Team Profile

Team WRT’s history started by the purchase of three Audi R8 LMS plus a significant partnership with the Belgian Audi importer and its motorsport division, the Belgian Audi Club.

With these cars the team participated in the national Belcar Endurance Championship, the French FFSA GT Championship (now GT Tour), and the mid-season Total 24 Hours of Spa. For the Belgian Touring Car Series, the team signed up two Volkswagen Scirocco GT24. Team WRT impressed the Belgian racing microcosm by finishing on the podium with at least one car in each and every Belcar Endurance race. That consistency resulted in winning the 2010 Drivers’ Championship with drivers Franchi, Kumpen and the Teams' Championship.

Alongside spectacular results in the Belcar Endurance Championship with the 1st generation of Audi R8 LMS, WRT earned two podium finishes in the FFSA GT Championship. With the two VW Scirocco GT24, it became Belgian Touring Car Series runners-up in their category.

Following the Team’s first year's successes, the racing program expanded for 2011 by adding the FIA GT3 European Championship and Blancpain Endurance Series to the schedule. Once again success came early as Team WRT won in the first round of the FIA GT3 Championship with Franchi and Ide. In July 2011 Team WRT earned the Audi Sport factory team status for its first time (a factory status WRT maintained until the end of 2022): in only its second attempt Team WRT won the Total 24 Hours of Spa, with Franchi sharing the drive with Audi Sport drivers Ekström and Scheider.

That same year, Team WRT participated in the Zolder 24 Hours: The team won the race in great style and added a new jewel to its crown.

Team WRT further expanded its program in 2012, with entries in the FIA GT1 World Championship as the official representative of Audi Sport. The Belgian squad opened their season with an impressive victory by Ortelli and Vanthoor in Nogaro, during its first participation ever in a FIA World Championship race! WRT went on to finish third in the Teams’ standings while winning three races along the way. In July 2012 it finished as runner up in the Total 24H of Spa, and in September won the 24 Hours of Zolder for the second time in a row. In the Blancpain Endurance Series the team was crown as champion in both the Drivers’ and Teams’ rankings.

In 2013, Team WRT showed its strength by once again finishing on the podium of the Total 24 Hours of Spa and winning the Baku World Challenge with the Audi R8 LMS. With regards to winning titles, the team were proud to once again win both the Teams' and Drivers' Championship of the newly named FIA GT Series.

Business wise, WRT incorporated the Fun Cup activity within its portfolio. With the Fun Cup, WRT started a close collaboration with Volkswagen Motorsport by being the worldwide exclusive manufacturer of the Volkswagen Fun Cup.

The year 2014 saw Team WRT impressively add seven titles to its hall of fame! Competing in the Blancpain GT Series, made of the Blancpain Endurance Series and the Blancpain Sprint Series, in the Pro and Silver categories, the team won both the overall Teams' and Drivers' Championships in the Blancpain GT Series as well as in the Blancpain Endurance Series. With three further titles (Teams’ Sprint Overall plus both Teams’ and Drivers’ Sprint Silver) the Belgian squad achieved the grand slam.

In July of the same year the team added a second win in the Spa 24 Hours with Rast, Vanthoor, Winkelhock and took third with Mies, Nash and Stippler. Finally, WRT, in only its fifth racing season, won the Baku World Challenge, and its $100,000 prize-money, for the second time in a row with Ramos and Vanthoor.

The success of 2015 started early in the year for WRT, this time off-road in the cold February snow. The team finished 1st in Trophée Andros Drivers' ranking with Daziano (Elite B) and 2nd with former F1 driver and Monaco Grand Prix winner Panis (Elite A).

In May of 2015 WRT achieved another major success by winning the 24 Hours of Nürburgring with Mies, Müller, Sandström and Vanthoor, driving the new version of the Audi R8 LMS. The number 28 car proved to become a fan favourite and returned in several world-famous leading simulation race games over the years, making it probably one of the best-known WRT cars.

But successes didn’t stop there. The team clinched 2nd place in the Total 24 Hours of Spa and ended the season in great style by finishing 1st and 2nd in the Sepang 12 Hours. It also won both Teams' and Drivers' championships in the Blancpain GT Series and was crowned Teams' Champions in the Sprint and Endurance Series.

