New Artura Trophy EVO car and Pro driver category brings added excitement to the McLaren Trophy racing experience

14 Aug 2024

• Dramatic new Artura Trophy EVO race car eligible for McLaren Trophy from 2025 season
• More power from 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 to provide overtaking boost to drivers
• Wider tyres and revised suspension increases mechanical grip
• New car coincides with new Pro category for Silver drivers
• New McLaren Trophy Academy programme for talented young Pro category drivers with opportunity to join the McLaren Factory Driver programme

McLaren Motorsport today reveals the new Artura Trophy EVO, which is set to increase levels of performance and excitement in the McLaren Trophy from 2025 with additional levels of power, grip, and driver engagement, while a new Pro category and McLaren Trophy Academy Programme will bring additional energy to the championships.

The Artura Trophy EVO parallels the performance enhancements to the new Artura Spider and coupe with changes that have resulted in a more aggressive race car capable of faster lap times.

Eligible for entry to the McLaren Trophy championships from the 2025 season – which includes the new McLaren Trophy, America – the Artura Trophy EVO takes the unrestricted power of its predecessor to new levels. Drivers will now benefit from a ‘Push to Pass’ button that increases the 585PS available from the 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo engine to 620PS. Deployment of this system will be regulated to increase strategy options available to the competitors.

The Artura Trophy EVO is easily distinguished from its predecessor by a more aggressive appearance designed to house wider tyres which will make the most of the additional power now available to the driver. In addition, aerodynamic styling includes a more prominent frontal area incorporating a modified front bumper and bonnet outlet to improve brake and engine cooling.

Wider wheelarches now house 285 section tyres at the front and 315 at the rear, with the front arches incorporating larger louvres to reduce front lift. The wider tyres (up from 265 and 305 section respectively) help transmit the additional power via new uprights controlled by 2-way adjustable dampers and stiffer anti-roll bars, to offer teams a greater window of adjustability.

The addition of prominent buttress scoops improves cooling to the rear brakes, whilst new billet uprights generate better brake-feel for the driver as well as greater durability in close racing.

The changes to the Artura Trophy EVO are so extensive that new cars will be built from production line models, making this a bespoke racing car for the McLaren Trophy one-make championships. Customers of existing Artura GT4 or Artura Trophy cars will be able to upgrade their cars into the full Artura Trophy EVO specification.

The changes provide a marked increase in traction and stability and have been designed to give drivers greater confidence in the car, which along with the push-to-pass technology will offer drivers competing in the McLaren Trophy championships with even more exhilarating racing.

The more powerful and faster Artura Trophy EVO coincides with the introduction of a new Pro category to both championships. Open to Silver solo or Silver/Silver pairings, the Pro class aims to nurture professional drivers aiming for a career in GT racing. To assist in their progress, all McLaren Trophy Silver class drivers aged 26 or under will also automatically enrol into the McLaren Trophy Academy.

Designed to source and develop McLaren champions of the future, the McLaren Trophy Academy is a development programme that will host workshops during race weekends. These will be aimed at developing young drivers, sharing expertise from McLaren Motorsport to focus on driving skills, motorsport engineering and media training.

Membership of the McLaren Trophy Academy also provides a pathway to the McLaren Factory Driver programme; the champions of the Pro category in both Europe and America will automatically win a place at the annual McLaren Young Driver Shoot Out, the winner of which will be selected to become a McLaren Graduate and begin the process to become a McLaren Factory Driver.

Established with a European-based series in 2023, the McLaren Trophy expands to north America in its third season, running parallel championships in both continents. Open to novice and established drivers, it is designed to challenge amateur and professional racers and as a path to international GT racing, in which McLaren has expanded its presence with representation in the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA. This year Brendan Iribe, who made his racing debut in a McLaren one-make championship, fulfilled his ambition to race a McLaren GT3 EVO at Le Mans.

“The team at McLaren Motorsport has created a stunning car in the new Artura Trophy EVO, which was designed to build upon our existing McLaren Trophy product following feedback from teams and drivers. It looks spectacular and with the introduction of the new Pro category and McLaren Trophy Academy will add even more excitement to the championships. The car has also been developed to inspire confidence in drivers of all abilities, which will result in thrilling racing action. 

With the new McLaren Trophy, America championship joining its existing European counterpart next year and McLaren returning to Le Mans, this is a very exciting time for us in GT racing and the opportunities for our drivers has never been better.”
Mick McDonagh, Director of MSO and Motorsport, McLaren Automotive

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 Trophy:
Launched in July 2022, McLaren Trophy is a pro-am championship designed to challenge ambitious GT drivers by placing the emphasis on the amateur (Bronze) driver. McLaren Trophy will feature two classes in its inaugural season:

The Artura Trophy is powered by the same V6 twin-turbo engine as the Artura road car, generating 585PS. It also has a high downforce package with a large rear wing and front-end aerodynamics and features the all-new McLaren Carbon Fibre Lightweight Architecture (MCLA), which provides a rigid carbon fibre chassis derived from the road car.

