• McLaren Automotive to ‘power’ the WeatherTech Sprint Cup season finale at Laguna Seca
• Watch the racing live with the McLaren 570S GT4 and 720S GT3 in IMSA-action via IMSA.com (outside the US), on NBC and NBC Sports or via the NBC Sports App (US viewers)
• Join the conversation over the race weekend using the hashtags #McLarenWRLS and #MontereyGP

McLaren Automotive has been confirmed as Presenting Sponsor of the upcoming IMSA (International Motor Sports Association) race weekend at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The announcement forms part of the multi-year agreement between McLaren Automotive and IMSA which sees the event titled ‘Monterey Sports Car Championship powered by McLaren’ over the weekend 14-15 September at the iconic Californian circuit.

IMSA is a premier sanctioning body for sports car competition in North America, and the racing over the weekend will see McLaren Customer Racing teams AWA Racing, Compass Racing and Motorsports In Action out on track during the weekend’s activities. The races include the final round of the 2019 WeatherTech Sprint Cup, where Compass Racing will push for a strong result with the #76 720S GT3 in the GTD class, while the 570S GT4 will run in the penultimate meeting in the Michelin PILOT Challenge, with the #69 entry of Motorsports In Action still in contention for both the driver and team championships.

Over the course of the weekend, and between qualifying and race sessions for the IMSA races, further McLaren activation will be taking place both on and off track with hospitality and displays of the latest models in the McLaren Sports and Super Series. In addition, selected owners and customers of the McLaren motorsport retailer network in North America will have the chance to experience hot laps in a McLaren around the 3.602km circuit, including the famous Corkscrew corner which plunges 18 metres from entry to exit.

“Motorsport in the US goes from strength to strength, and the IMSA championships have provided some of the most exciting and closest racing over the course of this season. It is a real honour to announce that the event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will be ‘powered by McLaren’, and I am extremely pleased to see the 720S GT3 and 570S GT4 being competitive across the WeatherTech Sprint Cup and Michelin PILOT Challenge. The final round of the Sprint Cup is sure to bring plenty of action, and Customer Racing team Motorsports In Action is still pushing hard for the PILOT Challenge championship.

“It is great to be a part of these series with our Customer Racing teams, and to strengthen the relationship with IMSA as Presenting Sponsor at such an iconic venue.”
Dan Walmsley, Motorsport Director, McLaren Automotive

“Motorsport runs through the DNA of everything at McLaren. Pioneering technology and lightweight, aerodynamic designs are the philosophy of every McLaren model, and the Sports and Super Series models are the perfect basis for a competitive and well-balanced race car, which is why the 720S GT3 and 570S GT4 models are proving so successful globally, building up a huge fan following in the North America.

The partnership with IMSA for the Monterey Sports Car Championship powered by McLaren weekend is another significant milestone for McLaren racing in the region, as the Customer Racing programme continues to gain momentum. The IMSA-run championships have provided some of the most competitive racing this season, and the launch of the 720S GT3 as the first model developed in-house by McLaren, continued success for the 570S GT4 and a strong presence through the Official Motorsport Retailer network, McLaren continues to reinforce and expand the customer offering."
Andy Thomas, Vice President – Marketing & Communications, McLaren Automotive North America

“It’s exciting to have McLaren associated with WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as named sponsor of our IMSA Monterey Sports Car Championship event. The McLaren name has a long association with our track from the late 1960s when the ‘Bruce and Denny’ show dominated the Can Am series.

Today, McLaren Automotive builds some of the world’s most exciting supercars, and with North America as its largest market, being a part of the IMSA event, at what we believe is America’s most exciting race track, is the perfect fit. Our track is the ideal place for a McLaren track car, and the roads of Monterey County are the ideal place to enjoy any of the new McLaren sports or GT cars, so it’s a perfect partnership.”
Tim McGrane, Chief Executive Officer, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

Watch the McLaren 720S GT3 of Compass Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup finale, and AWA Racing, Compass Racing and Motorsports In Action with the 570S GT4 in the latest round of the IMSA Michelin PILOT Challenge live at the below links and via the NBC Sports App.

Global viewers:
IMSA - http://www.imsa.com

US viewers:
NBC - http://www.nbc.com
NBC Sports – http://www.nbcsports.com
NBC Sports App – http://www.nbcsports.com/sports-mobile

Follow all the action and join the conversation over the IMSA race weekend using the hashtags #McLarenWRLS and #MontereyGP.

Ends

Notes to editors:

A selection of high resolution images accompanying this release is available to download from the McLaren Automotive media site – cars.mclaren.press

About McLaren Automotive:

McLaren Automotive is a creator of luxury, high-performance sportscars and supercars.

Every vehicle is hand-assembled at the McLaren Production Centre (MPC) in Woking, Surrey, England.

Launched in 2010, the company is now the largest part of the McLaren Group.

The company has defined product families: Sports Series, Super Series, Ultimate Series and Motorsport which are retailed through over 80 retailers in more than 30 markets around the world.

McLaren is a pioneer that continuously pushes the boundaries. In 1981, it introduced lightweight and strong carbon fibre chassis into Formula 1 with the McLaren MP4/1. Then in 1993  it designed and built the McLaren F1 road car - the company has not built a car without a carbon fibre chassis since. As part of the Ultimate Series, McLaren was the first to deliver a hybrid hypercar, the McLaren P1™.

Announced at Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2018, the company’s Track25 business plan will see it invest £1.2billion in research and development to deliver 18 new cars or derivatives by the end of 2025.

In 2018, the company launched the 600LT and the first two cars of Track25, the McLaren Speedtail, the next Ultimate Series, and McLaren’s first ever Hyper-GT, and 720S Spider. It also opened a new £50m McLaren Composites Technology Centre in the Sheffield region in the North of England that will see it produce the next generation of lightweight carbon fibre ‘tubs’ that are at the heart of all McLaren cars.

2019 saw McLaren launch the 600LT Spider, the unveil of the previously-confirmed track-only Senna GTR and the new McLaren GT revealed as the fourth car of Track25.

To support the development, engineering and manufacture of its range of innovative sportscars and supercars, McLaren Automotive partners with world leading companies to provide specialist expertise, technology and solutions. These include Richard Mille, Pirelli, Dell Technologies, Ashurst, AkzoNobel and OnePlus.

McLaren Group:
The McLaren Group is a global leader in luxury automotive and technology and comprises three businesses: Automotive, Racing and Applied Technologies.

Further information:
Piers Scott
Global Communications & PR Director | McLaren Automotive Limited
Phone: +44 (0) 1483 241380
Mobile: +44 (0) 7387548837
Email: piers.scott@mclaren.com

Paul Chadderton
Global Product Communications & PR Manager | McLaren Automotive Limited
Phone:+44 (0) 1483 261500
Mobile: +44 (0) 7990 776749
Email: paul.chadderton@mclaren.com

Dave Eden
Global Motorsport Commercial and Brand Manager | McLaren Automotive Limited
Phone: +44 (0) 1483 262867
Mobile: +44 (0) 7500 857089
Email: dave.edenn@mclaren.com

Roger Ormisher
Vice President, Communications & PR | McLaren North America
Phone: +1 714 501 8137
Email: roger.ormisher@mclaren.com

Laura Tilley
Public Relations Manager | McLaren North America
Phone: +1 765 517 2186
Email: laura.tilley@mclaren.com

Media website: cars.mclaren.press
Instagram: @McLaren_CustomerRacing
Twitter: @customerracing
YouTube: www.youtube.com/mclarenautomotivetv