At this year’s Le Mans Classic (3–6 July 2025), the two 300 SL Gullwings prepared by HK-Engineering (#40 and #25) achieved major success across all three races. Particularly impressive was the performance of the Gullwing with start number 40, driven by Hans Kleissl and Yevgen Sokolovskiy: in two rain-soaked races – one of them at 4 a.m. – the duo even held the lead for extended periods. Belgian driver Ricky Claus also impressed in his LMC debut at the wheel of the second HK-prepared Gullwing (#25), delivering a strong and consistent performance, especially during night stages and in wet conditions.
In the overall classification across all three races, the Kleissl-Sokolovskiy team secured an outstanding 3rd place overall – an exceptional result, especially considering they finished ahead of four out of five Jaguar C-Types as well as all Ferrari and Aston Martin GT and race cars. In the GT class, Kleißl and Sokolovskiy claimed a commanding class victory, while Ricky Claus also reached the GT podium in 3rd place, finishing inside the overall Top 10 – an impressive feat given the highly competitive Plateau 2 grid of over 80 cars.
Off the track as well, the two race Gullwings drew significant attention from fellow teams, spectators, and media alike. It was a long weekend of racing, filled with intense impressions, ever-changing conditions, little sleep – and a great deal of adrenaline!
Photo – Credit : HK-Engineering / Peter de Rousset-Hall
