Bas Leinders, Eric De Doncker and Markus Palttala have been confirmed as the three drivers that will contest this year’s 24 Heures du Mans, at the wheel of the Marc VDS Racing Team’s Ford GT40. One of only eight GT1 cars to secure an entry for this prestigious event, the appearance of the distinctive silver and bordeaux GT40 on the grid at Le Mans will mark not just the debut of the Marc VDS Racing Team in this world famous race, but also of all three drivers, none of whom have contested the 24 Heures du Mans previously.
In preparation for the endurance races at Le Mans and Spa Francorchamps, the Marc VDS Racing Team successfully completed today the Le Mans Series official test at the Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track in Southern France. The two-day test provided a perfect opportunity to improve the set-up of the team’s two GT40 machines, to better suit the characteristics of the Michelin endurance specification tyres that the team will run at both the 24 Heures du Mans and the 1000km of Spa.
The Marc VDS Racing Team head back to base tonight, to prepare equipment to be shipped out to the Middle East this week, ready for the opening round of the GT1 World Championship in Abu Dhabi, which takes place on 17th April 2010. The official launch of the Marc VDS Racing Team, which this year will contest the FIA GT3 European Championship, Rally Raid and the FIM Moto2 World Championship in addition to the FIA GT1 World Championship, will take place on 18th March at the team’s base in Gosselies, Belgium.
Bas Leinders: Driver/Sporting Manager : “For all three drivers this will be our first experience of the 24 Heures du Mans, but it is a challenge we’re all looking forward to, especially after a successful two-day test here at Paul Ricard. The focus during the test has been on refining the set-up of the car to better suit the Michelin endurance specification tyres that we will use at both the 1000km of Spa and 24 Heures du Mans. The weather hasn’t been ideal but we’ve made significant progress, finding a good balance on the car and also an overall set-up that minimises tyre wear, which will be critical in these endurance races. We’ve confirmed the set-up with some long runs on track and our lap times with all five drivers have been consistent throughout the test. We’re in a strong position compared to the other GT1 teams and I’m confident we’ll be on the pace from the start when we arrive at Le Mans in June for the big race.”
Marc van der Straten: President – Marc VDS Racing Team : “It is an honour to have been chosen by ACO as one of the eight GT1 teams that will contest this year’s 24 Heures du Mans, one of the greatest motorsport events in the world. The whole team has worked extremely hard to ensure we are ready to face this new challenge, with the result that we’ve been one of the strongest GT1 teams at this Paul Ricard test. None of our three drivers have ever contested the 24 Heures du Mans before, but all are experienced 24 hour racers and I’m confident, especially after the solid performance we’ve witnessed during the past two days, that they are more than capable of securing a strong result for the Marc VDS Racing Team. Now we must focus on the opening three rounds of the GT1 World Championship, before turning our attention once more to Le Mans.”
Source : Marc VDS Racing Team