Charlie Martin and Emily Bishop claim first McLaren Trophy class victory at Spa-Francorchamps
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Charlie Martin and Emily Bishop enjoyed an eventful but ultimately rewarding weekend at Spa-Francorchamps as the McLaren Trophy Europe supported the prestigious CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, overcoming a dramatic accident in the opening contest to secure their first victory together in the AM class.
Charlie Martin and Emily Bishop enjoyed an eventful but ultimately rewarding weekend at Spa-Francorchamps as the McLaren Trophy Europe supported the prestigious CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, overcoming a dramatic accident in the opening contest to secure their first victory together in the AM class.
Martin showcased her speed taking AM pole position, while Bishop made impressive progress during her first ever weekend at Spa and in the McLaren Artura Trophy EVO. The pair ultimately bounced back from an unfortunate first day to claim a first all-female class victory in Race 2 that also puts Martin into the lead of the AM championship standings heading into the next round.
Charlie Martin arrived at the second round of the 2026 McLaren Trophy Europe season with growing confidence after one of the most remarkable comeback stories of the opening weekend at Monza.
Originally travelling to the Italian circuit to network in search of future opportunities after an 18-month absence from racing, Martin unexpectedly found herself back on the grid when a last-minute vacancy became available.
Despite having no race suit, helmet or equipment with her, missing all pre-event testing and not having raced at Monza since 2019, the British racer seized the opportunity, quickly adapted to the McLaren Artura and impressively claimed back-to-back runner-up finishes in the AM class.
For the second round of the championship at Spa-Francorchamps, supporting the legendary 24 Hours of Spa, Martin returned with a new team, joining Niemann Autosport alongside newcomer Emily Bishop.
For Martin, Spa represented familiar territory, having previously enjoyed success at the Belgian circuit during her Lamborghini Super Trofeo campaigns, including a dominant pole position a few years earlier.
Her new teammate, however, was facing an entirely different challenge.
Emily Bishop, a British racer with experience primarily in club racing in the United States, particularly at Portland International Raceway, was making her debut at this level of international GT competition. It was her first experience in the McLaren Artura Trophy and also her first time driving the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit, effectively being thrown into the deep end against a very competitive field.
While the learning curve proved steep, Bishop made impressive progress throughout every session of the weekend.
Practice immediately showed encouraging signs: the #96 Niemann Autosport McLaren recorded a best lap of 2:30.427 in the opening session, placing third in the AM class while both drivers familiarised themselves with the package. The improvement continued in FP2, where the duo lowered their benchmark to 2:29.237, climbing to second in class.
They found even more pace in the final practice session. A 2:28.429 moved Martin and Bishop to the top of the AM category heading into qualifying, having improved by more than two seconds across the three practice sessions.
Qualifying on Friday morning saw Charlie Martin produce a brilliant lap; fully dialled into the McLaren around one of the most challenging circuits, Martin clocked a 2:25.452 to secure AM class pole position.
The performance also placed the #96 McLaren 14th overall in the competitive 21-car field, once again displaying Martin's potential.
Charlie took the start of Race 1. She immediately converted pole into a clean getaway, gaining one overall position to run 13th while comfortably retaining the AM class lead over Philipp Prette.
Unfortunately, the race went sideways almost immediately afterwards. On the second lap, while climbing through Eau Rouge and Raidillon, Martin clipped the kerb on corner exit. The McLaren unsettled and, despite her attempts to save the slide, the car snapped towards the barriers at the top of Raidillon before making heavy contact with the wall.
The race ended instantly for the #96 crew. Most importantly, Martin emerged from the accident unharmed.
What followed was a remarkable effort from the team as well as the series: with only a few hours before the second qualifying session, the Niemann Autosport mechanics worked relentlessly to fix the damaged Artura. Despite missing FP4, their extraordinary effort ensured the car returned to the circuit in time for Q2 later that afternoon.
Emily Bishop climbed aboard the repaired McLaren for her qualifying session and continued her rapid progression despite the difficult circumstances. On her first qualifying appearance at Spa, Bishop recorded a best lap of 2:33.095 to secure 16th overall and second in the AM class, in another very encouraging performance considering her limited experience.
Saturday morning brought Race 2 under sunny skies and very warm conditions.
Bishop was entrusted with the opening stint, lining up in P16 overall and second in the AM category.
She made a cautious but composed getaway, dropping to 20th overall while maintaining second place in class behind Philipp Prette, who then began opening a small advantage.
Bishop concentrated on gaining experience in genuine race conditions around one of the world's most demanding circuits - and her confidence steadily increased with every lap.
Drama struck on lap three when class leader Prette encountered technical problems and was forced to pit. Bishop therefore inherited the AM class lead and continued to improve her pace throughout the stint.
She gained another overall position on lap 8 when Ianniello was forced to pit after his car's door became stuck open.
As the pit window opened, Bishop remained on track slightly longer to maximise valuable track time before handing over to Martin. The strategy was interrupted by a Safety Car when Burgoyne became stranded in the gravel at Les Combes.
Bishop made her mandatory stop just before the neutralisation, allowing Charlie Martin to take over for the closing stages. The lengthy neutralisation unfortunately trapped Martin one lap down, albeit retaining the class lead.
The race resumed with just nine minutes remaining. With little opportunity to recover the lost lap, Martin instead focused on managing the race, maintaining her pace and bringing the car safely to the finish.
She recorded her fastest lap of the race on the final tour and, after an emotional and dramatic weekend, Martin crossed the finish line to secure her first AM class victory.
It also marked the first victory for an all-female pairing in the series' history.
"The car felt mega on the circuit here, and I was fully dialled in for qualifying with pole in class and P14 overall", Charlie said of the insense weekend. "Frustratingly a mistake and contact with the barrier early in race one at Eau Rouge put us out of the race with only 2.5 hours to repair the car for Qualy 2."
"We all worked like mad to get the car out, an incredible effort where we moved a small mountain in 40-degree heat. Challenging isn't the word when I try to summarise the last few days. I feel bad that I let myself and the team down, but I equally feel like we achieved something pretty impressive together with very little time to prepare", she continued.
Despite the disappointment of Race 1, Martin was delighted to leave Belgium with a very solid AM class haul of points.
"We came away from race two with a class win, and currently leading the AM class in the championship, so I've got to say a massive thanks to everyone for digging in and making this happen. Can't wait for Misano."
For Bishop, the weekend represented an equally important milestone. Thrown into one of Europe's most challenging circuits with no previous experience, she showed steady improvement throughout every session, drove a solid opening stint in Race 2 and played a key role in securing the team's maiden class victory.
The successful weekend now sees Charlie Martin move to the top of the AM class championship standings as McLaren Trophy Europe heads to Misano for the third round of the season on 17-19 July.