McLaren Ascher Racing
We’ve had a relationship with McLaren since 1988, a legacy that thrives to this day. Our collaboration with Asher Racing is a natural extension of this link, seamlessly integrating with the McLaren Artura range of sim racing wheels.
It all started with a phone call from McLaren F1 boss Ron Dennis asking if Renvale would be interested in designing and manufacturing the wiring harness for the 1988 McLaren MP4/4, of course, we jumped at the opportunity and the relationship began.
The McLaren MP4/4, also known as the McLaren-Honda MP4/4, stands as one of the most successful Formula One car designs in history. Powered by Honda’s RA168E 1.5-litre V6-turbo engine, it was driven by the legendary teammates Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna during the 1988 Formula One season.
American engineer Steve Nichols led the design of the car’s chassis, having been entrusted with full responsibility by Ron Dennis. Gordon Murray, as Technical Director, ensured smooth coordination between the drawing office and production. Notably, Honda had produced the Constructors’ Championship-winning engines of 1986 and 1987 and switched from Williams to McLaren for the 1988 season, replacing McLaren’s outdated TAG-Porsche engines. Osamu Goto spearheaded the engine’s design and development.
Renvale essentially served as the 1988 team’s electronics department, and we take immense pride in contributing to one of Formula 1’s most successful cars. This achievement also helped propel the legendary Ayrton Senna to his first World Championship title.
Unlike the highly intricate wiring harness assemblies we design and manufacture for teams today. Which undergo an immense amount of design due to the complexity, weight and size of packaging. They also take many 100s of hours to manufacture in a highly specialised environment utilising aerospace grade wire and other special materials. and that’s only half of the story as then each wiring harness undergoes an enormous amount of quality control and testing.
Much of the wiring work in the early part of our contract with McLaren and the MP4/4 was done on-site. Nowadays it’s very strange to reflect on that as F1 electronics systems have evolved so far. Renvale founder Tony James his son Lee Karl Mapes (who remains as one of Renvale’s senior design engineers to this day) and Ron Dennis were present in the race shop during the fitting of the car’s wiring harness.
Fond memories remain for Renvale from that era. McLaren boss Ron Dennis would shout ‘Goodnight!’ at midnight and leave us to lock up the workshop, certainly something that wouldn’t happen nowadays!
The MP4/4 featured a significantly lower profile compared to its predecessor, the MP4/3, resulting in a more reclined driving position for the drivers. This design, coupled with its powerful Honda engine, led to unprecedented dominance in the 1988 season, with the car winning all but one race and securing all but one pole position. McLaren clinched the constructors’ title. The MP4/4 still retains the record for the highest percentage of laps led in a season, at 97.3% making it one of the most successful F1 cars of all time.
From 1988 to 1991, we designed and manufactured the wiring harnesses for every Championship-winning car, marking a four-year reign of dominance for McLaren. During this era, McLaren clinched all four Drivers’ Championships and Constructors’ titles. We are immensely proud to have contributed to this, and it remains a cornerstone of our company’s history.
Our working relationship with McLaren continued in 1993 with the iconic McLaren F1 Road Car, crafted by former F1 designer Gordon Murray.
This revolutionary vehicle boasted cutting-edge suspension, a unique three-seat configuration, and custom luggage that perfectly matched the interior. It even featured a specially designed CD player resilient to high G-forces. Not to mention, it held the title of the world’s fastest road car, with a staggering price tag of over £850,000!
Creating the one-piece main harness for a single car was a meticulous process, requiring two skilled technicians two weeks to complete on a 16ft by 4ft board.
Shortly after we began producing the road-going version of this supercar, we were tasked with designing and building the electrical system for the race-ready GTR version. Unlike the road car, which had significant input from TAG Electronics and our founder Tony James, we had considerable creative freedom with the race car. This ambitious and thrilling project culminated in a triumphant victory at the legendary Le Mans 24-hour race in 1995.
With this incredible insight into our companies history, we’re thrilled to announce Renvale’s new venture into the world of steering wheel development with the R102S sports car steering wheel. This exciting project has sparked a dynamic partnership with Ascher Racing, combining the best of both virtual and real-world motorsport technologies.
Building on our longstanding relationship with McLaren, we are now proud to expand our offerings with the Ascher Racing McLaren Artura range of SIM racing wheels. This addition is a natural progression for us, and we are excited to bring these top-tier products to our customers through our online shop by clicking HERE.
