MG wants motor sport future

MG wants motor sport future

The historic MG brand and its Chinese owners have pledged a long-term commitment to motor sport.

MG, which has just put its MG6 saloon and coupe into production at its Longbridge plant in Birmingham, has made a low-key return to motor sport with a deal to sponsor the British RLR team’s MG EX265 LMP2 contender (right) in the remaining two rounds of this year’s Le Mans Series. This is the first step in what MG sales and marketing director Guy Jones said would be a long-term involvement in international and grass-roots motor racing. “We have been tasked with revitalising a historic brand which has a long involvement in motor sport,” said Jones. “We are looking to back club-level racing and also to have a presence in

top-level motor sport. This is the first step, which is appropriate for where our business is at the moment.”

Jones would not be drawn on MG’s future plans, but said the hope was to extend the deal with Team RLR, which could expand into a technical partnership. He added that MG would back competitors wanting to race its products at club level and said there was significant interest in racing next year’s MG3 hatchback in the MG Car Club’s MG Trophy.