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Gulf 12H

McLaren GT Confirms Factory Lineup for Gulf 12 Hours

Bell, Estre, Parente lead two-car factory McLaren attack in Abu Dhabi…

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McLaren GT has confirmed its driver lineup for next month’s Gulf 12 Hours at Abu Dhabi, which will mark the race debut of the new McLaren 650S GT3.

Factory drivers Rob Bell, Kevin Estre and Alvaro Parente will team up in the No. 59 entry, while Dutchman Peter Kox and countryman Nico Pronk will pilot the No. 60 car, which is running as a Pro-Am customer entry managed by the British manufacturer.

“The 650S GT3 has undergone extensive development testing, and the decision to enter the Gulf 12 Hour has been taken to push it to the next level,” said McLaren GT Managing Director Andrew Kirkaldy. “Any endurance race is a true test of any car, team and driver, and they identify any issues or weaknesses very clearly.

“It will be a real challenge, and the grid is amongst the strongest the race has ever had, but we have two strong line-ups.

“Our three works drivers of Rob, Kevin and Alvaro have tested the 650S GT3 over thousands of kilometers, and each raced successfully in the 12C GT3 this season. They are best-placed to push the 650S GT3 to its limits, and the race environment will ensure the development program is fully completed ahead of customer team deliveries for the 2015 season.”

Estre, meanwhile, has been resigned by McLaren GT to return as a works driver next year.

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John

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