- McLaren 720S GT3 racer Brendan Iribe secures two GT titles on both sides of the Atlantic in one weekend
- Customer Racing team Inception Racing shares success for McLaren 720S GT3 in IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe
- Iribe began racing career in the Pure McLaren GT Series
McLaren 720S GT3 racer Brendan Iribe secured a unique title double on both sides of the Atlantic in a dramatic display of endurance both on and off the track last weekend.
Competing in just his fourth season of racing McLaren GT cars and faced with the possibility of title success in both the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup at the Petit Le Mans race in Road Atlanta and Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Gold Cup in Barcelona, the American took advantage of the event schedules in order to compete in both series. Even the presence of Hurricane Ian on the eastern coast of the United States failed to spoil his audacious plan.
Commencing his weekend at Road Atlanta, Iribe started the race at midday on Saturday, remaining in the car for the minimum 2 hours and 30 minutes in order to be classified in the points. While he was on an overnight flight to Barcelona, his Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 team-mates Jordan Pepper and Sebastian Priaulx raced the car to secure the Michelin Endurance Cup GTD title by the end of the 10-hour race. The championship consists of four long distance events on the IMSA US racing calendar – the other three being the Watkins Glen six-hour race plus the iconic Daytona 24 Hour and Sebring 12 Hour events.
After being informed of his title success, Iribe landed in Barcelona in time to qualify for the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe finale at the Spanish Grand Prix venue on Sunday. Despite a duration of just under two hours, the race was no less dramatic, with the Inception team taking the class lead with 45 minutes remaining. With less than half an hour to go however, a puncture put the Gold Cup title in doubt. Swift pit work ensured that the team ran in eighth place and eventually finished seventh, enough to secure the championship.
Iribe shares the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Gold Cup title with team-mates Frederik Schandorff and Ollie Millroy, the latter with whom the American has been paired since his McLaren GT racing debut as a graduate from the Pure McLaren GT Series.
The partnership with Millroy originated with Iribe’s participation in the Pure McLaren GT Series, a championship set up to develop GT drivers racing McLaren 570S GT4 cars and which has evolved into the McLaren Trophy Championship, which will support GT World Challenge Europe events in 2022. Coached by Millroy, Iribe impressed in his debut season of competition before making the step up to International GT racing, in partnership with fellow Pure graduate Nick Moss – to whom Iribe attributes much of his subsequent success. With a first major win for Inception Racing in the GT4 class of the 2019 Gulf 12 Hour race, he graduated to the McLaren 720S GT3 to win the 2021 International GT Open – Pro-Am championship and the 2022 Asian Le Mans Series GT title before last weekend’s double success.
“It’s been an incredible season competing on both sides of the Atlantic all culminating in a final double header weekend. It was a rollercoaster of adrenaline, emotions and insane team work. Clinching the two titles within 24 hours was a dream come true for the entire team. I’m insanely proud and grateful to everyone at Optimum, McLaren, our rockstar drivers Jordan, Sebastian, Frederik and especially Ollie, who not only coached me on track, but also had to sacrifice one of the two titles since it was only possible for one of us to compete in both. What a weekend and what an awesome car. The McLaren 720S GT3 is a rocket!”
Brendan Iribe, McLaren Customer Racing team Inception Racing Driver
“What an incredible weekend at both Petit Le Mans and Barcelona for the last weekend of both IMSA Endurance and SRO World Challenge Europe respectively. To become IMSA Endurance GTD Champions, SRO Gold Cup Drivers and Team Champions as well as Drivers Pro-Am Cup Champions all within 24 hours was fantastic but for Brendan Iribe to compete in both IMSA and SRO events was phenomenal. Congratulations to all involved.”
Ian Morgan, Director of 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 Automotive:
McLaren Automotive is a creator of luxury, high-performance supercars.
Every vehicle is hand-assembled at the McLaren Production Centre (MPC) in Woking, Surrey, England.
Launched in 2010, the company is now the largest part of the McLaren Group.
The company’s product portfolio of GT, supercar, Motorsport and Ultimate models are retailed through over 100 retailers in over 40 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™. In 2016, it announced a new hybrid hyper-GT and confirmed in 2018 that the next Ultimate car would be the Speedtail.
2019 saw McLaren launch the 600LT Spider, the new GT and the track-only McLaren Senna GTR. It also unveiled the 620R and McLaren Elva before launching the 765LT the following year.
Most recently, 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.
McLaren Automotive also chooses to partner with like-minded, world-leading companies and organisations who push the boundaries in their respective fields. These include AkzoNobel, Ashurst, Bowers & Wilkins, Dell Technologies, Gulf, InfiniteWorld, Pirelli, Richard Mille, Plan International and Tumi.
About McLaren Group:
The McLaren Group is a global leader in luxury automotive and elite motorsports with a focus on its Automotive supercar and Racing businesses.
Founded in 1963 by racer, engineer and entrepreneur Bruce McLaren, the Group is formed of McLaren Automotive, which hand-builds lightweight supercars; and a majority stake in McLaren Racing which competes in the Formula 1 World Championship and INDYCAR in the US.
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.
