Strakka Racing has revised its driver lineup for the 24 Hours of Spa, with Renault Sport Trophy champion Pieter Schothorst replacing Dean Stoneman, who has cut ties with the McLaren factory GT program.
Schothorst, who won the single-make Renault R.S.01 GT championship last year, will mark his first race apperance in McLaren machinery at the centrepiece round of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup on July 29-30.
The Dutch driver will share the #59 650S GT3 with Jazeman Jafaar and Andrew Watson, who are yet to score points in this year's endurance campaign after a tough start.
“I’m really looking forward to working with Strakka,” said Schothorst.
“I raced against the team in R.S.01 in 2016 and I was highly impressed by its approach, commitment and just the way it goes racing."
"This will be my third Spa 24 Hours and I want to bring some of my experience of the event to the team. A huge thanks to McLaren GT and Strakka for this opportunity.”
“The car is a joy to drive, which is important in an endurance race like Spa," he added.
“It’s smooth and I found it agile in the twisty sections. I know my team mates are quick so I think we can all do good job.”
Schothorst replaces Stoneman, who will not continue as a member of the McLaren factory GT program following the #59 car's troubled start to 2017 that included a retirement at Monza and finishes outside the top-20 at Silverstone and Paul Ricard.
The 2010 Formula 2 champion and 2014 GP3 Series runner up (to Alex Lynn) was signed on as a factory asset in March.
However, poor results this season have prompted Strakka and McLaren to shake up their driver roster in the hope of retaining some of the lost ground.
"It’s a regrettable decision, but the season just hasn’t gone as I had hoped,” said the 26-year-old.
“I will now regroup and examine all future opportunities.”
Strakka Racing team principal Jay Davenport added: "We enjoyed working with Dean this season. We’d like to thank him and wish him the best for the future.”
The 24 Hours of Spa will be a one-off for Schothorst, who raced a WRT-entered Audi R8 earlier in the season.
Strakka Racing will wait until after Spa to announce another replacement driver for the 3 Hours of Barcelona season finale in October.
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