Dries Vanthoor

Belgian racing driver From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dries Vanthoor

Dries Vanthoor (born 20 April 1998 in Heusden-Zolder) is a racing driver from Belgium who currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship with BMW M Team WRT.[2] In his previous role as an Audi factory driver, Vanthoor amassed multiple accolades, winning the 2018 Bathurst 12 Hours and 2019 24 Hours of Nürburgring, as well as taking three consecutive titles in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup from 2020 to 2022 alongside Charles Weerts.

Quick Facts Nationality, Born ...
Dries Vanthoor
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Vanthoor racing in the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans
Nationality Belgian
Born (1998-04-20) 20 April 1998 (age 26)
Heusden-Zolder, Limburg
Related toLaurens Vanthoor (brother)
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup
Racing licence FIA Silver (until 2017)
FIA Gold (2018–2021)
FIA Platinum (2022–)[1]
Years active20162021
TeamsBelgian Audi Club Team WRT
Starts32
Wins2
Poles2
Fastest laps1
Best finish3rd in 2021
Championship titles
2020-2022
2021
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup
GT World Challenge Europe
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He is the younger brother of Laurens Vanthoor, a Porsche factory driver.

Early career

Vanthoor began his career in karting, a discipline he remained in until 2014. In 2015, the Belgian stepped up to junior formula, driving in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup as part of Josef Kaufmann Racing.[3] With a win at Assen and a third place at the Nürburgring, Vanthoor ended up sixth in the standings.[4][5]

GT career (2016–23)

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2016

For the 2016 season, Vanthoor switched to sportscar racing, where he would perform double duties in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup and GT Series Sprint Cup for Team WRT, partnering Frédéric Vervisch in both series and being joined by brother Laurens Vanthoor in the former championship.[6] During the year, the rookie scored a pair of second places in the Endurance Cup, leading to an eighth place overall, though he and Vervisch would miss out on podiums in the Sprint Cup. In May, Vanthoor took part in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, which he won whilst driving with Bonk Motorsport in the Cup 5 class.[7]

2017

The following year, Vanthoor continued with the Belgian team in both categories.[8] In the Endurance Cup, he and Marcel Fässler experienced an unlucky season, retiring from four of the five events, though they would have more fortune in the Sprint Cup, where a pair of victories at the Hungaroring and another podium in Germany resulted in a fifth place overall at year's end.[9] However, it was the 24 Hours of Le Mans which brought glory to Vanthoor that season, as he won the LMGTE Am class for JMW Motorsport together with Endurance Cup teammate Will Stevens and amateur driver Robert Smith.[10][11]

After the season concluded, Audi Sport announced that Vanthoor would become a factory driver from 2018 onwards.[12]

2018

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The race and Class APP-winning Audi R8 LMS of Robin Frijns, Stuart Leonard and Vanthoor.

At the beginning of 2018, Vanthoor claimed honours at the Bathurst 12 Hours, winning alongside Robin Frijns and Stuart Leonard.[13]

Another year of double duties came that season, as Vanthoor partnered Stevens in the Sprint Cup, meanwhile his Endurance Cup teammates would be Christopher Mies and Alex Riberas.[14] The latter campaign began with a bang; the trio coming out victorious at Monza after Vanthoor overtook Christian Engelhart and Maximilian Götz during the final hour.[15] However, the squad ended up finishing seventh after they failed to score any further podiums that year. In the Sprint Cup, Vanthoor and Stevens took home a fourth place in the standings after achieving four podiums, including a win at Brands Hatch.[16]

Vanthoor also competed in the ADAC GT Masters that season, though he and Florian Spengler were unable to surpass a season-best eighth-placed race finish with the newly formed EFP by TECE team.[17]

2019

Audi and WRT remained Vanthoor's partners for the 2019 season, where he would compete in the Endurance and Sprint series, as well as racing for Montaplast by Land-Motorsport in the GT Masters.[18][19] The Belgian took three wins during the season: one in the ADAC GT Masters at Zandvoort alongside Ricardo Feller, another during the Sprint Cup round at Misano where he partnered Charles Weerts, and an overall victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, one Vanthoor and teammates Pierre Kaffer, Frank Stippler, and Fréd Vervisch achieved with Team Phoenix.[20]

2020

During a year heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Vanthoor partnered Charles Weerts in the youngster's sophomore season of sportscar racing.[21] The pair proved to be a fruitful one in the newly rebranded GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup, where they won the championship after winning two races and achieving three further podiums.[22][23] They also drove in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, where two fourth places came to be their highest results.

