Michael Satterfield
I was recently invited out to Circuit of the Americas to take part in the Pure McLaren Experience, events that are normally reserved exclusively for owners of McLaren vehicles. The program was created to give owners of McLaren cars a wide range of driving experiences on some of the best tracks in the world.
A basic Pure McLaren Experience starts at $1,550 per person and gets you a half day on the track that includes three track sessions with a McLaren Driver Coach and VIP hospitality including lunch. If you are more advanced a driver, more adventurous, or you want to be a real racing driver, the team at McLaren has several options, from ‘arrive and drive’ programs to their Performance Academy, that upon completion, grants the student an IMSA license.
In Europe, Pure McLaren is also host to the FIA Certifed Pure McLaren Championship, which allows amateur drivers to compete in a spec McLaren series at some of the best tracks in Europe. A series that will be expanding to the USA in the near future giving McLaren owners in the USA an ‘arrive and drive’ series that is perfect for the gentleman (or woman) racer.
After sitting down for an interview with McLaren CEO, Mike Flewitt and a few other drivers who were taking part in the event, I was asked to head to the changing room where a McLaren racing suit was hanging with my name on it, it was time to hit the track with champion racing driver Mia Flewitt (yes she is married to Mike) and see what it is like to take a McLaren GT4 car out on the track.
