunity to test vehicle set-up using the same simulator programme used by McLaren Racing.
McLaren Technical Partners
In the development, engineering and manufacture of the innovative and highly acclaimed 12C sports car and 12C GT3 racer, McLaren Automotive and McLaren GT have partnered with world leading companies to provide specialist expertise and technology. These include Akebono, ExxonMobil and Pirelli.
For further information on McLaren GT and the 12C GT3, visit www.mclarengt.com
Text and photograph by: McLaren.
