Three Audi R8 LMS ultra in the FIA GT Series and in the Blancpain Endurance SeriesThe Nurburgring and Zolder 24 Hour races also in the teams diaryBelgiums Laurens Vanthoor joined by international stars
The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT invited the press today at its premises in Baudour to present its 2013 sporting programme. Not a short one, it must be said!
The Belgian team will enter three Audi R8 LMS ultrain 2013 specificationsin both the Blancpain Endurance Series and the FIA GT Series. In the new sprint series launched by SRO, Swedish driver Edward Sandstrm will partner with Germanys Frank Stippler, while another car will be driven by Belgiums Laurens Vanthoor and Monacos Stphane Ortelli. These two line-ups composed of drivers who are already part of the WRT family will be joined by a third duo, entered in the Pro-Am category, composed of Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof from Austria and Germanys Ren Rast, explains Belgian Audi Club Team WRT team principal Vincent Vosse. Ren has repeatedly confirmed in recent years that he is a top GT driver and Nikolaus has done an excellent season with Vita4One last year. The pair can certainly aim at the Pro-Am title! Our objective as a team is to do better than the third place conquered in 2012.
The FIA GT Series will kick-off this weekend with the traditional Coupes de Pques at the Circuit Paul Armagnac in Nogaro, in South-West France. Saturdays qualifying session will give a first glimpse of the 2013 hierarchy, while the one-hour Qualifying Race will start at 2:30 pm on Sunday. The Championship Race, also of one hour duration, will start at 2:15 pm on Easter Monday, following the Easter Cup tradition.
As in the FIA GT Series, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT will enter three cars also in the Blancpain Endurance Series. Once again, the driver line-ups have been carefully selected, in cooperation with Audi Sport. We have been the Drivers and Teams Champions for two years in a row, in 2011 and 2012 , reminds Vincent Vosse, and we hope to do as well this year!
To that end, the team has called in some of the drivers involved in the FIA GT Series. Ren Rast will partner Laurens Vanthoor and Stphane Ortelli while Edward Sandstrm and Frank Stippler will be joined by German driver Christopher Mies, a member of the Champion trio last year. Another of the FIA GT Series drivers, Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof, will team up with the fast New-Zealander Matt Hallyday, who shone in GT1 last year, and Switzerlands Rahel Frey, who joins straight from the DTM. This year, the three Audis R8 LMS ultra of the Belgian squad will be included in the Pro Cup category.
This double programme, which includes the Total 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, will be complemented with two other one-day races : the 24 Hours of the Nrburgring on 19-20 May and the 24 Hours of Zolder on 31st August-1st September. At both instances, the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT will be present with a single car entry. Its still too early to announce the names of the drivers at the wheel of WRTs cars in those two races, says Vincent Vosse, but what I can say is that we wont go there just to fill the grid.
No doubt: the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT is committed defend Audis nametag in the GT scene and the 2013 season promises to be busy and exciting !
2013 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Driver Line-ups
FIA GT Series#11 Stphane Ortelli (MC) - Laurens Vanthoor (BE) (Pro)#12 Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof (AT) - Ren Rast (DE) (Pro-Am)#13 Edward Sandstrm (SE) - Frank Stippler (DE) (Pro)
Blancpain Endurance Series#1 Stphane Ortelli (MC) - Laurens Vanthoor (BEL) - Ren Rast (DE) (Pro)#2 Nikolaus Mayr-Melnhof (AT)Matt Halliday (NZ) - Rahel Frey (CH) (Pro) #13 Edward Sandstrm (SE) - Frank Stippler (DE)Christopher Mies (DE) (Pro)
