The 106 Drivers Club was founded by Raymond Anthony Bellm, one of the most celebrated racing drivers from the United Kingdom. The club was founded back in 2011 to offer car and race enthusiasts a taste of different types of racing activities. However, the club has sworn its loyalty to McLaren, one of the most prestigious brands in the entire world.
The 106 Drivers Club has been active for over a decade but its focus on Mclaren cars especially the F1 model has made it more popular as the Mclaren F1 Owners Club. Although the original name is used for all official purposes, the latter has more widespread fanbases from different corners of the world. The club presents itself as more of an establishment but the events are organized by White Label Events, a company owned by Ray.
How to join the 106 Drivers Club?
The specific criteria for joining the club are not made public but the base requirement is owning a McLaren. The original idea was to organize events for the owners of the iconic 3-seater Mclaren F1 but we have seen other cars in various tours.
The annual fee for being a member is not disclosed but it is highly likely that one needs to pay a certain amount of money for their participation in the prestigious events.
What are the standard member benefits here?
The benefits and minute details of the annual members are not revealed on the official website. However, it is highly possible that a car club of its caliber will have significant levels of guidance and driving aids for the participants.
Also, general benefits like notifications on upcoming events and their requirements obviously find their way to the members. Merchandise like tour book packs and souvenirs are also counted as benefits for the members.
What types of events are prioritized by the McLaren F1 Owners Club?
The primary notion of the club was to celebrate the milestone anniversaries of the McLaren cars, namely the 20th and 25th. In order to do that the authorities were able to attract 22 chassis of the remaining 103 of the McLaren F1.
It is understandable that the basic requirement of the club does not allow a large population to take part in the events as the number of vehicle owners is very limited. However, the F1 Owners Club and the events organized with the help of White Label Events turned out to be quite famous and successful. It motivated the authorities to include annual events in different cities and countries to take the success of the club to a whole new level and allow more people to be a part of it.
Previous Notable Events:
- McLaren F1 – 20th Anniversary – Italy, 2012
- McLaren F1 – Tuscany – Italy, 2014
- McLaren F1 – Wyoming – USA, 2015
- McLaren F1 – 25th Anniversary – Bordeaux, 2017
- McLaren – High Desert Drive – Utah, 2018
- McLaren – Peloponnese – Greece, 2021
- McLaren F1 – 30th Anniversary – Italy, 2022
- McLaren P1 – 10th Anniversary – Spain, 2022
Upcoming Events:
- McLaren Ultimate Series: The Three Peaks – Switzerland, 2023
What cars are seen in the events?
As the name suggests, the McLaren F1 is the heart of the entire club and the majority of the events are organized with the F1s only. However, there is another model based on the F1. The McLaren P1 has been a regular for many participants in several annual events.
The McLaren F1
The McLaren F1 is one of the most unique sports cars in the entire world due to various reasons. It was in production from 1992 until 1998 and there were a total of 106 units built. The original design was conceived by Gordon Murray and the mid-engined, rear-wheel drive, 2-door coupe was manufactured by McLaren Cars.
The 6.1L naturally aspirated V12 engine is still among the fastest without forced induction. The power output is 618 hp and the maximum torque is 479 lb.-ft. The 6-speed manual gearbox blends well with the characteristics and allows the sports car to reach 60 MPH from a standstill in just 3.9 seconds.
The top speed of 240.1 MPH has very few cars in the current generation offering a higher figure. The most iconic part besides the gullwing door was the three-seat arrangement with the driver in the middle and the passengers’ seats a little behind in the line offering better visibility.
The McLaren P1
While the predecessor was all about breaking the records without any forced induction, the McLaren P1 is a hybrid sports car with a turbocharger. The 3.8L twin-turbocharged V8 coupled with a 7-speed DCT offers a combined power output of 903 hp.
It has the same three-seat layout as the F1 and the rest of the structure is quite similar as well. The 2-door coupe comes with butterfly doors and the total production number from 2013 to 2015 is 439. McLaren, despite having ceased the production for both these cars, continues to support the owners with necessary parts and services to date.
