Garage 59 to Take Over McLaren LMGT3 Entries

Garage 59 will step up to campaign the McLaren 720S GT3 Evo in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s LMGT3 class starting next year, replacing United Autosports as that team switches focus to the development of McLaren’s LMDh program.

The British squad, owned by Alexander West, Andrew Kirkaldy and Chris Goodwin, will field a two-car effort from what it describes as a new “state-of-the-art” base in Northampton.

It has long campaigned McLaren machinery in GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, enjoying a successful campaign this year that included victories and a title challenge for Benjamin Goethe and Marvin Kirchhoefer in Sprint Cup, pole position for the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa and an overall win for its Gold Cup car in the recent Barcelona Endurance Cup finale.

Garage 59 takes over McLaren LMGT3 operations from United Autosports, which represented the Woking marque since the class was introduced last year and took its first victory at Circuit of The Americas in September.

The Anglo-American squad said in a separate statement that it has chosen to take a one-year hiatus from WEC in order to “focus crucial time and resources” on the development of McLaren’s LMDh car, which is set to debut in the world championship in 2027.

“We are proud to be partnering with McLaren on the world stage,” said Garage 59 team principal Kirkaldy. “Competing in the WEC with two McLaren GT3 cars isn’t just a progression, it’s a statement of intent.

“We know how intense the competition is in the WEC but we believe we have the people, the infrastructure, and the resolve to be competitive from day one.”

Garage 59 has stated that it plans to continue in GTWC Europe alongside its new WEC effort, with driver lineups for both series to be announced at a later date.

“Motorsport is intrinsic to the DNA of McLaren Automotive and it’s exciting to continue our journey in the LMGT3 class with new racing partner Garage 59,” said McLaren Automotive CEO Nick Collins.

“We hope to continue our strong progress and race winning performance with our new racing partners in 2026.”

United, for its part, has reaffirmed that it will remain active in a number of other championships, including the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series.

“It is truly an honour to race in the WEC, so this is not a decision we have taken lightly,” said United Autosports CEO Richard Dean.

“But when you have the opportunity to race in Hypercar and form a team with McLaren Racing with the goal to compete for outright victory in the championship, including Le Mans, that is something we have worked for, fought for, dreamed of for years, so we are doing everything in our power to make it a success.

“I would like to thank WEC for their support, and wish Garage 59 and McLaren Automotive the best of luck next season in LMGT3.

“We will be back on the grid in 2027 as part of the McLaren United AS WEC Hypercar Team and we can’t wait.”