On the business side, WRT took a big step by incorporating AMP, a precision mechanics workshop, which over the years has developed roll cages and chassis reinforcement for a number of the world’s largest motorsport programs.

Sun replaced snow as Team WRT started 2016 in the heat of the Emirates for the Dubai 24 Hours but with the same success as former F1 driver Ferté, Leonard, Meadows and Vanthoor finished on the top step of the podium.To cool down from winning the endurance race in Dubai, Team WRT looked for coolness in the snow of the Trophée Andros and won the teams’ championship.

Back to the GT program, the Team impressed again in Spa-Francorchamps by finishing for the 6th time in a row on the podium of the famous 24-hours race with Müller, Rast and Vanthoor.

Team WRT also seized the opportunity to broaden its racing horizon and signed up with Ligier for the European Le Mans Series race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.In traditional WRT style, the Team was equally successful. After a crash few hours before the race and a complete rebuild of the car (finished on the starting grid), the Team fought itself through the field towards the top to end up on the podium as a runner-up with Stevens, Vanthoor, Vanthoor.

In the Blancpain GT Series, Team WRT was again an absolute top formation, where it became champion in the Drivers' (with Ide) and Teams' Sprint Series championships. To close its GT program of 2016 (in a rather spectacular way), it participated in the Macau FIA GT World Cup as an official Audi Sport Team. Driver Vanthoor entered the final lap as leader but suffered a huge crash shortly after which the car topped his roof. The Belgian top driver crawled unharmed from the very safe Audi R8 LMS and race was red flagged. As the elder of the Vanthoor brother entered the final lap as a leader in the race, he was named the deserved winner of the race and so 2016 FIA GT World Champion.

Alongside its GT program, WRT announced its debut in Touring car racing, running two Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR in the TCR International Series under the Leopard Racing colours. Leopard Racing Team WRT became champion in the Drivers' championship with Comini and took 3rd with Vernay. On the national scene, WRT also participated in the TCR Benelux championship with a third place in the Drivers' championship (thanks to RACB supported Drivers Dupont and Dejonghe) and a title in the Teams’ ranking!

Once again it was a fruitful year for the Belgium based WRT Team, being crowned champion in both the Drivers’ and Teams’ rankings of the Trophee Andros and by winning the Saudi GT Championship Drivers' championship with local Prince Saud Fahad Al Saud.

At the notorious Nurburgring 24 Hours race, Team WRT lead the race till the closing stages. A late, typical, sharp Nordschleife shower reshuffled the race classification with Team WRT finally settling for third place thanks to Fassler, Frijns, Muller and Rast. In September that year, the team added further successes in the final standings of the Blancpain GT Sprint Series championship, where it achieved both the first and second place in the Drivers' and Team championships.

On the Touring Car division, the team repeated its success from 2016 by winning the TCR International Series Drivers' championship, thanks to Vernay, and the TCR Benelux Teams’ championship.

With races in Europe, US, Australia, Japan, Asia and Africa, Team WRT can say it has worldwide operations and was in contention for title honours until the very last race in all the championships in which it contested, bringing home three title crowns and being a close runner-up in four other standings.

It all started with a fantastic win in the Bathurst 12 Hours (on a first attempt) with Frijns, Leonard and Vanthoor. GT3 racing remained the core activity of Team WRT, who was again, under the Belgian Audi Club Team WRT banner, one of the top forces in the Blancpain GT Series, the world’s most well-attended and competitive series for GT3 cars. In the Sprint Cup, the Belgian outfit retained the Teams’ title, the sixth in a row, which meant being unbeaten since the Sprint Cup was created in 2013.

The Touring car program showed particularly strong growth with the new FIA WTCR – World Touring Car Cup. Vernay remained a title contender until the season closure in Macau thanks to victories at Marrakesh, Zandvoort, Wuhan and Macau. His teammate Shedden rounded the Team’s achievements with an emotional win at Wuhan. Team WRT was also involved in the TCR Europe with Vernay finishing a close runner-up with three race wins. Another TCR Benelux perfect campaign from Vernay offered him the Drivers’ title and Team WRT the Teams’ title, the third consecutive for Team WRT in the three-country series.

