Despite its track-focused intentions, the McLaren Senna GTR concept does not preview a McLaren entry into the World Endurance Championship, the company confirmed.
McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt dashed such hopes speaking to Autocar in a report published on Wednesday. He told the publication McLaren is "not going to race" the Senna, which means we won't see the potent supercar take to Le Mans.
The company first debuted the Senna as the Ultimate Series' new range-topper with 789 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque from its 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8. At the 2018 Geneva motor show this week, McLaren ignited racing hopes with the debut of the Senna GTR concept. The Senna GTR will be built, it will be track-only, and it will be limited to at most 75 examples. It will also make at least 814 hp and more than 590 lb-ft of torque.
Flewitt went on to say the Senna GTR was given the green light to appease customers who may have missed out on the Senna road car. It also represents a more-profitable project over developing a race car for WEC. Still, the company isn't closed-minded about other motorsports, even though F1 remains the priority, he added.
McLaren's decision is in contrast to Aston Martin, which embraces the idea of entering the WEC with its hypercar, the Valkyrie. The company's CEO, Andy Palmer, said the Valkyrie could go racing if FIA regulations allow for race-modified hypercars to participate.
His comments followed news that the LMP1 class, which runs prototype racers, is currently in limbo after Porsche announced it will end its campaign to enter Formula E. The news leaves Toyota as the only manufacturer backing the class.