Montoya to run #86 at Indy to honour Revson’s pole for McLaren

The two-time 500 winner was announced as the team’s third, Indy-only driver last December, alongside full-timers Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist.

Arrow McLaren SP revealed on Monday that Montoya’s orange and white entry will pay tribute to Revson’s effort in qualifying for the 1971 edition of the Memorial Day Weekend classic.

That year, the works team had its laptimes consistently bested by the similar M16 of Team Penske piloted by Mark Donohue, while Revson suffered a late engine blow-up.

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However, in qualifying, Donohue didn’t show his earlier pace and Revson’s crew members, who had hurriedly installed a new Offenhauser engine, were rewarded with the sight of their car not only capturing pole with a 178.696mph four-lap average, but also beating the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track record by over 7mph.

Peter Revson, McLaren M16-Offenhauser, 1971 Indianapolis 500.

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Montoya will also race the #86 car in the GP of Indianapolis on the road course circuit in May.

The Colombian, who won his first Indy 500 on debut with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2000 and repeated the feat with Team Penske in 2015, said: “I’ve really missed this race so I can’t wait to compete in my first Indianapolis 500 since 2017.

“It is extra-special to carry the #86 on my Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, honouring the incredible drive by Peter Revson for the pole for McLaren in 1971. This team is a great mixture of rich history and exciting promise, so it will be a thrill to join them as I compete for my third Indianapolis 500 victory."

Team co-owner Sam Schmidt said: “It’s a beautiful car and will really complement the other two Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolets driven by Pato and Felix.

"I want to thank Arrow Electronics and Mission Foods for supporting the #86 entry, so the team can field three great drivers and cars with a chance to win the race."

CEO of McLaren Racing, Zak Brown, added: “This entry represents the combination of three strong relationships: McLaren and Indianapolis, Juan Pablo and Indianapolis, and McLaren and Juan Pablo, so the number just clicked for all of us.

“Most of all it will be fantastic for the fans, our partners and our team to see him line up with Pato and Felix for this global sports spectacle."