It has been announced that Mclaren Racing will run an array of classic Mclaren Formula One cars this year at Velocity Invitational, the brand new motorsports festival which has been created by the same team behind the popular Sonoma Speed Festival. It will be held from November 11th-14th at the incredible WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
The motorsport and lifestyle event will host a special exhibition of historic Mclaren Formula One cars, with the help of two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Häkkinen. Mclaren will be running some of their most famous and successful Formula 1 cars at the brand new festival, the thousands who will be in attendance at the event will be able to catch a glimpse of the 1998 MP4-13A, driven in the Formula One World Championship by Häkkinen and David Coulthard.
The 1998 car which will be run is in fact the same one which Häkkinen drove to victory at the Australian Grand Prix, an exciting spectacle not to be missed! Also being run by Mclaren are the 2011 MP4/26A and the 2012 MP4/27A both of which were driven in the world championship by 2009 world champion Jenson Button and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
This isn’t all though as a few very lucky fans will get the chance to be driven around the historic circuit in the two-seater 1998 MP4/98T, in what would be an experience of a lifetime.
Velocity Invitational Founder Jeff O’Neill is hoping the event will set new heights for automotive lifestyle festivals in the United States, and is extremely pleased that Mclaren will showcase cars not seen in a very long time.
“We have all missed racing and seeing these extraordinary and rare cars in the past year. So we’ve decided to make up for lost time with an event that is sure to please both drivers and spectators. With McLaren bringing cars not seen in years that showcase extraordinary technology Velocity Invitational will try to set a new standard for automotive lifestyle festivals in the United States.”
Mclaren Racing CEO Zak Brown is very happy to partner up with Velocity Invitational to showcase some of Mclaren’s most famous race cars, in what will definitely be an exciting festival for all!
“We are delighted to partner with Velocity Invitational to showcase our McLaren Racing history on track and contribute to one of the most exciting automotive lifestyle festivals in the United States.”
It won’t just be Mclaren in attendance, with hundreds other rare and famous race cars both from past and present to be seen at the brand new festival, as well as fine wine tasting, gourmet food and so much more. Velocity Invitational is hoping to build upon the success of the inaugural Sonoma Speed Festival in 2019. The event in 2019 combined vintage racing, wine and food tasting from the best California wineries and restaurants as well as historic and cultural exhibits.
Velocity Invitational looks set to be an exciting festival at one of the most historic circuits in America.
Credit: Kahn Media