The Belgian Marc VDS team, 2015 24 Hours of Spa winner, 2013 Blancpain Endurance Series champion, and long-time partner of BMW Motorsport, will cease auto racing operations after the European Le Mans Series finale in Estoril. The team will continue in motorcycle racing.
In a statement on the Marc VDS website team principal Marc van der Straten says that the move is prompted by financial mismanagement of the team. The statement says “Racing to win in any series in the closely contested GT3 class is expensive, but when these costs are almost doubled due to financial mismanagement by those entrusted with the responsibility of running the team, it is no longer viable to continue.”
van der Straten goes on to say, “We must recognize that things have changed. So much so that today my passion for racing is gone. Collaborators have betrayed both my trust and the family spirit of our team. I am 67 years old and I do not have the time left to accept behavior that disrespects the moral principles I hold dear. I am tired by the lack of professionalism of some of the people I, wrongly, placed in key positions within the team. I’m tired of those who have no other purpose but to financially jeopardize our business, even to the point of bankruptcy. That is why I have decided today to bring down the curtain on Belgian Racing and end my long association with four-wheeled motorsport.”
Marc VDS is campaigning a Z4 GT3 driven by Andy Priaulx, Henry Hassid, and Jesse Krohn in the European Le Mans Series. It was slated to play a major role in the launch of the M6 GT3 program in Europe.—Brian S. Morgan
