JOHN WATSON DRIVES SILVERSTONE in the NEW Mclaren MP4- 12C, THIRTY YEARS AFTER BRITISH GRAND PRIX WIN in MP4/1
Media Information EMBARGOED: 09:00.GMT, 5 March 2011 JOHN WATSON DRIVES SILVERSTONE IN THE NEW McLAREN MP4- 12C, THIRTY YEARS AFTER BRITISH GRAND PRIX WIN IN MP4/1 Watson pilots new carbon-based MP4-12C prior to the 30th anniversary of McLaren introducing a carbon monocoque to Formula 1 Strength, light weight and structural integrity are key features of carbon fibre chassis in both MP4/1 and MP4-12C B-roll video footage and high resolution images from Silverstone anniversary event now available from www.thenewsmarket.com On 4 March 2011, John Watson, former McLaren Formula 1 driver and 1981 British Grand Prix winner in the MP4/1, was invited to Silverstone by McLaren Automotive to drive the new McLaren high-performance sports car, the MP4-12C. The 12C is the first in a new range of carbon-based road cars from McLaren and the first car to feature an innovative one-piece, hollow carbon chassis structure: the MonoCell. The MP4/1, also on display, was the first racing car, and first car of any kind, to feature a carbon chassis. Watson was joined at Silverstone by former McLaren Technical Director John Barnard, McLaren Automotive Technical Director Dick Glover, and Claudio Santoni Function Group Manager for Body Structures at McLaren Automotive, as McLaren celebrated its role as a carbon pioneer in the automotive industry over the last 30 years. Arguably the world’s greatest ever sports car, the McLaren F1, featured the world’s first carbon chassis in a road car. This was produced manually and took up to 3,000 hours to complete each unit.
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