- Jenson surprises Vodafone VIP customers at MTC
It’s a rare privilege indeed to enter the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team’s inner sanctum, the McLaren Technology Centre ( MTC ) near Woking, Surrey. But last Friday night 600 Vodafone guests got just that – and more.
After signing up to the new Vodafone VIP reward scheme, 300 lucky Vodafone customers, each bringing a guest of their choice, got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see inside the state-of-the-art facility. The usually tranquil central boulevard filled with people of all ages, everyone eager to view the spectacular parade of past and present McLarens and to see the workshops where Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button’s Formula 1 cars are prepared for action.
An added bonus came in the form of a close-up encounter with McLaren’s stunning new MP4-12C supercar. Powered by a McLaren-designed 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8, the MP4-12C is not due on sale until next year and made its first public appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend. This was the first time any of the guests had seen the car in any form other than pre-launch images.
There was a final surprise in store as a Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss, the million-dollar special edition version of the last McLaren-built supercar, cruised along the lake’s perimeter road with Jenson Button at the wheel. Jenson had swung by on his way to Goodwood and was eager to meet his fans. It was a tremendous way to round off a special evening.
“I’m always grateful to the people who’ve stayed loyal to me over the years,” he said. “I think it’s great that Vodafone is finding new ways to reward the loyalty of its customers.”
As well as offering tickets to the 2010 Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix, Vodafone VIP has a huge range of experiences waiting for you this summer, including advance access to tickets for London Fashion Week and free tickets to music festivals including Leeds, Reading, Wireless and T in the Park. Vodafone VIP is open to all Vodafone contract and pay as you go customers, and all you have to do to join is visit vodafone.co.uk/vip