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Fernando Alonso to race in the 24 Hours of Daytona

MEXICO CITY — McLaren Formula One driver Fernando Alonso will compete in next January's 24 Hours of Daytona as preparation for an eventual race at Le Mans. The United Autosports team owned by McLaren executive director Zak Brown announced the move on Thursday. Alonso, a double Formula One world champion who is competing in this weekend's Mexican Grand Prix, made a big impression last May when he entered the Indianapolis 500 and led for 27 laps. He has set his sights on becoming only the second driver, after Briton Graham Hill, to win motorsport's Triple Crown. That entails winning the Formula One title, or Monaco Grand Prix according to other interpretations, as well as Indianapolis and Le Mans. Alonso, 36, has won Monaco as well as his 2004 and 2005 world titles. He recently signed a contract extension keeping him at McLaren in 2018. "The Daytona 24 Hours is the most iconic U.S. endurance race and one of the world's great races. Everyone knows it," said the Spaniard. "It's not part of the Triple Crown but, as I have always said, my aim is to be a complete driver and this experience will help me in the preparation for any other endurance race I might take part in. "I am excited to go back and race in America," he added. "After the great time I had during the month of May for the Indy 500, I am looking forward to taking part in another legendary race that will bring back all those amazing sensations that US fans gave me." Daytona comes before the start of Formula One's pre-season testing when drivers are mostly working on physical preparation for the year ahead. Le Mans, on June 16-17, does not clash with any grand prix — unlike Indianapolis, which is on the same weekend as the showcase Monaco race. Alonso will partner British teenagers Lando Norris, the McLaren development driver tipped to take a reserve role next season, and Phil Hanson. Daytona, in Florida, will be the first time the Spaniard has raced a prototype sports car. Reporting by Alan BaldwinRelated Video: Image Credit: Getty Motorsports McLaren Racing Vehicles US

First U.S. McLaren Senna has gorgeous green carbon fiber body

The McLaren Senna is one of the hottest cars of 2018. Named after one of the greatest racing drivers, the British automaker's latest and greatest is an immensely fast machine. It certainly looks the part, too, with a giant rear wing, shin walloping front splitter and all manner of other aero aids. Today, McLaren released a batch of images of the first car heading to North America, and it's finished in one of the most beautiful shades of carbon fiber we've ever seen. Some lucky owner in New York City will be taking delivery of a new Senna with emerald green bare carbon-fiber bodywork and a white-leather interior. The car, like all bespoke McLaren models, was customized through McLaren Special Operations. The car bares the MSO logo on the headrests. Nearly every exterior panel is finished in green. McLaren says the bodywork consists of 67 panels and takes nearly 1,000 hours to produce. Other exterior design touches include blue and red wheel locks and ball-polished wheels. The Senna is powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 making 789 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque. It can hit 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds and 124 mph in 6.8 seconds. There isn't much mass to move around thanks to a dry weight of just 2,641 pounds. Related Video: Featured Gallery McLaren Senna View 12 Photos News Source: McLaren Design/Style McLaren Coupe Luxury Performance Supercars mclaren senna

McLaren testing an EV, but challenges remain to electrify a hypercar

There are new details on McLaren's ongoing quest to build an all-electric supercar. Autocar reports that the specialty carmaker has been testing an EV mule to evaluate driver engagement and has discovered it's still a big leap to fully electrifying a track car. The biggest stumbling block remains the battery technology and the enormous energy demands of track racing. "Let's say you want to drive on a track for half an hour," Dan Parry-Williams, McLaren's engineering design director, told Autocar. "If that was an EV, that car would have over 500 miles of EV range, and it would be flat as a pancake at the end. The energy required to do really high performance on track is staggering. And then you have to recharge it." He notes that the technology is improving but adds that "there's a lot more investment" going into range-extending energy-dense batteries than into the kind of power density needed for supercar performance. McLaren has been talking about making fully electric versions of its cars for a while now, but it sounds like a pure EV hypercard is still a ways off. Meanwhile, expect it to focus on hybrids: McLaren plans to have half of its fleet feature hybrid powertrains by 2022. Its P1 already has a hybrid powertrain, as will the forthcoming BP23. "You can potentially manage (a flat battery) with a niche car," Parry-Williams told Autocar. "If you exhaust the battery but then have to do one recharging lap, that strikes me as being OK. But if you haven't got an on-board generator (and) you've got a full EV, you haven't got the luxury of doing that."Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. McLaren 720S First Drive | Autoblog