After getting a deal to bring Comtoyou to GT3 racing, Audi will see more Belgian power into its roster on FANATEC GT World Challenge Europe in 2023, as two iconic names, Boutsen Racing and Marc VDS, will join forces in the now called Boutsen VDS venture.
The newly formed union will see Boutsen VDS compete in the whole season in a single Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II for the moment, with Aurelien Panis and Alberto di Folco named as the drivers. For the moment, none of the drivers is indicated to be moving away from the Silver rating in SRO’s new system for 2023, which would rule them out of the Gold Cup and Silver Cup in either Sprint or Endurance Cup, so they will either be in the Bronze Cup or compete as an Overall entry.
From the Boutsen Racing side, they will be keeping a recently formed alliance with Audi after having commitments with multiple manufacturers over the last decade, be them inside or outside the SRO competitions. Oreca, McLaren, BMW, REITER Engineering, Honda and Lamborghini are the OEMs that Boutsen Racing competed with, with an Am Cup title in the 2018 Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup being one of their recent achievements.
As for the Marc VDS side, the cat is back to the cars after saying a momentary goodbye in 2015, as management issues and a dissatisfaction with the 24 Hours of Spa entry rules made them cut their ties with BMW, only to return briefly in the equally short Renault R.S. 01 Trophy to then focus totally on motorcycle racing for more seven years from that point.
Both teams had envolvement in the most prestigious sportscar racing series and races of the globe, with them competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP1, LMP2 and LMGT1 classes, while also having a huge fondness for the 24 Hours of Spa, and while Boutsen Racing can be said to have the longest and most stable commitment, Marc VDS was the most adventurous and accomplished of the two, initially fielding a Ford Mustang FR500 GT3 built at home, a BMW Alpina B6 GT3 and a Ford GT GT3 before becoming one of BMW’s top tier teams, being with the Bavarian manufacturer in the Blancpain Endurance Series, VLN and ELMS.
Curiously, 2023 will see Marc VDS revert roles with fellow Belgian squad WRT, which will compete in BMW machinery after one of the longest and most decorated commitments of Audi Sport’s history, and of the GT3 class as well, which ended once the 2022 season was over.
The 2023 FANATEC GT World Challenge Europe will start at Monza on 23 April.
PHOTO: Boutsen VDS
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