Media Information EMBARGOED: 18:08.BST, 23 July 2014

FOUR McLAREN GT CUSTOMER TEAMS CONFIRM DRIVER LINE- UPS FOR 2014 TOTAL 24 HOURS OF SPA

Current championship leaders ART Grand Prix to field two cars with factory drivers among the line-up Belgian-based Boutsen-Ginion Racing to contest home race with the 12C GT3 for the third consecutive year Von Ryan Racing return to the season’s headline race looking to repeat the top 10 finish in 2013 MRS-GT confirmed as a late addition to the exciting grid McLaren 650S GT3 to be displayed in the paddock during the weekend

The Blancpain Endurance Series travels to the Ardennes Forest this weekend (23-27 July) for the headline event of the year, the Total 24 Hours of Spa, and McLaren GT will be represented with six examples of the 12C GT3. Customer teams ART Grand Prix and Boutsen-Ginion Racing will both enter two car line-ups, while British-based Von Ryan Racing and MRS-GT are confirmed for one-off entries into the championship with one car each.

The 24 Hours of Spa is one of the most demanding challenges on the motorsport calendar, and the three teams return to the famous Belgian circuit looking to build on the experiences of the last two seasons having all contested the twice-round-the-clock battle of endurance.

Early championship contenders ART Grand Prix retain the Pro driver line-ups who currently lead the team championship. The #98 car will see factory driver Alvaro Parente partner Gregoire Demoustier and , with the trio looking to build on the pole position and second place finish at the last round in Paul Ricard, France. Fellow factory driver Kevin Estre will be joined by and in the sister #99 car keen to repeat the race win they scored in the season’s opening round in Monza, Italy.

The Boutsen-Ginion Racing team returns to the Total 24 Hours of Spa with the 12C GT3 for the third consecutive season with two cars. Heading to the team’s home race, the Blancpain Endurance Series regulars will continue with the driver trios that contested the last round in Paul Ricard. Oliver Grotz, Karim Ojjeh and Frederic Vervisch will be at the wheel of the #15 car, while the sister #16 McLaren will be piloted by Alex Demirdjan, Shahan Sarkissian and . The line-ups will be completed with current International GT Open champion joining the #15 car, and Belgian Michal Schmetz taking the final spot in the #16 car.

Von Ryan Racing, owned and run by former McLaren Formula 1™ sporting director Dave Ryan, has again put together a strong driver trio, with an extremely strong and experienced line-up set to pilot the 12C GT3. McLaren GT factory driver Rob Bell returns from racing in Asia this season to lead the team alongside 2012 Barcelona 24-hour race winner Tim Mullen and . The New Zealand racer van Gisbergen is no stranger to endurance racing in a McLaren, having contested the Bathurst 12-hour earlier this season, when the 12C GT3 made its debut at the famous Australian event.

The final McLaren GT customer team to confirm entry was MRS-GT, which will run under the banner Russian GT by MRS for the weekend. The team will continue with this season’s Estonian / German driver pairing in ADAC GT Masters of Marko Asmer and Florian Spengler. Sharing the driving duties will be former Formula 2 racer Kazimieras Vasiliauskas and the experienced Alexey Vasiliev from Russia.

Alongside the high octane action on the track, McLaren GT will also showcase the newly revealed 650S GT3 in the paddock, giving race fans an opportunity to get a closer look at the car which was unveiled at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The new model will debut on GT grids around the world from next year.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

A selection of high resolution images accompanying this release is available to download from the McLaren Automotive media site – www.media.mclarenautomotive.com.

About McLaren GT

McLaren GT is the GT race car manufacturing arm of McLaren Group established to develop, build and support the GT racing and track derivatives of the 12C sports car, and the 650S GT3. Based in Woking, Surrey at the former home of McLaren Racing, the company is responsible for the design, development and production of the GT3 variants of the 12C and 650S, the 12C GT Can-Am Edition and the 12C GT Sprint.

McLaren Technical Partners In the development, engineering and manufacture of the innovative and highly acclaimed 650S sports car and 650S GT3 racer, McLaren Automotive and McLaren GT have partnered with world leading companies to provide specialist expertise and technology. These include ExxonMobil and TAG Heuer.

Further information on McLaren GT, or the range of track-focused models, is available to view and download from: http://www.media.mclarenautomotive.com.

Further information

Wayne Bruce Global Communications Director | McLaren Automotive Limited Phone: +44 (0) 1483 261500 Mobile: +44 (0) 7768 132429 Email: [email protected]

Dave Eden Global PR Manager | McLaren Automotive Limited Phone: +44 (0) 1483 262867 Mobile: +44 (0) 7500 857089 Email: [email protected] Twitter: www.twitter.com/DaveEden

Media website: www.media.mclarenautomotive.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/McLarenGT Twitter: www.twitter.com/McLaren_GT YouTube: www.YouTube.com/McLarenAutomotiveTV

Ends