While there’s been plenty of movement in the LMGT3 driver market this year in the FIA WEC, the list of teams has stayed almost entirely static. There is one new name, however, and that’s Garage 59, which takes the place of United Autosports as McLaren Automotive’s partner team while the Wakefield-based outfit prepares to take McLaren Racing to Hypercar in 2027.
It’s a big move for Garage 59 and its owners, Andrew Kirkaldy and Chris Goodwin, who both formed part of the original McLaren GT set-up through the 12C GT3 and 650S GT3 eras, plus Alexander West, to take on a world championship for the first time. But the team is well-prepared for the tasks ahead and has a track record that suggests it is more than capable of bursting onto the scene and delivering big results early in the season.
“We’re settling in alright, there’s just a lot to learn. But at the end of the day, running a car is something we’re relaxed about. It’s just rules, regulations, and energy management,” Kirkaldy tells DSC. “We’ve done testing, we did two days in Qatar with the Goodyear tyres, and then we were into the Prologue. We also tested here at Imola, but with a standard GT3 car.”
Since being selected by McLaren to take over the LMGT3 reins, it’s been hard at work, pushing to put itself in a position to replicate the race and title-winning set-up in SRO competition across Europe that it has built over the course of more than a decade.
Part of that process has included a major project to move from its current Brackley facility, which houses its GT3, track day and historic programmes, to a significantly larger base in Northampton. Once it is fully operational, it will house all of its programmes, including the new WEC effort, under one roof for the first time in many years, replacing several smaller units in the Brackley area.
United Autosports has also assisted Garage 59 in its transition to LMGT3.
“They were very helpful,” adds Kirkaldy. “When this all came up, one of the things we said was that it would be crazy for us to step into this without the knowledge that had been gained. All information has come from United to us, that’s race reports, data and they were really good. One of our cars is actually a United car, the other one is new.
“McLaren has also been supportive, and we’ve got two of their guys here. Learning how systems work in the series is fundamental to success.”
Giorgio Sanna, the new head of motorsport at McLaren Automotive, has been working with the team over the winter and enters the season confident that it will find its feet quickly.
“Garage 59 was ready to start in Qatar, so the extra weeks are nice, but ultimately they worked very well during the winter, and they were preparing themselves in the best way possible, together with us,” he tells DSC.
“We remain optimistic for the start of the season, and I believe that we will be very competitive. We are working hard on fine-tuning the car, and I think we also have the right drivers. The team has worked hard to improve their organisation and raise the bar. They are on the right path.”
A key reason that Sanna doesn’t believe the team will struggle to operate at the same level as the other teams in the WEC’s LMGT3 class is because of Garage 59’s experience in GT World Challenge Europe.
“I think IMSA WeatherTech and the WEC are both very high-level championships, but don’t underestimate the level of performance required by the GT World Challenge Europe,” he points out. “When you are a winning team in GT World Challenge Europe, in my opinion, you can win everywhere. So I have high expectations for Garage 59.
“Then, of course, it’s a matter of understanding the new tyres, the new regulations. Every championship is different. But the performance and the level of preparation that you need in GT World Challenge is something that cannot be underestimated. I believe that they will be competitive from the first race onwards.”
This isn’t a one-shot deal for the team while United shifts its focus to developing the Hypercar. McLaren intends to remain in LMGT3 with Garage 59 beyond this season. Sanna believes this is the first chapter of a long-term programme for the team on the world stage, which will see it run alongside the Hypercar effort.
It is therefore likely to extend into the next era for the brand in GT3 with its fourth model, as part of Sanna’s wider strategy which will see McLaren step away from GT4 and build up its single-make and GT3 programmes in the coming years.
“The vision from both sides is to build up a long-term partnership in WEC,” Sanna explains. “For both sides, our future is in our hands. I really appreciate the loyalty of the teams we have today. There will be for sure an expansion in the future, with new teams coming from Europe, America and Asia Pacific, but first of all, we have to support the teams with the longest history with the McLaren brand, like Garage 59.
“The priority for us right now is more on quality than quantity in GT3. I’m not particularly interested in bringing in new teams at this moment, because we have to grow in terms of organisation and support for our customers.
“We will support the teams we have, like Garage 59, RLL, Greystone, and Optimum, in the best way possible. We have to respect these teams and their programmes, then we will think about growth, with new teams, and this will happen at the right time.
“We will grow McLaren Trophy now, and in two years’ time I expect we’ll arrive at the level we expect in terms of ambition in terms of GT3.”
Images courtesy of DPPI & Andrew Lofthouse
