While we all love races like the 24 Hours Le Mans or Nürburgring, where dozens of different types of cars across multiple classes compete at once, it’s the one-make race series where the truly exciting stuff can happen. Everything from the Nissan Micra and Mazda Miata to the Porsche 911 GT3 and the Ferrari 488 compete in their own purpose-built race series, and who can forget one-make racers like the BMW M1 ProCar.
One-make racing is so exciting because all of the cars are identical, so it’s really down to individual tuning setups and, more importantly, driver skill to stand out. This kind of racing is always ultra competitive, with regular tight finishes and jaw-dropping moments, and it’s also a great way for amateurs to get into the sport. McLaren has been in the one-make ring for a while now, and its newest dedicated race car, the Artura Trophy, will be the focus of the brand’s new U.S. championship, the McLaren Trophy America. Ahead of the announcement I got to ride along in the Artura Trophy at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and it was thrilling.
Full disclosure: McLaren flew me to Las Vegas and put me up in a very nice hotel for two days so I could drive the new 750S supercar, ride along in the Artura Trophy and talk to some very cool engineers and executives. It was awesome.
McLaren’s first Trophy series used the old 570S Trophy, which was similar to a GT4 racer and spawned the road-going 620R. The Artura Trophy debuted in 2022, based on the 570S’ hybrid replacement. The first season with the Artura Trophy was in 2023, with 17 cars and 33 drivers competing in 10 races over five weekends — 7 of those teams were still using the 570S, as McLaren runs a separate category for that model too.
The McLaren Trophy uses a Pro-Am pairing system, where an amateur “Bronze” driver is paired with a professional racer, and McLaren puts the spotlight on the amateur to help grow their careers and skills. Each race is 50 minutes long, and there’s a mandatory pit stop for a driver change. The Bronze driver does all of the qualifying, must start the first race in each weekend, and has the longer stint in the car. Bronze drivers can also get paired with another Bronze driver or compete solo, depending on what category they enter in.
While the Artura Trophy still isn’t as extreme as a GT3 car, it’s certainly an upgrade from its predecessor. The production Arturas use a plug-in-hybrid system, but the Artura Trophy ditches the extra electronics. Don’t think that means it’s a slouch. Because the Trophy is free from both balance of power regulations and production car regulations, the twin-turbo V6 has been bumped up to 577 horsepower — the same amount as the production Artura with the hybrid stuff.
A new aerodynamics package includes canards, a deeper splitter and a large fixed rear wing. It weighs less than the GT4 car, too. McLaren says the Artura Trophy is within a couple seconds of a GT3 car’s lap times, and it’s about four second quicker than the old 570S Trophy. Owners of the Trophy can easily convert their cars to GT4 spec, so they can compete in additional series without needing to buy a new car. The Trophy has also been designed to be easy to service, with McLaren calling out the adjustable Bosch engine management software, inboard radiators and an easy to remove rear deck as examples.
As part of the U.S. launch for the 750S (full review coming on that soon), McLaren strapped me into an Artura Trophy for a few laps of Las Vegas Motor Speedway with professional performance and stunt driver Andre D’Cruz. I’ve gotten to ride along in some pretty amazing machines, from a NASCAR Supra and Czinger 21C to Ken Block’s Hoontruck, and the Artura Trophy stands out as one of my most intense on-track experiences.
The Artura’s V6 sounds loud and incredible, like a swarm of angry hornets buzzing right behind my head, and the way the car accelerates is brutal. D’Cruz always brakes hard at the last possible moment, attacking every apex with gusto — the ride quality is actually pretty good considering it’s a stripped-out race car, and the Artura is able to drive over the striped curbs without issue. The cornering g-forces are so intense that my neck is sore for days after my ridealong, even with the carbon-fiber bucket seat keeping me held tightly in place (the shoulder supports are especially helpful). It’s a visceral, exciting car to be a passenger in, and my handful of laps go by in a flash. When we pull back into the pits I’m able to worm my way out of the seat, through the roll cage and butterfly door, emerging sweaty, shaking with adrenaline and smiling from ear to ear.
The McLaren Trophy America’s first season will kick off in 2025, with the full event calendar to be announced later this year. Pricing hasn’t been announced for the car or the series entry yet either, but expect the car to cost around $250,000. Meanwhile, the 2024 European season starts in Misano, Italy on May 17-19, followed by Spa in Belgium on June 27-29, the Nürburgring on July 26-28, Monza on September 20-22, and Barcelona on October 11-13.
