The McLaren 720S GT3 shows its teeth on its debut race 
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 The McLaren 720S GT3, a beast of a car, designed to dominate the GT3 category, made its debut last Saturday at the 12 Hours of the Persian Gulf in Abu Dhabi. The papaya ‘missile’ left some very good impressions and spectacular moments.
The new McLaren lead for a good chunk of the race and only a small technical issue kept him from winning. The orange beast has arrived determined to rule all the racetracks and endurance GT3 race.

The McLaren 720S GT3, crafted at McLaren Automotive’s new facilities in Woking (England), is going to give a lot to talk about. At the race in Abu Dhabi, the 720S set such an intense and steady pace that was at times completely unattainable for its rivals.

At the wheel were the very experienced McLaren drivers Ben Barnicoat and Alvaro Parente and the star of the Australian Supercar Championship (VASC), the New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen.

In the end, they had to make do with an eight place, but they showed everyone what the English rocket is made of.

The specs of the English ‘rocket’

The McLaren 720S GT3 is a new chapter in the long and successful racing history of the British firm. It is an answer to rivals as Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Audi within the thriving tourism GT3 class.

Before tackling a packed 2019 racing calendar, the McLaren 720S GT3 has undergone extensive testing. The McLaren has completed 24 and 30-hour endurance and performance tests at some of the most demanding circuits in Europe, the United States and the Middle East, completing over 30,000 km.

The Woking engineers have based the new model on the McLaren 720S but replaced or modified 90% of its components to create a true racing machine. Its new body incorporates a flat floor, splitter and a bulky rear fixed wing for enhanced aerodynamics.

The 720S GT3 also has an improved suspension geometry on the rear axle which includes adjustable shock absorbers.

Other features include new antilock braking system (ABS) and optimized cooling systems; wheels secured with centrelock nuts and wrapped in Pirelli tyres and adjustable dampers front and rear. 

The new adjustable traction control and ABS, together with a pneumatic device for lifting the vehicle, complete the pack of improvements.

You can feel the wild spirit of the 720S GT3  oozing through the pores of its orange skin. The McLaren’s new carbon fibre chassis is the ‘MonoCage II’. Its M840T engine is a 4.0-litre Twin-Turbocharged V8. 
The road car’s transmission makes way for a competition six-speed sequential and has a rear-wheel drive system.

The cockpit is equipped with carbon and Kevlar seats, full roll cage and six-point harness as well as adjustable pedals and racing wheel. As for extras, there is a rearview camera and tire monitoring system.

All units are mounted manually in a traditional way in Woking and will be exclusively left-hand drive. The price tag? Around half a million euros!

Main image: Gulf Motorsports.

Text images :McLaren Automotive.

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