Coalville, Leicestershire-based Garage 59 has announced its driver line-ups for the 2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup and revealed the liveries for its pair of new-generation Aston Martin Vantage GT3s.
In the Pro category AMR Junior driver and former McLaren GT works driver Andrew Watson will join 27-year-old French driver Côme Ledogar and Aston Martin factory driver and 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans LMGTE Pro class winner Jonny Adam in the #59 entry.
“I think we have a competitive package in the #59 Vantage,” said Adam. “I know that Côme has a very strong racing pedigree and I have known how talented Andrew is since I coached him during the early stage of his career. Garage 59 is a good team and they know the Blancpain championship inside and out.
“Combine all of that with the new Vantage GT3 and you get the ability to forge the consistent result you need to go after championship victories. Don’t get me wrong though, the PRO class is highly contested and we will face extremely tough opposition but I don’t see any reason why we can’t turn up at the first race and get a strong result.”
The team’s #188 entry will be campaigned by a trio of drivers with significant experience working together. Having finished second in the 2018 AM drivers standings, team owner Alexander West will return for the 2019 season with Aston Martin Expert High Performance Test Driver Chris Goodwin and Top Gear presenter Chris Harris.
Alexander West is delighted that he, Goodwin and Harris are returning for new season.
“We were pleased to earn the runner-up spot last year but we’re all competitive people so of course we want the title,” said Alexander West. “The new Garage 59 is just as focused on winning the title as the old one and we believe we have the right partner in Aston Martin to do so. It’s going to take a lot of hard work from Garage 59 and Aston Martin Racing but testing has gone well so far, and we are all fired up for the challenge and looking forward to getting stuck in at the first race at Monza.”
The opening round of the 2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup takes place at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on April 13 – 14.