McLaren will be represented by Hexis in 2012 GT World Championship
McLaren will be represented by Hexis in next year's GT World Championship, following the French team's decision to run a pair of MP4-12Cs
The car has become eligible for the championship due to changes in the technical rules that will allow GT3 machines to compete. For the past two years only GT1 vehicles have been permitted.
McLaren Group CEO Martin Whitmarsh said: "I am delighted that Hexis will be running the 12C GT3 in 2012. McLaren GT has undertaken a challenging development programme in 2011 and we are confident the 12C GT3 will be the most reliable, efficient and rewarding to drive GT car on the grid.
"With the 2012 FIA GT World Championship adopting GT3 regulations, the opportunity presented itself to launch into this category with current World Champions Hexis. With the engineering support of McLaren GT and a car bristling with Formula 1 technology in the 12C GT3, I am sure this partnership will be successful."
Hexis won the teams' title as a result of running Aston Martin machinery in this year's GT1 World Championship, but team principal Philippe Dumas believes that a change of manufacturer to McLaren will pay dividends in the long run.
"We started thinking about this project in the spring when the GT3 version of the MP4- 12C was unveiled," said Dumas. "We had a meeting in Woking, but it was obvious that the development of a GT1 for the world championship wasn't part of McLaren GT's plans. Even so I never lost hope.
"We stayed in contact on a regular basis and we met up again on several occasions. The MP4-12C GT3's debut at Spa only helped reinforce my convictions.
"We already have a set of regulations [for 2012], which promises a really exciting championship.
"Numerous manufacturers, tuners and teams are fine-tuning their joint projects, and other major announcements are expected in the weeks to come. We're very proud to be one of the first to race a car from McLaren GT and we look forward to this new challenge."
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