The 570S Trophy is based around the McLaren 570S GT4 race car and is tuned to develop around 540PS and run in a higher downforce configuration.

McLaren Trophy, Europe supports the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS with 10 rounds spread over five events taking place in Italy, Belgium, Germany and Spain, including the Blue-Riband Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa.

McLaren Trophy, Europe 2024 calendar

McLaren Trophy is presented in partnership with leading brands Pirelli and Richard Mille. 

About McLaren Automotive:
McLaren Automotive is a producer of ultra high-performance, lightweight supercars. Launched in 2010, the company is now the largest part of the McLaren Group.

Headquartered at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in Woking, Surrey, England, McLaren Automotive is driven by the challenge of creating the world’s most exhilarating, engaging and benchmark setting vehicles. Leveraging the McLaren name’s 60-year history of authentic, racing performance, it has delivered some of the most spectacular supercars ever made.

The company’s product portfolio of GTS, supercar, Motorsport and Ultimate models are retailed in over 40 markets around the world. Its cars are assembled by hand at the McLaren Production Centre (MPC), based on the same campus as MTC in Woking.

McLaren is a pioneer that continuously pushes the boundaries. In 1981, it introduced lightweight and strong carbon fibre chassis technology into Formula 1 with the McLaren MP4/1.

Then in 1993 it designed and built the legendary McLaren F1 road car. Built around a carbon fibre chassis, it established McLaren’s supercar DNA, realised for the 21^st century in 2011 with the introduction of the McLaren 12C – McLaren Automotive’s first production car.

McLaren was the first to deliver a hybrid hypercar, the McLaren P1™, in 2013. Launching the Ultimate Series of vehicles, P1™ was followed by the McLaren Senna in 2018 and its track-only GTR derivative followed a year later. 2019 also saw the introduction of the Speedtail hybrid hyper-GT. Its most recent Ultimate model, Elva, is the lightest McLaren road car ever.

McLaren’s LT models represent the ultimate expression of track performance in series production supercars. The name stems from the ‘Longtail’ version of the F1 GTR, introduced in 1997, and was incorporated into McLaren Automotive nomenclature in 2015 with the arrival of the McLaren 650S-based 675LT coupe and Spider. In 2018, the LT legend continued with the McLaren 570S-based 600LT. The latest chapter in the LT story was written in 2020 and 2021, with the introduction of the 765LT coupe and Spider.

Also in 2021, the company unveiled its all-new high-performance hybrid supercar, the McLaren Artura. The Artura is the first McLaren to benefit from the McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture (MCLA). The MCLA is designed, developed and manufactured at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre in the Sheffield region of England using world-first processes and will spearhead the brand’s electrified future.

2022 saw McLaren announce the Solus GT, a single-seat, closed-cockpit track car which brought to life a futuristic concept that was originally created for virtual gaming.

In 2023, McLaren unveiled its lightest and most powerful series-production supercar, the 750S – a thorough development of the award-winning 720S supercar. McLaren also introduced the new GTS, replacing the McLaren GT.

The McLaren Artura Spider was revealed in early 2024 as the brand’s first high-performance hybrid convertible. Its introduction was part of a major model year uplift for the Artura nameplate, and meant McLaren’s series-production line-up of GTS, new Artura and 750S had been introduced within 12 months of each other.

McLaren Automotive also chooses to partner with like-minded, world-leading companies and organisations who push the boundaries in their respective fields. These include Ashurst, Bowers & Wilkins, Dynisma, Gulf, Monroe, Pirelli, Plan International, Richard Mille and Tumi.

About McLaren Group:
The McLaren Group is a global leader in high-performance supercar production and elite motorsports.

Founded in 1963 by racer, engineer and entrepreneur Bruce McLaren, the Group is formed of McLaren Automotive, which hand-builds lightweight supercars and races them in global series, including the World Endurance Championship; and a majority stake in McLaren Racing which competes in the Formula 1 World Championship, INDYCAR series, Formula E, Extreme E and F1 Academy.

The Group is globally headquartered at the iconic McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England.

With a reputation for innovation and technological excellence, McLaren is one of the UK’s largest independent companies.

Further information:
Piers Scott
PR & Communications Director
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Paul Chadderton
Global Head of PR
+44 (0) 7990 776 749
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Kevin Ritson
Press Officer
+44 (0) 7979 546018
[email protected]

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