Garage 59 To Run McLaren 650S GT3s in Blancpain GT

McLaren GT confirmed on Friday that the newly-formed Garage 59 team will compete with the McLaren 650S GT3 in the 2016 Blancpain GT Series.

Little is known about Garage 59 so far, although there are indications the UK-based organization could be a rebirth of CRS Racing under a new guise.

Public domain records indicate that Garage59.co.uk is registered to CRS Racing Limited, Andrew Kirkaldy’s team that was behind the formation of McLaren GT in 2011.

The team is expected to utilize factory drivers and key staff members from McLaren GT in Blancpain Sprint and Endurance Cup, as well as International GT Open.

Garage 59 is a direct reference to McLaren’s heritage, as the No. 59 was worn by the McLaren F1 GTR when it won the 24 hours of Le Mans on its debut in 1995, while most recently it helped take McLaren to victory in the Bathurst 12 Hour.

The new team will most likely fill the void left by Von Ryan Racing in the Blancpain GT Series. So far, only Molitor Racing Systems indicated it is looking to run the McLaren 650S GT3 in the SRO Motorsports Group-run series.

McLaren GT previously announced that Rob Bell and new signing Côme Ledogar will compete in the Blancpain Endurance Cup, while Alvaro Parente will join Bell in the Sprint Cup.

The team is expected to confirm details in the coming weeks.

Marcel ten Caat contributed to this report