The story behind the 2026 Whitsun Trophy-winning McLaren M1B

The M1B was developed for the 1966 season as an evolution of the McLaren Elva M1A. It featured the same tubular frame structure but with a stiffened chassis, as well as double-wishbone suspension, coil springs and a four-speed Hewland LG400 transaxle.

Most of the limited production cars were sold to privateers. This particular M1B was supplied new to Bill Kay in the United States, who intended to share the driving with Pete Revson. Unfortunately, Kay died before the first scheduled outing at Brands Hatch, so it was instead driven by Chris Amon who brought it home in third place.

The car was soon acquired by George Drummond of Drummond Racing. Revson retained his seat, though the car didn’t show up for the first three events it was entered into in 1966. It finally made its debut under the Drummond banner at Riverside in October.

Revson started from a lowly 31^st on the grid but battled his way to finish sixth. In November, he finished fourth in Las Vegas and continued his ascent to come third in the Nassau Trophy Race during Bahamas Speed Weeks in December.

Skip Barber bought the car for the following season and swapped the Ford V8 for a Chevrolet engine. The best result of his season was a third-place finish at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix. In every race, Barber improved up on his starting position, but the two-year-old car run by a privateer team had little chance of winning the series. The car was mothballed until it resurfaced in 2000.

In 2012 the car was bought by American historic racer Brad Hoyt, who raced it at venues such as Road America and Watkins Glen. But he had an ambition to race at the Goodwood Revival and so brought the McLaren to the UK in 2019. Since then, it has been looked after by Tim Willmer’s Lexham Engineering in Norfolk. Hoyt himself drove the car that year, but in more recent years James Davison has taken the wheel.

A major overhaul ahead of the 2022 season saw the car returned to its original 1966 livery, which it retains today. That year, a problem during qualifying saw him start from the back of the grid and battle his way to fourth by the time the flag dropped.

Race-winning credentials were established with a victory in 2023, while 2024 was spoilt by mechanical problems. After a break in 2025, the M1B was back this year to see whether it could claim another victory, still in the hands of Davison but under new ownership.

For Tim Willmer, it’s an emotional return. “I love these cars,” he told us at the Revival, “and this one especially. I have a soft spot for it because me and the previous owner became really good friends and unfortunately he died last year. This always reminds me of Brad because we had some great times here.

“When we won in 2023, it was the last time he came over to the UK and it was a fantastic event. We just had a great time. And to see him so happy, even though he was quite ill, was amazing.”

When we spoke to Willmer, Davison had qualified on pole for the 2026 Whitsun Trophy, and was joined on the front row by another car being run by Lexham Engineering: the Lola T70 of Alex Brundle. Comparing the two cars, Willmer explained how the McLaren is smaller than the T70, “so it’s a bit more nimble and quicker with the chicane and things like that. It’s a perfect weapon around here, really. It’s a fantastic car.”

And so it proved. Davidson chalked up his second victory in the Whitsun Trophy at the 2026 Revival in what was an action-packed affair.

Main image photography by Charlie Brenninkmeijer.

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