McLaren Trophy Europe champions crowned at Barcelona finale

McLaren Trophy, Europe signed off the 2024 season with three champions crowned following the final two races of the series in Barcelona (October 12/13).

Gonzalo de Andres and Alejandro Geppert claimed the Artura Trophy class championship with victory in the first race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Erik Behrens securing the Artura Trophy Am class championship with a third-place finish in the final race of the year. Ryan James and Oliver Webb had previously secured the 570S Trophy championship at the Monza round (21/22 September). All five drivers will be presented with their championship trophies at a Championship Awards evening to be held at the McLaren Technology Centre in December.

Competition was tight throughout the weekend. In first qualifying, despite de Andres’ best efforts, it was the ALFAB entry of Behrens that claimed a commanding pole position but drizzle before the race meant all the cars would start on wet tyres to cope with the greasy track. As the lights went out Erik bogged down, allowing Gonzalo to take a lead that he and teammate Geppert kept to the end of the race to ensure the Artura Trophy title was theirs.

In the 570S Trophy class, Ryan James was able to show his abilities in the tricky conditions after changing to slick tyres before the race started. Once the drizzle had stopped, this proved to be the correct choice as James and teammate Webb took their eighth victory of the season to reinforce their status as 2024 570S Trophy champions.

Artura Trophy championship winner de Andres claimed pole position for the second contest, but it was Adalberto Baptista and Tommy Pintos who emerged victorious at the end of the race. The battle for third place in the championship held everyone’s attention, with three cars fighting for honours until Fiona James and Jayden Kelly finished fifth – enough to secure the spot by just one championship point. The last race of the 2024 series saw Hermann Backus and Kevin Rohrscheidt claim their first 570S Trophy victory of the year.

“It feels really special to have won the championship. All the work from the beginning of the season has been really hard, but I’ve really enjoyed it, and we’ve really improved throughout the season. The team and Gonzalo my teammate have done an amazing job and I’m really thankful to all my sponsors and to everyone who has supported me for this great achievement. I feel really happy and satisfied with the season.”

Alejandro Geppert, Artura Trophy Champion

“I’ve loved competing in the championship for the first time and being the Artura Am champion is a great feeling to go with it! What a weekend here at Barcelona – as an amateur driver taking 22 points to become champion. All the people at McLaren are so friendly and the Trophy series is just epic, so we’re going for a full season in Pro Am next year.”

Erik Behrens, Artura Am Champion

“I’m such a huge disciple of the McLaren Trophy programme, I like the racing, the hospitality, the organization is just incredible. I’m also very excited to be racing the Artura next year after being this year’s 570S champion – I cannot wait to be a year two veteran!”

Ryan James, 570S Trophy Champion

After two successful seasons for the Artura Trophy, 2025 will see the introduction of the new Artura Trophy EVO. The new car delivers enhanced performance thanks to improved aerodynamics and cooling, wider tyres for better circuit grip and a ‘Push to Pass’ function that releases additional power at the push of a button.

The McLaren Trophy platform will also be expanding into the USA next year, with the introduction of the McLaren Trophy, America 2025 series. This offers even more opportunities for racers to experience the unique product offering of McLaren Motorsport.

“We’ve enjoyed a superb year of racing in the McLaren Trophy, Europe; congratulations to all our champions on their success and thank you to everyone that has been involved for making 2024 such a memorable season.

“The success of the Artura this year across the world, including our own high performance Trophy series, is testament to its depth and breadth of supercar ability on the track – a level of excellence that is equally apparent on the road.

“The building blocks are in place for a strong third season in 2025 with healthy grids in Europe and our debut in America, as we evolve with the new Artura Trophy EVO car and the introduction of the Silver/Silver driver category.”

Mick McDonagh, Director of MSO Motorsport, McLaren Automotive