In addition, Vanthoor returned to the ADAC GT Masters with WRT, where he and Weerts won at the season-opening Lausitzring round, leading from start to finish after Vanthoor had scored his first pole position in the category.[24][25]

2021

In 2021, Vanthoor and Weerts, who had gained Audi factory driver status over the winter, returned to contest a double campaign in the Endurance and Sprint cups.[26] A dominant title defense in the Sprint Cup followed, as the Belgians won the title with one event to spare, having taken four wins including a weekend sweep at Misano.[27][28][29] Their Endurance Cup season saw Vanthoor and Weerts embroiled in a four-way championship battle, with the duo scoring second places at Le Castellet, where Vanthoor passed Marco Mapelli on the final lap, and the 24 Hours of Spa, a race in which Vanthoor narrowly lost out on victory to Ferrari factory driver Alessandro Pier Guidi.[30][31] WRT ended up third overall in the standings, as a podium in Barcelona was not enough to overhaul the Iron Lynx squad which finished four points ahead.[32]

2022

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The #32 Oreca 07 from Team WRT at the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans driven by Vanthoor, Mirko Bortolotti & Rolf Ineichen

Going into 2022, the Vanthoor-WRT partnership remained in the Endurance and Sprint cups for a seventh successive season together, as he and Weerts attempted to defend their Sprint Cup championship again.[33] The Sprint Cup campaign turned out to be their best yet: Vanthoor and Weerts won five of the ten races, took another double at Misano and only missed out on the podium once.[34] The pair won the title at the final round in Valencia, becoming the most successful pairing in the series's history.[35][36] In the Endurance Cup, less success would be found, as Vanthoor and Weerts finished eighth overall despite winning the opening round in Imola and scoring two pole positions.[37]

Vanthoor also garnered a win at the 6 Hours of Fuji alongside Robin Frijns and Sean Gelael as part of WRT's LMP2 lineup, where he, replacing René Rast, had made his second start in an Oreca 07 prototype, having competed with the team's third Le Mans entry earlier in the year.[38][39] In addition, Vanthoor won the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with Team Phoenix, having come out unscathed in a collision with his brother Laurens earlier in the race.[40][41]

At the end of the season, both Vanthoor and Weerts left Audi, soon announcing their moves to the BMW factory lineup.[42][43]

2023

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The #32 BMW M4 GT3 from Team WRT during the 2023 24 Hours of Spa

The 2023 season would be Vanthoor's first sportscar campaign without driving a GT3 variant of the Audi R8, as his and WRT's Endurance and Sprint cup campaigns would be contested with a BMW M4 GT3.[44] Having defended his 2022 win of the Dubai 24 Hours at the start of the year, the Belgian entered the Sprint Cup together with Weerts and was joined by Sheldon van der Linde for the Endurance Cup.[45] The latter played out in a disappointing manner, as retirements at Paul Ricard and Spa resulted in the trio placing eleventh by season's end.[46][47] Vanthoor and Weerts would fare better in the Sprint Cup, where they won at Valencia and collected five further podiums to end the year third in points.[48]

Hypercar career (2024–)

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2024

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BMW M Hybrid V8 #15 during practice at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans

Ahead of the 2024 season, Vanthoor was confirmed to be joining the WRT-run BMW Hypercar programme, driving a BMW M Hybrid V8 in the FIA World Endurance Championship.[49] Vanthoor shared driving duties in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 with Marco Wittmann and Raffaele Marciello. At the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, Vanthoor managed to put the BMW on pole of the regular qualifying session. He subsequently participated to the Hyperpole, which included the 8 fastest cars from qualifying. Vanthoor crashed the car during the latter stages of the session meaning the car would start in 6th position. During the race, the car was trying to climb back after an early setback when Vanthoor went off due to contact with the race leading Ferrari driven by Robert Kubica, which was later penalised for the contact.

