Friday, January 7, 2011

More Horsepower For McLaren Racing Display

Imagine seeing the McLaren Formula One cars that brought championship glory to Lewis Hamilton, Mika Häkkinen, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda and Emerson Fittipaldi in one thrilling display. This will become reality at the NEC, Birmingham, on 13-16 January 2010, when six F1 World Championship-winning cars will be part of the McLaren Racing Display at the world's greatest motorsport show, Autosport International.

Lauda and Prost competed as team-mates in 1984, claiming 11 victories out of 15 races, and took the title fight down to the wire, with Lauda securing the honours by the narrowest margin of half a point: the closest F1 championship finish ever. The MP4/2, the car Lauda and Prost raced will be a highlight of the McLaren Racing Display, along with the MP4/5, in which Prost and Senna dominated the 1989 season, with the Frenchman eventually triumphing at the Japanese Grand Prix.

British superstar Lewis Hamilton secured the Drivers' World Championship in only his second F1 season, driving the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-23, which will also be on show at Autosport International, in addition to the McLaren F1 GTR, winner of the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a McLaren Indy 500 car from 1977. Finally, the feature would not be complete without McLaren's much anticipated new road car, the MP4-12C.

Full line-up of the McLaren display:

2011 McLaren MP4-12C
McLaren's new high-performance road car, the MP4-12C, features innovations directly inspired by the cutting-edge world of F1, including its one-piece carbon fibre composite 'MonoCell' chassis, its seven-speed seamless shift gearbox and optional carbon ceramic brakes.

2008 Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-23
The car that was hailed for its 'bridged' front wing and many other aerodynamic innovations, carried Lewis Hamilton to the 2008 title in a thrilling finale at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where he clinched World Championship glory from Ferrari rival Felipe Massa on the final corner.

1998 Team McLaren Mercedes MP4-13
The Mercedes-Benz powered MP4-13's form was imminent at the season opener when Mika Häkkinen lapped all of his competitors, except his team-mate David Coulthard, on his way to a dominant Australian victory. The duo went on to secure six victories and both championship titles.

1995 McLaren F1 GTR
The racing version of the legendary million-dollar McLaren F1 road car made history by winning the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race in its first year of competition with JJ Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya at the wheel. It also finished third, fourth and fifth, in its impressive first outing.

1989 McLaren MP4/5
In the second year of the classic Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost line-up at McLaren, Prost came out on top, sealing the title at the Japanese Grand Prix, taking his third Drivers' Championship and back-to-back Constructors' Championships for the team.

1988 McLaren MP4/4
The most successful car in Formula One history helped Senna and Prost win all but one race on the calendar, with 10 one-two finishes, having led 1,004 of the 1,031 laps run that season. In the end Senna secured his first drivers' title by charging to the win from 14th at Suzuka, Japan. 

1984 McLaren MP4/2
Powered by the Porsche-built TAG turbo V6 engine, Niki Lauda fought from 11th to finish second behind team-mate Prost at the season finale in Portugal, just enough for him to claim his third title.

1977 McLaren M24B
McLaren won the classic Indianapolis 500 race three times in the 1970s, twice with American racer Johnny Rutherford, whose McLaren M24B is a testament to the British team's competitiveness the world over.

1974 McLaren M23
Emerson Fittipaldi out-raced Ferrari rival Clay Regazzoni at the season-ending United States Grand Prix in 1974 to secure the title in the Ford Cosworth-powered McLaren M23, with McLaren winning its first Formula One Constructors' Championship.

1970 McLaren M8D
The Canadian-American Challenge Cup, remembered mainly as the 'Can-Am', was dominated by McLaren, which claimed every title between 1967 and 1971 with Denny Hulme crushing the opposition in 1970 in the Chevrolet-powered McLaren M8D.

1969 McLaren M7C
Bruce McLaren's signature orange-liveried M7C was evolved from the M7A, which secured the team's first F1 victory, and went on to take third in the Drivers' Championship only three years after the team was founded.

In addition to the stunning McLaren Racing Display, visitors to Autosport International will get the chance to see the hottest performance cars at PistonHeads: The Performance Car Show, and a wide range of race cars from grassroots to Formula One. Well-known drivers, celebrities and racing personalities will also make appearances at show, with long-time F1 commentator Murray Walker, current BBC pundits Martin Brundle and Jake Humphrey, as well as eight-time 24 Hour of Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, all part of the Autosport International line-up for 2011.

Thrilling racing and awe-inspiring stunts will provide entertainment for the whole family in the Fifth Gear Live Action Arena, hosted by 2010 British Touring Car Champion and Fifth Gear TV presenter Jason Plato, and racer turned motoring personality Tiff Needell. Tickets for Autosport International 2011 are now on sale, with a reserved seat in the Fifth Gear Live Action Arena included with every public show ticket.

Tickets are now on sale for the public show, which is held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, on 15-16 January. Adult tickets cost £30 per day, with children's tickets priced at £19.50. Group tickets are also available.

Platinum Passes give the full VIP treatment, including access to the Platinum Club enclosure, the VIP Platinum Lounge and the backstage Paddock Area in the Fifth Gear Live Action Arena, and cost £100.

For more information or to book, please visit www.autosportinternational.com.

*Please note that the final line-up of the display is subject to change.


Tickets are now on sale for the public show, which is held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, on 15-16 January. Adult tickets cost £30 per day, with children's tickets priced at £19.50 (children under five years of age go free). Each public day ticket includes a reserved seat in the Fifth Gear Live Action Arena. Group tickets are also available.

Platinum Passes provide the full VIP treatment for £100. These tickets include access to the Platinum Club enclosure, the VIP Platinum Lounge and the backstage Paddock Area in the Fifth Gear Live Action Arena, as well as much more!

For more information or to book tickets, please visit www.autosportinternational.com or call +44 (0)844 581 1420.


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