Martin Shows Race-Winning Pace at Spa Despite Challenging Weekend

Rounds three and four of the McLaren Trophy Europe took place at the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps last weekend, with Will Martin facing another new challenge as he made his first competitive appearance at the iconic Belgian venue.

Following the significant damage sustained at Monza, the #33 Greystone GT McLaren underwent a full rebuild ahead of Spa. With limited running available, free practice focused on finding a strong set-up and maximising performance ahead of qualifying.

Despite soaring temperatures approaching 40 degrees, Martin delivered an impressive qualifying performance, securing fifth position on the grid for Race 1.

Taking the start, Will initially lost one position into the tight opening corner before immediately settling into the race and beginning his fight back. On lap two, the race was neutralised after a car crashed heavily at Eau Rouge, bringing out the safety car.

The race resumed on lap five, with Martin quickly moving back into fifth place and applying pressure on the car ahead for fourth. As the mandatory pit window opened on lap seven, Will continued pushing before handing over the #33 McLaren to teammate Hugo Bac at the end of lap nine.

During the driver change, a tangled seat belt cost the team valuable time in the pits, dropping the car down the order once the stops had cycled through. Rejoining in 12th position, Bac immediately set about recovering the lost ground.

A second safety car period on lap 11, caused by a stranded car, again interrupted the race. With the action resuming on lap 15 and less than eight minutes remaining, there was limited time for further progress, but Bac brought the #33 Greystone GT McLaren home in eighth place in the Silver class.

Race 2 at Spa-Francorchamps delivered an action-packed encounter for the #33 Greystone GT McLaren, with Will Martin and Hugo Bac fighting their way through the field in a dramatic race.

Starting from eighth position, Bac took the opening stint and found himself shuffled back to 14th place after a tightly packed run down to Turn 1. Showing strong pace, he immediately began his recovery and by the end of the opening lap had regained a position, before continuing his charge through the field. By lap eight, Bac had climbed into the top ten.

With the pit window opening on lap nine, the #33 McLaren came into the pits the following lap for the mandatory driver change, with Will Martin taking over behind the wheel. A much smoother stop than the previous race allowed Martin to rejoin in seventh position once the pit cycle had completed.

A safety car period on lap 11 brought the field back together, with racing resuming on lap 16 and just nine minutes remaining on the clock. At the restart, Martin wasted no time attacking, immediately making progress and charging his way into third place by the end of the lap.

On the final lap, Will produced a stunning move into the Turn 1 hairpin to claim second place, before closing right onto the rear of the leader as they battled to the finish line. Martin crossed the flag in an impressive second place, securing a standout result for the #33 Greystone GT McLaren.

However, a post-race penalty for a restart infringement unfortunately dropped the final classification to seventh place.

Despite the penalty, the performance at Spa highlighted the pace and potential of the Martin/Bac pairing, with the team continuing to build momentum in McLaren Trophy Europe.