At the 2024 6 Hours of Fuji, Vanthoor and teammates Marciello and Wittmann took the M Hybrid to its first podium in FIA WEC, finishing in 2nd with the #15 after Vanthoor qualified in 3rd with the car.[50]

2025

At the 2025 24 Hours of Daytona, Vanthoor drove the M Hybrid to its first ever pole position, scoring the fastest lap in qualifying in the #24 car.[51] The #24 crew, consisting of Vanthoor, Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello, and Philipp Eng, were front-runners throughout all stages of the endurance race and were in contention for the overall race win against both IMSA GTP entries from Porsche Penske Motorsport and Meyer Shank Racing's Acura ARX-06. At the final hour, the #24 experienced an issue with its nose which slowly deteriorated the car's condition by each passing lap. After attempting to stay out to remain in contention for the race win, Vanthoor was ultimately forced to pit for repairs as the car's condition worsened to a point in which the car could not continue further.[52] This led to a 4th-place finish for him and his teammates.[53]

Other motorsports

Formula E

In May 2024, Vanthoor was invited to take part in the Formula E Berlin rookie test with Envision Racing.[54]

Racing Record

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Perspective

Career Summary

More information Season, Series ...
Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2015 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Josef Kaufmann Racing 16 1 0 0 2 181 6th
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2016 European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Team WRT 1 0 0 0 1 0 NC†
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 5 0 0 1 2 45 8th
Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup 10 0 0 0 0 12 18th
Intercontinental GT Challenge Audi Sport Team WRT 1 0 0 0 0 4 16th
VLN Series - BMW M235i Cup  ?  ?  ?  ?  ? 6 43rd
24 Hours of Nürburgring - Cup 5 Bonk Motorsport 1 1 0 0 1 N/A 1st
2017 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 5 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup 10 2 2 1 3 62 5th
Audi R8 LMS Cup Castrol Racing Team 2 1 2 0 2 42 9th
China GT Championship - GT3 Kings 2 1 1 1 2 40 12th
Intercontinental GT Challenge Audi Sport Team WRT 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am JMW Motorsport 1 1 0 0 1 N/A 1st
VLN Series - SP9 Montaplast by Land-Motorsport 1 1 0 0 1 0 NC†
2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 5 1 0 1 1 37 7th
Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup 10 1 2 2 4 63.5 4th
ADAC GT Masters EFP by TECE 14 0 0 1 0 11 31st
Intercontinental GT Challenge Audi Sport Team WRT 4 1 0 1 2 55 5th
VLN Series - SP9 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
24H GT Series - A6 MS7 by WRT 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
FIA GT World Cup Audi Sport Team WRT Speedstar 2 0 0 0 0 N/A 8th
2018-19 Asian Le Mans Series - GT Audi Sport Customer Racing Asia by TSRT 3 0 2 1 1 32 7th
2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 5 0 0 0 1 15 17th
Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup 10 1 2 2 2 40 7th
ADAC GT Masters Montaplast by Land-Motorsport 12 1 0 0 3 113 6th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD 1 0 0 0 0 9 69th
Intercontinental GT Challenge Audi Sport Team WRT 4 1 0 0 1 38 14th
FIA GT World Cup 2 0 0 0 0 N/A 8th
24H GT Series - A6 MS7 by WRT 1 0 0 0 1 0 NC†
VLN Series - SP9 Audi Sport Team Land 1 0 0 0 0 5 68th
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 Audi Sport Team Phoenix 1 1 0 0 1 N/A 1st
2020 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 4 0 0 1 0 39 8th
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup 10 2 0 1 5 89 1st
ADAC GT Masters Team WRT 11 1 1 1 3 82 10th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD WRT Speedstar Audi Sport 1 0 0 1 1 30 41st
Intercontinental GT Challenge Audi Sport Team Valvoline 1 0 0 0 0 4 19th
Audi Sport Team WRT 2 0 0 0 0
24H GT Series - GT3 MS7 by WRT 1 0 0 0 1 26 5th
Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP9 Audi Sport Team Phoenix 2 0 0 0 0 3.25 84th
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 5th
2021 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 5 0 0 0 3 79 3rd
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup 10 4 2 2 7 103.5 1st
ADAC GT Masters Team WRT 14 1 1 1 1 79 12th
24H GT Series - GT3 1 0 0 1 1 0 NC†
Intercontinental GT Challenge Audi Sport Team WRT 2 0 0 0 1 28 8th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro HubAuto Racing 1 0 1 0 0 N/A DNF
Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP9 Pro-Am Audi Sport Team Phoenix 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
2022 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 5 1 2 0 1 39 9th
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup 10 5 3 2 9 135.5 1st
ADAC GT Masters Montaplast by Land Motorsport 4 0 0 2 0 21 27th
Intercontinental GT Challenge Audi Sport Team WRT 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 Team WRT 2 1 0 0 1 25 13th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 11th
24H GT Series - GT3 MS7 by WRT 1 1 1 0 1 0 NC†
FIA Motorsport Games GT Sprint Team Belgium 1 0 1 1 1 N/A 3rd
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 Audi Sport Team Phoenix 1 1 0 0 1 N/A 1st
2022-23 Middle East Trophy - GT3 MS7 by Team WRT 1 1 0 0 1 0 NC†
2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Team WRT 5 0 0 0 0 26 11th
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup 10 1 1 1 6 86.5 3rd
Intercontinental GT Challenge 5 2 0 2 3 80 3rd
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Schubert Motorsport 2 0 0 0 0 7 29th
Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 Pro Rowe Racing 2 1 0 0 1 0 NC†
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 2nd
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 Racing Team Turkey 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
2024 FIA World Endurance Championship - Hypercar BMW M Team WRT 8 0 0 0 1 39 14th
Intercontinental GT Challenge BMW M Team WRT 3 2 0 0 2 50 2nd
Rowe Racing 1 0 0 0 0
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Team WRT 5 0 0 0 2 48 7th
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup 10 3 1 4 7 105.5 2nd
FIA GT World Cup 1 0 0 0 0 N/A NC
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTP BMW M Team RLL 1 0 0 0 0 253 32th
Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP9 Rowe Racing 2 0 0 0 0 * *
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
British GT Championship - GT3 Century Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
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* Season still in progress † Guest driver ineligible to score points

