McLaren BCN - SMC Motorsport is one of the great powerhouses of Iberian Supercars, and in 2022 it was in the title fight until the last event of the season, winning the teams' title. This year it has stood out for its results in the GT4 Am division, but there could be big news later this season to prepare for 2025.
The Spanish team has been a constant presence in the Race Ready-organised series since 2021 and has always shown a high level of competitiveness, battling for division and overall victories.
The consistent focus on the Iberian series is not only due to McLaren BCN - SMC Motorsport's influence in the area, but also because the challenges require the team to continually evolve in order to remain a competitive force in the field.
"In Iberian Supercars we have the opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities on a highly competitive and prestigious platform. In addition, we want to expand our presence at the end of the season and consolidate our reputation in top-level motorsport. This championship offers the visibility and challenges needed to drive our growth and development as a team," said Team Manager Emilio de Villota.
This year McLaren BCN - SMC Motorsport is competing with a McLaren 570S GT4 in the GT4 Am division for Rafael Muncharaz and another in GT4 Pro for Álvaro Gutiérrez and Sebastián Merchán, and the results have been very positive.
Rafael Muncharaz has already taken two podiums in Iberian Supercars and one in Supercars Jarama RACE, and is in contention for the division title when he is just 23 points behind Keith Gatehouse and Igor Sorokin, the GT4 Am leaders.
The young Spaniard Álvaro Gutiérrez, who is making his car racing debut this year, and the experienced Ecuadorian Sebastián Merchán, who is returning to the European competition after an absence, are going through a process of adapting to new environments and have shown excellent potential, which is translating into remarkable progress.
As we reach the summer break, Emilio de Villota is satisfied with the team's performance, emphasising the work that has been done by all the members of the structure, although he admits that there are areas for improvement, as is natural in motorsport: "So far, the season has been very positive for McLaren BCN - SMC Motorsport. We have achieved numerous podiums in the Am category and have shown a steady improvement in our performance with our GT4 Pro duo. The team has been working hard to optimise the performance of our cars and drivers and the results are starting to reflect that effort. However, there are always areas for improvement and we are committed to continuing to evolve."
The McLaren BCN - SMC Team Manager, however, assumes that this year the championship has gone up a level: "It has been a challenge to adapt to the high number of entries and the high level of competition this year, which has forced us to constantly raise our level in all areas.”
Despite the challenges that the championship has posed for McLaren BCN - SMC Motorsport, Emílio de Villota shows confidence in the structure and points to a consistent evolution that will allow it to fight for the best positions in the respective divisions throughout the rest of the season with a view to 2025. "Our main objectives will be to continue improving our performance in each race and to fight for more podiums. We want to secure a prominent position in the championship standings and continue to develop our team for 2025, as well as our technical capabilities," emphasized the Spaniard.
Although next year's season is already on the mind of the McLaren BCN - SMC Motorsport management, the team is expected to develop this year, which will also include an increase in the number of cars: "We definitely plan to strengthen our presence in the championship through further growth, not only in the number of cars, but also in technical and human resources. We want to continue to be a benchmark team in Iberian Supercars and increase our competitiveness in every race.”
The team representing the McLaren on the Iberian Peninsula has two Arturo GT4 cars, one of which even took part in the official tests at last year's Jarama round, and Emilio de Villota has a clear strategy for the cars this year.
"We have plans to compete with our McLaren Artura GT4 in Iberian Supercars. The Jarama tests (n.d.r.: at the official Jarama tests in 2023) were very promising and provided us with valuable data to optimise the cars. We believe these cars have great potential and we're excited to see how they perform in the final races of the championship, the events we're evaluating and about which we're in talks with a number of drivers who have shown great interest," revealed the McLaren BCN - SMC Motorsport helmsman first hand.
This season for the Spanish outfit may not be as spectacular as many have grown accustomed to, but the team's level of competition and their drive to evolve remain as strong as ever, keeping them in contention for titles this year. Their consistent presence at the top is a testament to the team's ambition, which has been evident since their first appearance in Iberian Supercars. The potential debut of the brand-new Artura GT4s further underscores this commitment. Both fans and the paddock are eager to see how they will perform on the track.
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