Historic Motorsports - Second Annual Sonoma Motorsports Historic Festival To Feature 2012 McLaren MP4-12C

SONOMA, June 1, 2011: As the featured marque of the Second Annual Sonoma Motorsports Historic Festival at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. on June 4-5, McLaren Automotive will present the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C alongside a number of historic McLaren race cars and the iconic McLaren F1.

"We're thrilled that McLaren Automotive is previewing the McLaren MP4-12C at our Second Annual Sonoma Motorsports Historic Festival," said Steve Earle, president of General Racing, Ltd., who for four decades has devoted his life to organizing historic car racing events. "The fans at the event and the entrants in the 13 race groups featured will have a chance to see this highly advanced production car for themselves and speak with representatives of McLaren Automotive."

The 12C is ‘pure McLaren,’ from its innovative technologies to bespoke design – everything is for a reason. The two-seat, mid-engine 12C re-writes the rules of sports car design through Formula 1-inspired engineering, a revolutionary carbon fiber MonoCell chassis, and an absolute focus on total efficiency and quality.

It features a bespoke V8, twin-turbo engine with 592 horsepower and 443 ft-lb of torque and is mated to a 7-speed Seamless Shift transmission. With a 0-60 mph time of 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 205 mph, the vehicle offers an extraordinary mix of handling and comfort.

The 12C is scheduled to go on sale in North America in the fall 2011. It will be the first in a range of high-performance sports cars by McLaren that will be sold and serviced through a network of 35 retailers worldwide; 10 of those are based in key North American markets.

A number of historically significant McLaren vehicles can also be viewed in the McLaren display area including the following cars:

1967 McLaren M5A – A representative of the early days for McLaren Motor Racing in Formula One???.

1985 McLaren MP4/2B – FIA Formula One??? Constructors Championship winning car driven by Alain Prost, FIA Formula One??? Drivers’ Champion.

1967 McLaren M6A – Can-Am Championship winning car driven by Bruce McLaren.

1971 McLaren M8F –1971 Can-Am Championship winning car with Denny Hulme as the pilot.

1972 McLaren M20 – Denny Hulme finished second place in the Can-Am series in 1972, and the team retired from the series for good, ending the era.

1995 McLaren F1 – The McLaren F1 was, and in many eyes remains, the definitive sports car: the first road car with a carbon fiber construction. Only 106 examples of this vehicle were built.

In addition to the McLaren vehicle display, the event features more than 400 historic-car entries from around the world, 26 of which are McLarens.

The weekend’s festivities at the Second Annual Historic Motorsports Festival will also include the Historic Race Car Festival in the Sonoma Plaza Saturday evening benefiting Speedway Children’s Charities.

A popular event away from the racing action is the Wine Country Pavilion at Infineon Raceway, where the best food and wine from the Sonoma and Napa Valleys may be sampled. Admission to the Pavilion is FREE with an event ticket.

Local restaurants participating in the Wine Country Pavilion are Girl in the Fig, Botanical Bakery and CIA Greystone. The wineries include Tin Barn, Dawn Hughes, Frank and Andy Aspina, Clarbec Wines, Sidejob Cellars, Rielle Wines, Meadowcroft, Bennet Lane and Korbel. Additional restaurants and wineries are expected to participate and will be announced in the near future.

Additional information and a complete event entry list may be found at www.sonomahistoric.com. Companies interested in supporting special events during the Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival, should contact General Racing Ltd., at 805-686-9292.

Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival

WHAT: Sonoma Historic Motorsports Festival
WHEN: June 4-5, 2011
CIRCUIT: 12-turn, 2.52-mile road course
TICKETS: $40 day/$60 weekend; Youth (Ages 13-20): $20 day/$30 weekend; Children 12-and-under FREE and parking is FREE. Each ticket includes entry to the Wine Country Pavilion and souvenir program
INFORMATION: 800-870-RACE, infineonraceway.com/historics, ticketmaster.com