Complete Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Team ...
Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 DC Points
2015 Josef Kaufmann Racing MNZ
1

6
MNZ
2

Ret
SIL
1

17
SIL
2

9
RBR
1

7
RBR
2

10
RBR
3

Ret
SPA
1

7
SPA
2

9
ASS
1

1
ASS
2

16
NÜR
1

10
NÜR
2

7
HOC
1

9
HOC
2

3
HOC
3

8
6th 181
Close

Complete GT World Challenge Europe results

GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup

* Season still in progress.

Complete Intercontinental GT Challenge results

More information Year, Manufacturer ...
Year Manufacturer Car 1 2 3 4 5 Pos. Points
2016 Audi Audi R8 LMS BAT SPA
8
SEP 16th 4
2017 Audi Audi R8 LMS Evo BAT SPA
11
LAG NC 0
2018 Audi Audi R8 LMS Evo BAT
1
SPA
13
SUZ
4
LAG
2
5th 55
2019 Audi Audi R8 LMS Evo BAT LAG
4
SPA
15
SUZ
1
KYA
10
14th 38
2020 Audi Audi R8 LMS Evo BAT
Ret
IND SPA
Ret
KYA
8
19th 4
2021 Audi Audi R8 LMS Evo SPA
2
IND
5
KYA 9th 28
2022 Audi Audi R8 LMS Evo II BAT SPA
Ret
IND GUL NC 0
2023 BMW BMW M4 GT3 BAT
4
KYA
1
SPA
Ret
IND
1
GUL
2
3rd 80
2024 BMW BMW M4 GT3 BAT
Ret
NUR
Ret
SPA
1
IND
1
2nd 50
Close

* Season still in progress.

