Late-Race Contact at Monza: Barr and Team Denied Podium
- RB
- Jun 3
- 2 min read
Monza, Italy - Round 2 of the GT World Challenge Endurance Cup brought the heat, both literally and figuratively, as Reece Barr and his #23 McLaren 720S GT3 teammates Alex Buncombe and Tommy Foster fought their way into podium contention, only for late-race drama to change the outcome.
Qualifying, seen all 58 cars separated by just two seconds, perfection was essential and even small issues came at a high cost. Struggles with tyre performance left the team starting further back than planned. But as the saying goes: it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.
“We knew our race car was strong,” said Reece. “Even though quali didn’t go our way, we were fully focused on moving forward.”
When the race began, Alex took the green flag and immediately carved his way through the chaos of Monza’s first chicane, gaining over ten positions during his stint. Reece took over next and was straight into the thick of it, going wheel to wheel in an intense, high-pressure stint under heavy heat.
“It was physically and mentally one of the toughest stints I’ve had,” Reece said. “But we made progress and got ourselves into the fight for the podium which was exactly the goal.”
The final pit stop went smoothly, and Tommy re-joined in contention for P3. But shortly after, the team’s podium hopes were dashed when Tommy was hit from behind into Turn 1, an unavoidable contact that resulted in a puncture and dropped the #23 down the order. Despite the setback, the trio fought on to finish P7 in class, salvaging valuable championship points.
“It’s a tough one to take considering how well we came back in the race,” Reece reflected. “But we’ve learned a lot, and we’ve shown again that our strength lies in consistency and persistence”
With the biggest race of the year Spa 24 Hours just three weeks away, the team now turns its full attention to preparation. The goal is clear: convert potential into the result they know they’re capable of.
Copyright © 2025 RBMotorsport, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is: reece@reecebarr.com
Comments