Points, punishment and perseverance at Spa

The CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa is never easy, but this year’s race was particularly unforgiving for Garage 59.

The 58 McLaren GT3 EVO of Tom Fleming, Benji Goethe and Louis Prette delivered an outstanding first half of the race, leading the Gold Cup at both the six and 12-hour marks and running in the Top 3 overall. That performance means the crew leaves Spa with a valuable haul of championship points, despite an ultimately frustrating finish.

After fighting at the front throughout Saturday evening and into the night, the 58 was forced into the pits for repairs following contact just before dawn on Sunday. The delay dropped the car 30 laps down, but the drivers and crew dug deep, kept pushing, and brought the car home in sixth place in Gold Cup.

The #59 McLaren, a brand-new car following the dramas of Monza, also showed its strength from the start. Marvin Kirchhöfer, Dean Macdonald and Joseph Loake started ninth and steadily climbed the order during the opening hours, moving up to third overall as the race settled into its rhythm. Sadly, their race came to an early end on Saturday night, after the car pitted with suspension damage and was forced into retirement.

Spa delivered more than its fair share of punishment this year, with intense heat adding another layer of difficulty to an already brutal 24-hour race. Garage 59 would like to pay tribute to every member of the team for the effort, resilience and determination they showed throughout the week.