Complete 24 Hours of Spa results

Complete 24 Hours of Nürburgring results

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

More information Year, Entrant ...
Year Entrant Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rank Points
2017 JMW Motorsport LMGTE AM Ferrari 488 GTE Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 SIL SPA LMS
1
NÜR MEX COA FUJ SHA BHR NC NC
2021 HubAuto Racing GTE Pro Porsche 911 RSR-19 Porsche 4.2L Flat-6 SPA ALG MNZ LMS
Ret
BHR BHR NC NC
2022 Team WRT LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SEB SPA LMS
11
MNZ
FUJ
1
BHR
13th 25
2024 BMW M Team WRT Hypercar BMW M Hybrid V8 BMW P66/3 4.0 L Turbo V8 QAT
14
IMO
DSQ
SPA
11
LMS
Ret
SÃO
9
COA
8
FUJ
2
BHR
15th* 24*
Source:[55]
Close

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Entrant ...
Year Entrant Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rank Points
2019 Montaplast by Land-Motorsport GTD Audi R8 LMS Evo Audi 5.2 L V10 DAY
22
SEB
MDO
DET
WGL
MOS
LIM
ELK
VIR
LGA
PET
69th 12
2020 WRT Speedstar Audi Sport GTD Audi R8 LMS Evo Audi 5.2 L V10 DAY
3
DAY SEB ELK VIR ATL MDO CLT PET LGA SEB 41th 30
2024 BMW M Team RLL GTP BMW M Hybrid V8 BMW P66/3 4.0 L Turbo V8 DAY
8
SEB
LBH
LGA
DET
WGL
ELK
IMS
PET
29th* 253
Source:[55]
Close

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

More information Year, Team ...
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2017 United Kingdom JMW Motorsport United Kingdom Robert Smith
United Kingdom Will Stevens
Ferrari 488 GTE GTE
Am
333 26th 1st
2021 Chinese Taipei Hub Auto Racing Portugal Álvaro Parente
Belgium Maxime Martin
Porsche 911 RSR-19 GTE
Pro
227 DNF DNF
2022 Belgium Team WRT Italy Mirko Bortolotti
Switzerland Rolf Ineichen
Oreca 07 LMP2 366 15th 11th
2023 Turkey Racing Team Turkey United Kingdom Tom Gamble
Turkey Salih Yoluç
Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 87 DNF DNF
LMP2 Pro-Am
2024 Belgium Team WRT Switzerland Raffaele Marciello
Germany Marco Wittmann
BMW M Hybrid V8 Hypercar 102 DNF DNF
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Bathurst 12 Hours results

More information Year, Team ...
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2018 Belgium Team WRT Netherlands Robin Frijns
United Kingdom Stuart Leonard
Audi R8 LMS GT3 - APP 271 1st 1st
2020 Australia Melbourne Performance Centre Belgium Frédéric Vervisch
Germany Christopher Haase
Audi R8 LMS Evo A-GT3 Pro 148 DNF
2023 Belgium Team WRT Belgium Charles Weerts
South Africa Sheldon van der Linde
BMW M4 GT3 A-GT3 Pro 323 4th 4th
2024 Belgium Team WRT Belgium Charles Weerts
South Africa Sheldon van der Linde
BMW M4 GT3 A-GT3 Pro 120 DNF
Close

Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Entrant ...
Year Entrant Chassis 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Rank Points
2023 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 OSC
1
OSC
2
ZAN
1

9
ZAN
2

Ret
NOR
1
NOR
2
NÜR
1
NÜR
2
LAU
1
LAU
2
SAC
1
SAC
2
RBR
1
RBR
2
HOC
1
HOC
2
29th 7
Close

Complete 24 Hours of Zolder results

More information Year, Team ...
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2018 Belgium Independent Motorsport Germany Christian Engelhart
Belgium Lieven Goegebuer
Belgium Niels Lagrange
Belgium Xavier Stevens
Porsche 991 Cup Belcar 1 806 1st 1st
2022 Belgium PK Carsport Belgium Bert Longin
Belgium Stienes Longin
Belgium Peter Guelinckx
Belgium Nicolas Saelens
Audi R8 LMS GT2 GTA 772 1st 1st
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References

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