es, the van der Straten family name will remain active on the national and international motorsport scene in 2016! Having limited its 2015 programme to a few races at the wheel of the now well known red white and blue liveried Honda Civic, Raphaël van der Straten, the man in charge of the VDS Racing Adventures team, will be back on the scene with some heavy machinery with a view to the upcoming campaign. ”I thought long and hard prior to making a choice regarding our next adventures on four wheels, Raphaël explained. The costs of GT3 cars now having become exaggerated, I made enquiries with the Australian MARC Cars company, that in fact commercialise the Focus V8. It concerns a Silhouette with an awesome look and an appreciable power output, which fully fits in the continuity of our previous programmes with Ford Mustang! “
In concrete terms, the Focus V8 rests on a tubular chassis powered by a 5.0 litre V8 engine block, producing 500 bhp at 6800 rpm. The 6-speed gearbox is of the sequential type, and this muscle car is fitted with the latest evolutions when it comes to safety. The VDS Racing Adventures team has placed an order for two models of this Focus V8, which will be delivered in February.
Which brings us to the Belgian team’s 2016 programme that obviously will involve competitions in which these Silhouettes of the latest generation are accepted. ”Two series will retain our priority: the Creventic 24 Hours Series and the Belcar Trophy at the Belgian level, Raphaël van der Straten continued. Apart from the test days with a view to becoming acquainted with this new machinery, the actual programme with the Focus will kick-off during the round of the Belcar Trophy at the beginning of April in Zolder, where I will be sharing the drive with Thierry de Latre du Bosqueau. The first international event will be the 12 Hours of Zandvoort, at the beginning of May, and for which we are on the lookout for two drivers. Following that I will be back with Thierry in June for the Belcar round to be held during the Spa Euro Race, prior to returning to Zolder at the beginning of July, always for the Belcar. Mid-July we head off for the 24 Hours of Paul Ricard, to then take on the 24 Hours of Zolder at the end of August, each time teamed up with Thierry de Latre du Bosqueau and José Close, and with two additional drivers still to be confirmed. The final appearance scheduled at this present time with the Focus V8 will be at the beginning of September, to tackle the 24 Hours of Barcelona, always with the same teammates, in addition to two others still to be defined.”
On the other hand, VDS Racing Adventures will be putting in an appearance on several occasions with its Honda Civic in 2016, with a participation in the 24 Hours of Silverstone, now under the Creventic banner (24 Hours Series), and where entry will solely be reserved to real Touring cars. The Japanese car will obviously be in the hands of Raphaël, Thierry de Latre du Bosqueau, José Close, Grégory Paisse and a further driver still to be defined. Various events of the BGDC, where Raphaël van der Straten remains the President, also feature on the programme, of which Zolder in April, Dijon at the beginning of May, Zandvoort at the end of May and the Val de Vienne in September. For these various events the team principal is still on the look out for a teammate to assist him.
Drivers interested in one or other event with the Focus V8 or the Honda Civic are kindly requested to contact Raphaël van der Straten via email at ravds28@gmail.com. It should be noted once and for all, a budget is systematically required.
Not being someone who likes to leave blank pages in his diary, Raphaël van der Straten continues to focus on his implication in the further development of the Dakar-Baobabs circuit in Senegal. With several driver friends, he has created an ASAM (Association Sportive Automobile et Motocycliste) whose President is Abdou Thiam, racing driver and more particularly the son of the former Prime Minister under the Presidency of Abdou Diouf. Planned objective: import new disciplines in Senegal, enforce a good dose of rigour, and set-up the first events. The latter has in fact kicked-off this weekend with a … slalom, an amateur discipline close to Raphaël van der Straten’s heart. Apart from other slalom events, one of the projects involves the organisation of regularity events on the track.
As you will have understood, in 2016 there will be a fair amount written and spoken about the VDS Racing Adventures team, reason enough to ensure the longevity of those renowned three letters on the motorsport scene …