Thursday 12th June 2014

McLaren F1 GTR: Time For Tea?

Justin Bell reunited with a McLaren GTR like the one he raced at Le Mans - 'bloody hell' is his conclusion

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Yes, basically every story on PH in the coming days will have some sort of Le Mans twist! Not that this is a chore when it comes to a vid like this, featuring Justin Bell driving a McLaren F1 GTR around Mid Ohio raceway. The car featured is GTR #17, which raced to eighth place at Le Mans in 1996 at the hands of Johnny Cecotto, Nelson Piquet and Danny Sullivan for Bigazzi Team SRL. After a rebuild at McLaren in 2002 it's since lived in the US where BMW wheels it out for special occasions. Bell himself was in the third placed F1 GTR at the previous year's Le Mans, driving with father Derek and Andy Wallace.

A promotional vid for GoPro (clue being in the number the things festooned over both car and driver), it falls victim to the predictable fey backing music trap many such vids succumb to. Thankfully this is quickly drowned out once Bell gets on the gas and the 600hp BMW V12 starts singing its song.

He's not mincing about either, the F1 GTR looking fast and composed but demanding of respect and concentration. Bell's relieved 'Bloody hell' as he completes the lap speaks volumes. What it must have been like to drive one for 24 hours...

Enjoy!

 

[43034]

Bloody awesome

The sound is mega!

[belleair302]

From the decade when GT cars sounded like cars and the drivers were drivers not robots watching lights and listening to the instructions from the pits.

[F1GTRUeno]

Still my favourite racing car of all time.

That sound and that engine...

Nice to see it getting a run out too, still in Bigazzi livery. Wish the owner of #16R would revert to the FINA livery rather than having an LM-lookalike.

[trislast]

What a weapon!!! Legendary.

[Shuttle Cock]

What an awesome noise, I'd forgotten how good the Big Mac sounds.

Must dig out my BPR series video, then find something to watch it on!

[Jandywa]

Looking and listening to that and then the modern day stuff... its hard to call it progression

[number1nesta]

A real, raw car. Superb. Manual too...

[iloveboost]

I don't like that interior camera position all we really see is a steering wheel and the mic doesn't do the racing F1 justice. The video and audio quality looking out of this racing M1 is much better I think:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBjdmBG-yl0
and this video of a racing F1 has better audio even though it's quite old and not HD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-7bIRa_9qw
I wish people would only use a GoPro if they have to as the quality seems poor for a '1080p' camera.

[Auson]

For me this is the best car in the world.
Recently watched a P1 lapping Donnington with some GT3 cars and the Juke R after seeing that I have no doubt this car from the 90s would be faster !

[soad]

What a car!

Was there any need for the music though?

[g3org3y]

F1GTRUeno said:

Still my favourite racing car of all time.

That sound and that engine...

[CraigyMc]

First GTR engine I've heard that sounds like the flat 12 from a 917 circa 1971.

[CraigyMc]

Offtopic: do many racing drivers groan like that through corners?

I've only ever coughed in high G corners, rather than making moaning noises.

[astra la vista]

forget the "bloody hell" comment at the end.

"holy st it's got some power" at 1:08 tells me everything i need to know.

[Adrian E]

CraigyMc said:

Offtopic: do many racing drivers groan like that through corners?

I've only ever coughed in high G corners, rather than making moaning noises.

Maybe the harnesses weren't quite adjusted right and he was groaning in agony?!

I did find the camera view from the one mounted in front of his helmet a bit weird - can watch his face moving about relative to the helmet due to suspension movement!

[sideways man]

My favourite car.
Remember watching Tiff Needell on 5th gear giving one full beans for the first time. Dont know who was more amazed,me or him!

[CraigyMc]

sideways man said:

My favourite car.
Remember watching Tiff Needell on 5th gear giving one full beans for the first time. Dont know who was more amazed,me or him!

I think you mean old top gear, round goodwood.

[stew-S160]

That put lead in my pencil alright!

[TNH]

That just sounds epic. Surely one of the greatest sounding engines of all time!

The car just doesnt seem to date aestheticaly either. What a car.

[Vyse]

Always preferred this livery better.

Also CLK GTR > F1 GTR