New Mercedes SLR could race
McLaren and Mercedes are taking their first tentative steps towards racing their new British-built SLR supercar, which is due to be unveiled in the autumn, according to this week's AUTOSPORT magazine.
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren design team, led by former F1 designer Gordon Murray, is carrying out an evaluation of the front-engined coupe for competition use. A concept car created to show what an SLR racer might look like is already under construction and could be ready to be shown to Mercedes bosses as early as the summer.
The car could be run in the FIA GT Championship. Series boss Stephane Ratel recently unveiled a proposal for a rule change to allow factory teams back into the championship, providing four big manufacturers sign up.
A McLaren-Mercedes race programme is still a long way from being given the green light, but it is known that several key players in the project at McLaren, including Murray, are keen to go racing with the car.
The official line from Merecedes, however, is that there are "no motorsport plans" for the SLR.
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