MACDONALD – 24 HOURS OF SPA RACE REPORT – GT WORLD CHALLENGE EUROPE ENDURANCE CUP ROUND 4
The 2025 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps unfolded in glorious summer conditions – more reminiscent of a beach holiday than one of the world’s toughest GT3 endurance races. EDGE Sporting Management and McLaren factory driver Dean Macdonald returned to the Ardennes for his fourth 24-hour attempt, lining up with the #58 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo in the Gold Cup category.
Qualifying – Thursday Evening
As is typical at Spa, qualifying was tight across the 66-car GT3 field. Macdonald and his co-drivers delivered a consistent session to place the #58 machine P6 in Gold Cup, securing a solid platform for the twice-around-the-clock challenge to follow.
Race – Saturday/Sunday (24 Hours)
The race began under clear skies, with temperatures pushing the limits of both man and machine. Macdonald took to the circuit in the opening hours but was tagged on lap 1 and fell back to last (P75) position! By the eight-hour mark, with darkness blanketing the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, the car was running P2 in Gold Cup and P18 overall and making huge progress through the field.
At halfway distance, the #58 McLaren had climbed into the Gold Cup lead and was impressively positioned 10th overall, as one of only 14 cars remaining on the lead lap. Into the early morning hours, the crew continued to execute flawlessly, with Macdonald double-stinting through the cooler night conditions.
By hour 16, the #58 sat second in class and fourth overall—just four seconds behind the Verstappen.com Lamborghini, setting up a nail-biting final phase of the race.
Then, with just eight minutes left on the clock, Macdonald had retaken the Gold Cup lead, only for disaster to strike: a puncture forced an emergency stop. Fortunately, the car was close to the pit entry and avoided major damage, but the delay handed the lead back to the Lamborghini. The McLaren crossed the line in P2 in Gold Cup, just six seconds adrift of victory.
Dean Macdonald:
“That was the most physically demanding 24-hour race I’ve done, mainly because of the heat. In the daytime we could only single stint, but once it cooled, we managed double stints through the night. Dehydration and exhaustion were affecting a lot of people, but I felt strong thanks to good preparation.
My stints were smooth with no issues—until the final eight minutes, obviously. Still, it was a great race overall, the team did an amazing job, and we have to take the positives. I’d like to thank Garage 59, EDGE Sporting Management, and McLaren for the opportunity—I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
A commanding performance from Macdonald and the Garage 59 crew that deserved the win, but still delivered a podium result and a standout endurance showing on the world stage.
Results – Qualifying P6 (Gold Cup) / Race P2 (Gold Cup), P13 Overall