MORPETH’S Rob Bell will be behind the wheel of the brand new McLaren MP4-12C GT3 car in 2012 after signing a multi-year deal.
Bell joins Alexander Sims and Alvaro Parente as works drivers who will be available to customer teams racing the stunning new McLaren GT machine this season.
The deal comes as a significant move for Bell, who has numerous successful sportscar campaigns with Ferrari and Aston Martin in recent years.
He said: “I was invited to drive at the Spa 24 Hour race last year and was very impressed with the potential of this ground-breaking British sports racing car, the aspirations of the company as a manufacturer of luxury sportscars and the plans for its racing programme.
“I hope joining the McLaren fold will give me the opportunity to work closely with the manufacturer in the coming years as well as being behind the wheel racing the MP4-12C GT3.”
The double Le Mans Series champion, who has competed in every major sportscar series in the world over the last seven years, will take his development knowledge and proven racecraft to an outfit believes is the strongest in the world.
He added: “With McLaren’s history of success in motorsport and their ethos of being out there to win, I believe I havebeen linked with one of the most exciting companies within sportscar racing of this century.
“Of course the car was the most important consideration in my decision, but after driving at Spa I knew it had all the ingredients to be a world-beater.
“It was still very young in its development when I drove it.
“Even then, though, it showed it had the outright pace, the balance of the car was good and the level of performance showed there was plenty of potential.”
The new 12C GT3 is a unique technical concept in sportscar racing, featuring McLaren’s one-piece moulded carbon MonoCell chassis as well as technology normally reserved only for F1 machines. It has been specified and developed by a team of senior personnel from McLaren Racing, McLaren Automotive and GT race team CRS Racing.
At the forefront of the technical development has been McLaren Racing’s chief vehicle engineer Mark Williams.
Williams said: “Since the 12C GT3 development programme began last March, we have entered endurance races all over Europe and more recently in Macau.
“We have undertaken independent 24 hour tests at some of Europe’s most challenging circuits and experienced real highs and.of course, had to deal with a number of challenges.”
With pre-season preparations now firmly under way, Bell is confident about the season ahead.
He said: “Getting behind the wheel and working with McLaren GT and a customer team to start developing the car is the challenge which I am looking forward to and the season cannot start soon enough for me.
“I am keen to be immersed in the technologies and engineering of the car to fully appreciate its capabilities and extract the best from the car out on track.”
