The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT anxious to go back on track, at Algarve, after the summer break

The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT anxious to go back on track, at Algarve, after the summer break

02/09/2015

There will still be a flavour of summer at the Algarve track this weekend, as the holidays season is not over and the weather is expected to be glorious, but don’t be mistaken: the summer break is over for the world’s GT elite! Racing activity is resuming and it will do so close to the magnificent Atlantic coast of Southern Portugal for the fifth round of the Blancpain Sprint Series. For the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, the objective is to confirm and possibly improve the current status in the overall standings, which sees the Belgian squad leading in both the Teams’ and Drivers’ classifications. Laurens Vanthoor-Robin Frijns, the duo who lies on top of the Drivers’ point standings will lead the four Audi R8 LMS ultra-strong delegation in its usual driver pair configuration on a track that is among the best-liked by all drivers.

Team WRT Principal Vincent Vosse summarizes the team’s mood ahead of the long journey to Portugal: “We are all eager to be on a race track again after the long break. We are leading the Sprint championships, but nothing is done and this year’s season, with some highs and some lows, proves anything can happen. Also, some of our competitors have shown great strength in recent races, but we prepared well and the Algarve is a track we know well and which has a special place in our hearts.” It is there, indeed, that the Belgian squad posted its first international win, back in 2011, with Enzo Ide-Greg Franchi, in a round of the FIA European GT3 series.

For car #1 of Robin Frijns and Laurens Vanthoor, the priorities are now clearer, as underlined by the young Belgian: “After Spa, our chances in the Endurance championship are slimmer, while we are leading in the Sprint series, so the objective is to win that title. There are three races left, and Portimão is probably the most challenging event of the three for us, as I think that Misano and Zandvoort are more favourable to the Audis. The goal is to score heavy point in all the remaining races.” What is sure is that Vanthoor is fully re-energized after some well-deserved holidays in the US: “It was a long and intense first part of the season, and the break was welcomed, but now I can’t wait to be racing again!”

Vanthoor’s words are echoed by Stéphane Ortelli, the expert GT hero from Monaco: “The break has been too long, I am really anxious to be behind the wheel again! It is always a pleasure to go to Portimão, which is really one of the most beautiful tracks in the calendar, and similar to Spa because of its hilly design, with a lot of fast corners. With a GT car, it is quite a challenging track that requires a very good balance. The central position of the engine in the Audi R8 certainly helps. As always there, it will be important to qualify well: in recent years, despite the length of the track, we have seen very narrow gaps. Regarding the possible very high temperatures, Stéphane [Richelmi, his team mate and country fellow] and myself are really not worried; we are from the South and used to it, especially this year!”

The strong Belgian Audi Club Team WRT quartet is completed, as customary, by Christopher Mies-Enzo Ide and James Nash-Frank Stippler, who also aim at podium finishes.

The Algarve round will follow the standard format, with the Qualifying race scheduled at 14:15 on Saturday and the Main race at 14:05 on Sunday local time (one hour less than in Central Europe). They can be followed live on TV and webstream.

Blancpain Sprint Series - Round 5

Portimão, Algarve (Portugal)

4-6 September 2015

Timetable (all times local = CET-1)

Friday 4^th September 2015

13:45-15:05 Free Practice 1

15:45-17:05 Free Practice 2

Saturday 5^th September 2015
09:45-10:00 Qualifying 1

10:07-10:22 Qualifying 2

10:30-10:40 Qualifying 3

14:15-15:15 Qualifying Race

Sunday 6^th September 2015
14:05-15:05 Main Race

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT

#1 Laurens Vanthoor (B) – Robin Frijns (NL) (Pro)

#2 Enzo Ide (B) – Christopher Mies (D) (Pro)

#3 Stéphane Ortelli (MC) – Stéphane Richelmi (MC) (Pro)

#4 James Nash (GB) - Frank Stippler (D) (Pro)

Provisional Drivers’ standings (Pro Cup) after Round 4 of 7:

1. Vanthoor-Frijns 78 points

2. Abril-Buhk 63

3. Abreu-Brito 59

4. Ortelli-Richelmi 46

5. Seefried-Siedler 40

8. Mies-Ide 29

12. Nash-Stippler 16

Provisional Teams’ standings (Pro Cup) after Round 4 of 7:

1. Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 109 points

2. BMW Sports Trophy Team Brazil 93

3. Bentley HTP 69

4. Rinaldi Racing 43

5. Attempto Racing 37