The #59 Garage 59 McLaren, raced by Shaun Balfe and Adam Smalley, took the outright victory in the Silverstone 500 today. The race was held in cold and slippery conditions, which meant that race strategy had to evolve throughout the three-hour event and it was the yellow and blue, Duckhams-liveried McLaren that came out on top.
The sister #77 McLaren of Morgan Tillbrook and Marcus Clutton almost made it a 1-2 for Garage 59 but a late race penalty for Clutton pushed him back to fifth on the track, which was second place in the Pro-Am class. They were later elevated to fourth overall when a car ahead of them received a post-race penalty.
This result means that Smalley and Balfe no longer only lead the Silver-Am title standings but they now stand atop the overall British GT rankings. Both drivers were delighted to be presented with the RAC Trophy for their efforts this afternoon.
SHAUN BALFE
“It’s all a little bit of a blur! The Silverstone 500 has a tendency to throw out your race strategy so you have to react in the moment. There were times where we were thinking ‘have we got this right’ but we were hanging in there and, as the race progressed, the car came good. With the setup, we did plan for the car to be better as the race went on. With all that you need a good team mate and a good car. It just all worked today.”
ADAM SMALLEY
“I’m still speechless and I don’t think my tears have quite dried yet. I want to say a massive thank you to Shaun, who did a stunning job, and to everyone at Garage 59. This is my second-ever GT weekend so winning the Silverstone 500 is a lifelong goal accomplished. Thanks also to Duckhams Yuasa, Car Finance 247 and all my sponsors. I still can’t believe it!”
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