Garage 59 Sets Lineup for Maiden LMGT3 Campaign

Garage 59 has revealed its driver lineup for its first season in the FIA World Endurance Championship, with reigning Asian Le Mans Series champion Antares Au notably making the switch from Porsche machinery to make his series debut alongside Marvin Kirchhoefer.

Announced on Monday, Au and Kirchhoefer will share the No. 10 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo with Silver-rated Thomas Fleming, who was a three-time Gold Cup class winner with Garage 59 in GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup this year.

Au joins Garage 59 after several years of campaigning Porsche machinery in various championships, with that tenure including a class victory in the Nürburgring 24 and championship success in Asian Le Mans with Manthey.

The Hong Kong racer made his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut last year, sharing a Manthey-run Porsche 911 GT3 R with Loek Hartog and Klaus Bachler.

Kirchhoefer, a McLaren factory driver, will make his first appearance in the world championship and is set for his debut at Le Mans, stepping into WEC with a strong record that includes a GTD class victory at this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The German will dovetail his WEC commitments with a role as a third driver for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

“I’m excited for this new chapter as I have wanted to compete in WEC for a long time,” said Kirchhoefer.

“We’ve had a great year in GT World Challenge, celebrating a few wins and a few pole positions, and this really motivates me to keep that momentum going into the new season of WEC.

“I must give great credit to the team as everyone has worked so hard this year and it was been a pleasure to be part of the Garage 59 story.

“I hope we can continue to celebrate together. We have lots of new challenges coming our way, in fact this will be my first Le Mans, and I cannot wait to get started with Tom and Antares.”

Garage 59’s second car, which will carry the team’s trademark No. 58, features a lineup consisting of team co-owner Alexander West, Finn Gehrsitz and Benjamin Goethe.

Goethe will make his WEC debut after taking two overall victories in GTWC Europe Sprint Cup this year, while Gehrsitz joins the British squad after a year racing for Akkodis ASP Team’s Lexus LMGT3 effort, scoring two class poles.

West, who has extensive endurance experience with a variety of different manufacturers, has two previous Le Mans appearances to his name, both in Ferrari machinery in GTE-Am.

His most recent start in 2022 came as part of an Inception Racing-run entry that was fielded under the Garage 59 banner.

“Taking Garage 59 into the FIA World Endurance Championship is a milestone moment for everyone involved in the team,” said West.

“We’ve built this team step-by-step over many years, and the opportunity to return to the world stage, particularly at events like Le Mans, is something we’ve all been working towards.

“Running the No. 58 carries real meaning for us, and I’m proud to drive it into this next chapter alongside Benji and Finn. There’s a huge challenge ahead, but we feel ready, motivated and excited to get started.”