Garage 59 Announces Blancpain GT Return for Silverstone, Spa

Photo: Vision Sport Agency

Reigning Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup champions Garage 59 will return to the series for a two-race program in the Am Cup, the team announced on Monday.

A single McLaren 650S GT3 will be entered for BBC Top Gear presenter Chris Harris, McLaren Automotive Chief Test Driver Chris Goodwin and Alexander West.

The trio will compete in this weekend’s three-hour race at Silverstone, as well as July’s Total 24 Hours of Spa.

Garage 59 entered a two-car effort in the series last year, but was replaced as the lead McLaren team by Strakka Racing, which now has four cars for both the Sprint and Endurance Cups.

Rob Bell, Come Ledogar and Shane van Gisbergen won the Endurance Cup with Garage 59 last season.

For 2017, the Garage 59 name continues in International GT Open as well as with a two-car entry in the British GT Championship with the McLaren 570S GT4.

Harris returns to the series having competed in a Bentley Continental GT3 last season, and joins Goodwin who makes his first Blancpain GT Endurance Cup start since Spa 2013.

“After the successes of 2016, it is great to be back contesting the Blancpain Endurance Cup with the 650S GT3 for these two events,” said Team Manager Tim Mullen.

“The lineup of drivers we have is very exciting, with a great mix of experience, strong pace and passion for racing.

“Chris Goodwin is obviously a huge asset to the team, bringing knowledge of both the car but also more than 20 years of top-level GT racing, while Chris Harris has shown himself to be one of the quickest and most consistent Am drivers on the Blancpain grid.

“It is also great to see Alexander taking the step up to arguably the most fiercely-fought GT championship in the world.

“We have seen him progress significantly over the past couple of seasons in International GT Open alongside Factory Driver Côme Ledogar, and this will be a really exciting challenge for him.”

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.