Season prologue confirmed for Paul Ricard circuit on May 22
Inaugural round takes place at Paul Ricard on June 2-4, supporting Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe
McLaren Automotive Motorsport confirms no fewer than 17 cars and 33 drivers have been entered for the inaugural McLaren Trophy season which will commence at the Paul Ricard circuit in France on June 2-4.
Launched in July last year, the McLaren Trophy is a racing championship designed to put the emphasis on ambitious amateur (Bronze) drivers and to nurture pro-am partnerships. It will showcase the new Artura Trophy, a 585PS thoroughbred racecar. Capable of lap times close to GT3 cars, it is based on the Artura GT4 and by making straightforward ECU and aerodynamic adjustments, drivers can also enjoy the versatility of competing in GT4 competition with the same car. A separate 570S category will allow owners of the previous 570S Trophy cars to compete on the same grid for class victories and championships.
Within weeks of the initial announcement, several teams committed to entering cars in the inaugural season, all of which are established GT competition outfits including some new to the marque. Demand has been especially high for the new Artura Trophy car, with the 2023 season initial quota of 10 cars fully allocated earlier this year.
The McLaren Trophy is designed to put the amateur driver first and while professional drivers will be part of all driver pairings in the top Artura Trophy class, the Bronze-rated drivers will compete for the overall championship. The entry includes several established names from GT racing, who will be challenging for race victories alongside their team-mates.
McLaren Trophy, Europe races will support Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS events, including the Blue-Riband Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa. A season prologue has also been confirmed to take place at the Paul Ricard circuit in France on May 22. This will give teams and drivers a chance to test and acclimatise ahead of the inaugural race, which will also take place at the French Grand Prix venue.
“I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all the teams and drivers to the inaugural McLaren Trophy championship, the response to the new series has been exceptional and we’re also delighted that the reception to the new Artura race car has also been equally strong. The versatility of this car has helped to drive sales and we hope to see many drivers compete with it in both Artura Trophy and Artura GT4 configurations this year. The exceptional demand for this car can also be attributed to the phenomenal record of the 570S GT4 and the continuing success of the 720S GT3, now updated to EVO specification.”
Ian Morgan, Director of Motorsport, McLaren Automotive
McLaren Trophy, Europe provisional entry list 2023
No. Driver 1 Driver 2 Team Car
7 Gonzalo De Andres Tomas Pintos SMC Motorsport Artura Trophy
12 Jay Palmer Joe Osborne Optimum Motorsport Artura Trophy
13 Mohammed Al-Khalifa TBC Inari Motorsport Artura Trophy
23 Iain Campbell Oli Webb Greystone GT Artura Trophy
27 Thomas Surgent Michael O'Brien Race Lab Artura Trophy
42 Albert Jochems Charles Zwolsman Equipe Verschuur Artura Trophy
77 Mark Hopton Euan Hankey Greystone GT Artura Trophy
80 Ron Trenka Jon Lancaster Greystone GT Artura Trophy
93 David Waddington Adam Wilcox Inari Motorsport Artura Trophy
TBC TBC TBC SMC Motorsport Artura Trophy
11 David Foster Brad Ellis One Motorsport 570S Trophy
15 Danny Henrey* 7TSix 570S Trophy
24 Rafael Martinez Jem Hepworth Greystone GT 570S Trophy
53 Neil Langberg Ross Kaiser One Motorsport 570S Trophy
68 Aaron Morgan Bobby Trundley Team BRIT 570S Trophy
71 Matt LeBreton TBC DMS Automotive 570S Trophy
74 Shaun Pendrigh Stuart White Greystone GT 570S Trophy
*Solo entrant
