KEEPING THE TRADITION ALIVE
The news that McLaren is taking on a challenge in Formula E has been very well received, and it is something of a throwback to teams of old that were prepared to fight on all fronts. It is, after all, a top-class team operating in motorsport. Why should any squad restrict itself to just one category? McLaren goes racing in the old style, because it is an authentic racing team. It is very hard not to admire the things that it does. As well as its grand prix obligations, it has recently spread its wings into IndyCar and Extreme E too.
And the likelihood is, depending upon sponsorship deals, of course, that the Formula E machines will carry the McLaren orange, which was reintroduced onto the Formula 1 cars in 2018.
The papaya-shaded livery was first used in a Can-Am race in 1967. It was a colour scheme that Bruce McLaren’s business partner Teddy Mayer had seen on a car in club racing and figured it would stand out well on the age’s black-and-white TV coverage.
It made its Formula 1 debut a year later at the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch on McLaren’s M7A. It was a highly successful debut too, with the Kiwi landing the race win. It went on to further glory that season too as Denny Hulme and Bruce wore the colours with pride. The tone, and the hue, were well and truly set in stone at that point.
The reintroduction of the colours to motorsport was a nice doff of the cap to previous times, and one that would have had a lot of modern motorsport fans slightly confused. Those with an eye to the past would have been very aware of its heritage and it completed the circle for the team nicely. With its bold presence on the grid and its ambitions to fight on several fronts at the same time, there is much to smile about for the legendary team.
In this issue of MN, we speak to someone who is well used to driving McLaren’s GT products in recent years, Adam Carroll. The Northern Irishman was a seriously hot prospect as he rose through the single-seater ranks in his youth and you’d have had a decent wager that he would go on to become a grand prix winner. Unfortunately, while life’s path took him to the cusp of an F1 deal it never materialised despite him proving his ability in everything he has raced in. The good news is that he is still plying his trade in the British GT championship among other plans for this year, so you can go and watch his talent trackside in 2022.
We have all the latest British Touring Car Championship action from Brands Hatch plus all the weekend’s national rallying and racing reports too. Plus, don’t forget to make your voice heard in the latest Motorsport News poll to unearth your favourite Jaguar race car. Check page 33 to find out how.