Adam Christodoulou Spa 24 Hour Report

Christodoulou Sets Top McLaren Lap At Spa

Former British Formula Renault and Star Mazda Champion, Adam Christodoulou, has returned from Spa with a well-earned finish in Belgium's prestigious 24 hour endurance race.

Just missing out on a top-ten class finish at the Total 24 Hours of Spa, Christodoulou was partnered with regular Le Mans series team mate Phil Quaife, as well as Glynn Geddie and Roger Wills in the #60 VonRyan GT3-spec McLaren MP4-12C.

Taking eleventh in the Pro-Am class, and 25th overall, the new car showed promising form for McLaren who were making their return to twenty-four hour GT racing for the first time in fifteen years.

#60 McLaren GT McLaren GT: Adam Christodoulou, Glynn Geddie, Phil Quaife, Roger Wills

Photo by: Lucien Harmegnies

Despite still being at an early stage of its development, Christodoulou and his teammates demonstrated the potential of the car on Thursday by scoring fastest in the first free practice session.

Changeable conditions during qualifying generated a succession of red flags, which saw the team beginning in 38th place for Saturday's race start. However, slick driving quickly moved them into the top ten and twenty-four hours on, they brought the car home intact and with a laudable result.

Christodoulou managed to score the fastest individual lap, taking the 12C GT3 around the circuit in an outstanding lap time of 2:23.214 on lap 256.

Commenting on the team's impressive performance, Chris Goodwin, McLaren GT executive and McLaren Automotive Chief Test Driver said, “The performance of the 12C GT3 and its drivers in car 60 was equally pleasing. Feedback from the team’s engineers and drivers indicates that the 12C GT3 is meeting its reliability and drivability targets.”

As McLaren now looks to develop the car for a full consumer programme in 2012, this key race feedback will help to shape the development of the vehicle in the coming months.