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Media release 13.00 BST April 24, 2020 — joins McLaren Customer Racing Factory Drivers in world-class 720S GT3 line-up competing in SRO E-Sport GT Series

. 2009 Formula 1 World Champion returns to competition in a McLaren with own Customer Racing Team in SRO e-sports series . McLaren GT3 Factory Drivers Ben Barnicoat and Martin Kodrić join new virtual race programme . Professional drivers and e-sports stars will compete in McLaren 720S GT3 race cars

McLaren Automotive will be represented by a star-studded driver line-up for the 2020 SRO E-Sport GT Series, a new virtual race series that gets underway this Sunday, April 26, with 2009 Formula 1 World Champion and former McLaren Grand Prix race-winner Jenson Button heading the list.

With the SRO GT World Challenge motor racing events postponed due to the Covid-19 crisis, an online e-sports series has been devised using Assetto Corsa Competizione, the official GT World Challenge Powered by AWS racing simulation game. The 5-round series features three classes competing in separate races, followed by a grand finale race featuring the top performers in each class.

McLaren Automotive will be represented by 10 drivers in the SRO E-Sport GT Series, with six taking part in the Pro Series for real-world competitors and a further four in the Silver Series for invited ‘sim’ drivers who have already established their driving credentials in simulated racing. The Series also features an Am class that will be decided by a public ‘hot-lap’ competition.

2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button will headline the Pro class for McLaren. Button raced for McLaren for seven seasons – finishing the 2011 season as runner-up - before making a one-off final appearance in the 2017 . Following a career totalling 306 Grand Prix starts – joint fourth in the all-time list – he made his e-sport debut with McLaren in the Formula 1 virtual Grand Prix earlier this month. With this experience under his belt, Button is turning to virtual GT racing, mirroring his real-life position as a team owner in GT competition which sees Jenson Team Rocket RJN running a McLaren 720S GT3.

McLaren Customer Racing Factory driver Ben Barnicoat will represent newly-established team 2Seas Motorsport. Barnicoat has raced for several McLaren Customer Racing teams having played a key role in the 720S GT3’s successful race debut at the end of 2018 and most including recently finishing 2nd overall at the 2020 Bathurst 12hr for Customer Racing Team 59Racing.

Customer Racing Team 59Racing will field seasoned driver Martin Kodrić, who also claimed a class win in the Bathurst 12 Hour Race this January and is due to compete in the Australian Endurance Championship. Kodrić finished third in the International GT Open last season, driving for McLaren Customer Racing team, Teo Martin Motorsport.

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Michael O’Brien, one of the drivers in the inaugural McLaren Automotive Driver Development Programme (DDP) in 2018, will drive a McLaren Customer Racing-liveried 720S GT3.

Two further 720S GT3 cars will line up on the virtual grid, entered by Customer Racing Teams. Teo Martin Motorsport which will be represented by experienced GT racer Fabrizio Crestani, while historic single-seater racer Benjamin Tusting will compete for British GT front-running squad Balfe Motorsport.

In the Silver class for e-sports competitors, SRO Charity Challenge winner Arthur Kammerer will represent McLaren, racing alongside fellow G2 Esports front-runner Nils Naujoks. Racing oN3 will run Patrick Selva and the AJAR Simracing Team will field Jura Petritchenko.

The opening round of the 2020 SRO E-Sport GT Series action begins with one-hour races for both the Pro and Silver Series at 13.35 CET on Sunday, April 26. Coverage will be provided across a range of channels, including the GT World YouTube and Dailymotion accounts and the SRO Motorsports Twitch and Facebook pages.

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

About McLaren Automotive: McLaren Automotive is a creator of luxury, high-performance . Every vehicle is hand-assembled at the McLaren Production Centre (MPC) in , , .

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

The company’s product portfolio of GT, , Motorsport and Ultimate models are retailed through over 85 retailers in more than 32 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 its 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 as well as the new GT, the track-only Senna GTR and unveiled the 620R and the McLaren Elva. In 2020, McLaren launched the 765LT.

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 AkzoNobel, Ashurst, Dell Technologies, OnePlus, , Richard Mille, and Tumi.

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

Further information:

Piers Scott Global Communications & PR Director | McLaren Automotive Limited Phone:+44 (0) 1483 241380 Mobile: +44 (0) 7387548837 Email: [email protected]

Daniel Golding Global Head of Corporate Communications | McLaren Automotive Limited Phone:+44 (0) 1483 261500 Mobile: +44 (0) 7717 450469 Email: [email protected]

Paul Chadderton Global Product Communications & PR Manager | McLaren Automotive Limited Phone:+44 (0) 1483 261500 Mobile: +44 (0) 7990 776749 Email: [email protected]

Amel Boubaaya Head of Lifestyle and EU Communications | McLaren Automotive Limited Phone: +44 (0) 1483 261500 Mobile: +44 (0) 7920 531357 E-mail: [email protected]

Hunter Skipworth Global Digital PR Manager | McLaren Automotive Limited Phone: +44 (0) 1483 261500 Mobile: +44 (0) 7990 564 052 E-mail: [email protected]

Charlotte Jatana Social Media Executive | McLaren Automotive Limited

Mobile: +44 (0) 7468 715 904 E-mail: [email protected]

Kevin Ritson Press Officer | McLaren Automotive Limited Phone: +44 (0) 1483 261500

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Mobile: +44 (0) 7979 546018 E-mail: [email protected]

Roger Ormisher Vice President, Communications & PR | McLaren North America Phone: +1 714 501 8137 Email: [email protected]

Laura Tilley Public Relations Manager | McLaren North America Phone: +1 765 517 2186 Email: [email protected]

Adam Gron Retail Marketing Manager – Middle East, Africa and Latin America | McLaren Automotive Limited Mobile: +973 (0) 66 398339 Email: [email protected]

Sunny Zhang PR Communication Director - China | McLaren Automotive Limited Phone: +86 (0) 21 2074 0520 Mobile: +86 186 1617 9933 Email: [email protected]

Gracia Yap Public Relations Manager – Asia Pacific | McLaren Automotive Limited Phone: +65 6338 3700 Mobile: +65 9109 3698 Email: [email protected]

Mihoko Negishi Public Relations Manager – Japan | McLaren Automotive Asia Pte Ltd Mobile +81 (3) 6675 4313 Email: [email protected]

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