The great supersonic race lost one of its major protagonists when McLaren supremo Ron Dennis admitted that the famous Formula 1 team had put its LSR plans on ice. Launched in December 1993, Dennis declared, 'We believe it is technically possible to put it through the sound barrier. Now we will decide if it is commercially viable, and whether it can be done in a manner which in no way detracts from Formula 1.' The last part of that statement may be the most significant given that McLaren's core business is F1.
Just prior to the withdrawal announcement, some sources close to the team suggested that they would wait to see how the likes of Richard Noble and Craig Breedlove fared before pushing ahead themselves. The same sources also suggested that there was a belief within McLaren that their design would work, while the others would not. Thus, it would be better to wait until the field was clear for an assault on the still unbeaten sound barrier. A further, and more intriguing suggestion, is that the McLaren Maverick project gained much of its research funding from Ayrton Senna and that he may even have been the intended driver.
None of the reasons above were among those cited by Ron Dennis when pushed for information by journalists at a post-Grand Prix press conference. In a reference to the ThrustSSC project, he said, 'We are not comfortable with being portrayed as a Goliath against a David. There is no scenario we can turn in our favour.' He also expressed concern that McLaren's presence could prompt Richnrd Noble and the ThrustSSC team into rushing their programme.
The first point made by Dennis is probably the most relevant, since if they were to win the race to the Sound Barrier, it could look as though they were 'buying' the record, while if they lost, it would be the equivalent of being beaten by the likes of Pacific in the F1 championship. While there is no doubting the sincerity of McLaren's attitude towards safety, any neutral observer would wonder why they should not be similarly concerned about F1, where the financial muscle of McLaren places continued pressure on teams at the back of the grid on an annual basis.
Although it's not too late for them to reactivate their programme, this probably spells the end for the Maverick project, which really is a great shame since the McLaren presence would have brought a great deal to the supersonic LSR challenge, one that the ThrustSSC team were looking forward to meeting head-on. Don't for a minute think that this reduces the pressure on the ThrustSSC team, since the other subsonic teams from around the world are right now taking aim at Richard Noble's existing record, while the other major supersonic contender, Craig Breedlove, is as experienced as anybody and ready to go. The race is still on..!!!!!
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