The Belgian squad celebrated its 10th racing season with its largest race programme ever! The team stepped up its efforts, adding a third pillar, the prestigious DTM, to GT3 and TCR racing.

WRT was one of the four teams, but the only one as a privateer, fielding Audi RS 5 DTM with rookies Aberdein and Fittipaldi competing against factory machineries from Audi, Aston Martin and BMW.

The maiden season of Team WRT in one of the most competitive series in the world yielded impressive results, as the team showed a high level of professionalism and a steady growth recognised by all. The team was competitive from the start, scoring points almost every weekend and being right in the mix with the factory cars.

History shows that the Belgian squad added another of the ‘big ones’ to its honour roll, as it took a triumphant win at the Suzuka 10 Hours and gave Audi its first ever international victory in Japan.

Earlier, in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Team WRT crossed the finish line in 3rd (only demoted from victory after a late red flag) displaying an impressive performance for their debut. After another successful Dubai 24H entry (runner-up) at the beginning of the year, the team remained in the Emirates for few more weeks, enough to secure the Gulf Sportcar Championship Drivers’ title with Weerts.

Like in 2018, the squad was involved both at international and European level in Touring car racing. In the FIA WTCR Cup, two factory-supported Audi RS3 LMS were entrusted to Frenchman Vernay and Scotland’s Shedden in a season seen as the most competitive ever in the worldwide Touring car scene! There was finally a sense of relief and satisfaction at the end of 2019 as the Belgian squad left the TCR category on a high, finishing as the best Audi Team in the category, runner-up in the TCR Europe Teams’ standings, third in the TCR Europe Drivers’ ranking and Uruguayan Urrutia took the title of ‘TCR Europe rookie of the year’.

Team WRT repeated its successes from past season openers, finishing third again at the Daytona 24 Hours (with Bortolotti, Ineichen, Morad, Vanthoor) and second at the Dubai 24 Hours (with Breukers, Mies, Saud Fahad Al Saud, Vanthoor, Vergers). It also expanded its program by adding the ADAC GT Masters to its portfolio.

For its first full campaign in the top continental series for GT3 in Europe, Team WRT yielded one win, secured at the first race weekend, and four podium finishes. By the end of the year in GT3 racing, Team WRT added three titles (Teams’ overall, Sprint Cup Teams and Drivers) in the framework of the GT World Challenge Europe!

In DTM, with Habsburg, Newey and Scherer, for only its second year of participation, WRT Team Audi Sport was the first privateer squad to ever take a pole position and a podium finish, both on home soil at Zolder. In addition to this, the team finished, despite being privateer, as the best Audi team in the DTM pitstop challenge against all factory-entered teams. The pitstops, a Team WRT-specialty, have been rewarded within all the series it has contested in since 2010.

Team WRT finished the 2020 season on a high with a brilliant second place at the Kyalami 9H race. But the success did not stop there, as it was rewarded, for the sixth time in 11 years, as the ‘Team of the Year’ in Belgium by the Belgian Royal Automobile Club (RACB). Team WRT received the top distinction in Belgian motorsports, as previously won in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018.

The wonderful year!

A new exciting chapter opened up: Team WRT added prototype to its racing portfolio. The Belgian squad quickly became the new benchmark of the LMP2 category and surprised everyone in its maiden season, by winning the FIA World Endurance Championship, the European Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans!

There was even more glory for WRT with five titles (Teams’ overall, Drivers’ overall, Endurance Cup Teams, Sprint Cup Teams and Sprint Cup Drivers) in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe and another ‘pitstop challenge’ victory.

On the Endurance scene, next to its Le Mans 24h victory, Team WRT, starting from the back of the grid, but went to take second place in an epic TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa. Second place was also achieved at the Dubai 24 Hours.

Finally, this season saw the team taking a more pro-active approach in committing to its social corporate responsibility by going far beyond motor racing. The carbon emissions of transport to and from the races, the race-car, and the tyres were offset by supporting forest protection projects in Asia and South America, some of the most bio-diverse areas on the planet.
The ACO, the FIA WEC and DHL recognised these initiatives rewarding WRT with the « ACO Sustainability Endurance Award ».

