McLaren Meet 2026

McLaren Meet 26: Shared Passion, Shop Talk, and Support for Cal’s Angels

McLaren Meet 26 brought our community together around the things we love: extraordinary cars, the people behind them, and the opportunity to make a difference. Thank you to everyone who joined Cannonball Garage on Saturday, September 19, for this year’s gathering in Gilberts, Illinois.

Whether you’re a longtime owner, a future owner, or someone who simply appreciates these machines, we want McLaren Meet to be a place where you feel welcome, ask questions, and share your enthusiasm.

Room for the Community, Rain or Shine

Our message to participants leading up to the event was simple: McLaren Meet 26 was on, rain or shine. With the addition of our expanded Cannonball Special Operations area, we had room to accommodate the main meet’s activities inside the garage. The expansion also gave us another part of the shop to share with guests interested in the work behind our engine program.

The morning’s lineup paired shop tours and conversation with All Belgium Waffles, whose Belgian Liège waffles added something sweet to the occasion.

Engines 101 LIVE: A Closer Look at McLaren Valve Covers

This year’s Engines 101 LIVE program focused on a subject that has become an important part of our work: McLaren V8 valve covers and the issues our team has investigated around them.

In our participant email, we previewed Ivan’s discussion of a factory Technical Service Bulletin and the questions it raised about oil smoke, crankcase vacuum, oil scavenging, and turbocharger oil return flow. We also outlined the distortion our team has observed in used factory plastic valve covers and how those findings informed Cannonball’s own solution.

Bringing that discussion and much more into a live setting is exactly what Engines 101 is about: sharing what we’re learning and helping owners better understand the engineering inside their McLaren’s engine.

From the Podium to the Meet

The Cannonball-sponsored Advance Motorsports GT4 Artura team was featured in this year’s lineup following its podium finish at Road America. The program offered an opportunity to see the GT4 Artura up close, ask team members questions.

We also teased a special guest with extensive knowledge of the McLaren V8 powerplant, adding another reason for enthusiasts to look forward to the technical conversations.

Coming Together for Cal’s Angels

Supporting Cal’s Angels was an important part of McLaren Meet 26, with 100% of raffle proceeds designated for the organization and its work for children fighting cancer.

This year’s announced raffle prizes included:

An M-Engineering tune with Cannonball Garage dyno time.
A CSO McLaren coil set.
A Cannonball Garage oil change.
$1,000 off an Unobtainium purchase of $4,000 or more.
A 303 detailing kit.
A Uniden R8W radar detector.
A Grid Lounge sim racing prize.

Thank you to every contributing partner and everyone who supported the fundraiser. We’re proud to use our shared enthusiasm for cars to bring attention to a cause that matters to our team.

A Rally Plan With Safety First

The day’s planned driving portion was a URR McLaren rally to IronGate’s Cartoberfest for a VIP arrival. The destination’s advertised program included supercars, classic cars, custom condos, an Oktoberfest-themed menu, a polka band, and an award show.

As we explained to participants beforehand, the rally depended on safe road conditions. Our commitment was to assess conditions and reschedule that portion if necessary, keeping the safety of our guests and their vehicles first.

Thank You for Being Part of MM26

We appreciate our guests, partners, special guests, and Cannonball team for supporting this year’s gathering. We also want to recognize JR Photon, the photographer enlisted to document the cars, people, and moments that tell the story of this community.

Have a favorite memory or photo from McLaren Meet 26? Share it and tag Cannonball Garage. Visit our event page to explore the program, or visit our Cal’s Angels fundraising page to learn more about the cause.

Thank you to our amazing photographers JR Photon for the incredible images that they captured at the event. Go to their website to learn more. View the galllery of images below.