Garage 59 made an immediate impact in the FIA World Endurance Championship, as Tom Fleming claimed LMGT3 pole position at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari.
Driving the No. 10 McLaren 720S Evo (Garage 59 / McLaren), the young Brit dominated much of the 10-minute Hyperpole session, setting consistently fast laps early on.
Fleming’s pace proved untouchable, securing pole in his very first appearance in the championship.
McLaren Leads, Lexus Impresses, BMW Completes Top 5
Despite a late push from rivals, Fleming held on to a 0.226-second advantage over the field.
Akkodis ASP Team locked out second and third:
- 2nd: No. 78 Lexus RC F (Hadrien David)
- 3rd: No. 87 Lexus RC F (Clemens Schmid)
The top five was completed by:
- 4th: BMW M4 GT3 (Team WRT – Parker Thompson)
- 5th: BMW M4 GT3 (Team WRT – Sean Gelael)
Multiple manufacturers in the top five highlight the competitiveness of the LMGT3 category.
Dream Debut and Late Red Flag Drama
Tom Fleming reflected on his breakthrough performance: “We knew we had potential and we gave it everything — nothing left on the table.”
He also praised the work done by McLaren and Garage 59 over the winter.
The session was interrupted by a late red flag after the No. 34 Corvette Z06 GT3.R (Racing Team Turkey by TF Sport) spun into the gravel at Piratella.
Earlier, Peter Dempsey had delivered an impressive lap in the Corvette, marking a strong return to full-time competition.
With such a strong debut, Garage 59 and McLaren head into the 6 Hours of Imola as serious contenders.
The race gets underway Sunday at 13:00 CEST.
