There can be few locations for a racecar constructor that can rival that of Sports 2000 specialist, MCR. Perched on the verdant heights above the lovely little harbour of Solva, just down the road from the achingly picturesque city of St Davids in the very far west of Wales, this company is a long way from the homogenous industrial estates of the UK’s Motorsport Valley in every respect.
Yet, while MCR’s base might be far from the heart of British motorsport, it’s still able to draw on a deep well of technical capability, partly thanks to a tie up with the motorsport engineering course run by the Swansea campus of University of Wales Trinity Saint David, formerly known as Swansea Institute. What’s more, through this relationship the Welsh company has managed to transform what was already a highly successful racecar, doubling its downforce with no increase in drag. Which, when it comes to aero development, is about as good as it gets.
The name MCR might be familiar to readers in North and South America, as the original cars, designed by Brazilian Luiz Fernando Cruz, have been campaigned extensively in Sports Prototype racing on both continents. Clive Hayes, managing director of MCR in Wales, first came into contact with the cars in the 2000s, when a friend of his, motorsport paint expert Matt Manderson, imported a couple for the pair of them to race. Manderson then stepped back from Sports 2000 due to work commitments in F1, but Hayes went on to order another two MCRs from Brazil himself.
‘I guess the car has been developed over the years by informed common sense, if you like, in terms of aero concept’
Tim Tudor, senior lecturer in motorsport and automotive engineering at Trinity St David
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‘I purchased two cars in kit form,’ he confirms, ‘but when they arrived, they were in a bit of a mess because the couriers had put a forklift through the pallet,
