This weekend, McLaren’s newest racer – the Artura GT4 – is set to make its 24H SERIES debut under the ALFAB Racing banner. Officially launched at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2022, the Artura GT4 replaced McLaren’s championship-winning 570S GT4 ahead of the 2023 season, with development focused specifically on providing the “ultimate driver engagement” for AM and PRO drivers alike. 

Much like its road-going brethren, the Artura GT4 boasted the newly-developed McLaren Carbon Lightweight Architecture monocoque (MCLA) – a more rigid structure offering a wider setup window for engineers – as well as the new 3-litre twin-turbocharged V6, good for 671hp and 530lb ft (720Nm) on the road. With the hybrid side of the drivetrain ditched to meet international GT4 regulations, the Artura GT4 tipped the scales an impressive 130kg lighter than its road-going counterpart, and more than 100 kg less than the 570S it replaced. 

Concerns that the V6’s legs had been cut from beneath it were quickly allayed when McLaren assured its customers the compact and considerably lighter V6 “generates more than enough output” for GT4 racing, and would even provide greater throttle response and better fuel efficiency than the ‘M838’-gen V8 in the 570S GT4. Moreover, where the E-motor and lithium-ion battery had once been, now lies a 110-litre fuel call and ancillary drive systems to help keep the weight centred and low down. 

Mated to the V6 is a seven-speed transmission, which replaces the eight-speed seamless shift gearbox in the road car and offers shorter ratios for snappier acceleration. 

In-keeping with Woking’s “everything for a reason” philosophy, the new aerodynamic package prioritized greater downforce – particularly at the front-end – over the outgoing 570S. Hence the new front splitter, dive planes and a bespoke bonnet duct. The new rear spoiler meanwhile features seven levels of adjustability “to cover a wide spectrum of circuit types.” 

Practicality as well as speed was also a consideration: the rear spoiler’s ‘G-Pylon’ mounting design for example allows rear bodywork to be removed and replaced without the need to dismantle the rear spoiler as well. 

Brand-new suspension componentry helps elevate the Artura’s handling over the 570S GT4, while a wider front wheel and a new limited slip diff help increase grip. The former is also said to reduce tyre degradation, while the latter helps to reduce brake pad wear, thus increasing the durability of the GT4’s bespoke endurance braking system. 

The revised cabin features a new Bosch DDU instrument cluster with enhanced graphics, and the steering wheel borrowed from McLaren’s 720S GT3 flagship. Though McLaren hasn’t specified how, ingress and egress has apparently been made easier in order to reduce time spent during driver changes. Along similar endurance racing lines, additional lighting for night racing and a heavier duty drinks system are also available. 

Just over six months on from its launch, the Artura GT4 made its international competition debut at IMSA’s Pilot Challenge support race for the 2023 Daytona 24 Hours, and finished 6th overall. Three months later, an example run by multi-time Hankook 24H DUBAI class winner Optimum Motorsport took the Artura’s first class win at the opening round of that year’s British GT Championship. 

Alongside the Artura’s debut, this weekend also marks the first 24H SERIES event for ALFAB Racing, fittingly, since the Hankook 12H SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS in 2022, and only the third since the Hankook 24H DUBAI in 2018. 

Sadly, while the Swedish team’s 570S GT4 established itself as the GT4 frontrunner in Dubai, a potential class win was lost at half-distance to turbocharger issues. Four years later at Spa, the yellow and blue-donned McLaren, having claimed class pole position, was in the fight for GT4 honours, only for turbo failure to strike once again with less than three hours left to run. 

Third time lucky in 2024?