2022 will be remembered at Team WRT as another year of successes and great moments in racing, and of further growth in its car manufacturing activity, but there is no doubt that it will also have the taste of a very special and emotional journey, as it marked the closing of 13 year-long and fantastic partnership with Audi.
But it was not long before a new chapter had already begun, as Team WRT, with renewed enthusiasm and determination, embarked on the new partnership with BMW.

Racing activity
GT3 Racing
The Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS was again the pinnacle of GT3 racing in Europe and the field where Team WRT and its Audi R8 LMS measured themselves against very strong competition. Eventually, the Belgian squad took six more titles, bringing its harvest (in SRO-run championships) to 36.
In the Sprint Cup, a third double (Teams and Drivers) title in a row was netted by the squad and its duo of Belgian young guns, Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts, who took on their way five race wins out of 10 races.
In the Endurance Cup, one overall race win came at Imola in the opening round thanks to Dries Vanthoor-Charles Weerts-Kelvin van der Linde, but the greatest satisfactions came in the Silver Cup. Benji Goethe, Thomas Neubauer and Jean-Baptiste Simmenaur brought home the class Teams and Drivers trophies, having as their season’s highlight a brilliant success at the 24 Hours of Spa. This, combined with Benji Goethe and Thomas Neubauer third position in the Sprint Cup, allowed Team WRT and its duo of drivers to win the GTWCE Overall Silver Cup Teams and Drivers title.
In addition, Team WRT crews conquered the highly respected GTWCE Pit Stop Challenge while the company was awarded the SRO Sustainability Award which recognizes the efforts towards carbon emissions-neutral racing.
Out of SRO competitions, Team WRT won early in the year the Dubai 24 Hours, the top race of the 24 Hours Series by Creventic. It’s the second time that Team WRT wins the enduro in the UAE and it did in style, with a one-two. The winning crew was composed of Mohammed Al-Saud, Axcil Jefferies, Christopher Mies, Thomas Neubauer and Dries Vanthoor.

LMP2 Racing
For its second full season in LMP2, Team WRT focused exclusively on the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) where it had to defend both the double title (Teams and Drivers) and the win at the Le Mans 24 Hours conquered in 2021, quite a notable challenge. It was again a season at the very top for the Oreca 07 Gibson, but the outcome of the season left a somehow bitter-sweet taste: the team took four wins (including a double win at Spa) out of 6 races, another double podium finish and two poles, but this was not enough to retain the LMP2 crowns.
An unlucky outing at Le Mans this time took a very heavy points toll that left car #31 as runner-up in the standings, with Sean Gelael and Robin Frijns vice-champions in the Drivers’ standings, after wins at Spa, Fuji and Bahrain. In Belgium and Bahrain, they shared the win honors with René Rast, while Dries Vanthoor joined the pair in Japan. The other car, the #41 sporting the colors of Realteam by Team WRT, concluded the season in fourth position, with Rui Andrade, Ferdinand Habsburg and Norman Nato taking a win in Monza.

Car manufacturing activity
Besides racing, WRT is more and more involved in car manufacturing and chassis building, an activity that today represents roughly a third of its business and workforce. The expansion of this activity is due to continue in 2023, also with the addition of a fourth top car group to the portfolio of clients. In the meantime, WRT continues to be the manufacturer of the VW Fun Cup, of which 515 units (in total) have been built by the end of 2022. This year, for Hyundai, WRT has also built 45 WRC2, 43 WTCR and 4 ETCR racers, which have proven race winners in the three categories, clinching also the WTCR Constructor and Drivers titles. For Toyota, WRT has continued to be a key partner of TGR-E, having now built 60 Supra GT4 cars that are shining in GT4 competitions around the world with a DTM Trophy title as highlight of the season.

Corporate activities
Team WRT, as part of the Weerts Group, contributes to Weerts Personal Computers for Education programme (WPC) which provides new and re-fitted personal computers, equipped with all relevant software programmes and an internet connection to children socially disadvantaged in all communities, in Belgium, where Weerts Group is present, through schools, hospitals and associations. The programme aims at reducing the risk of digital exclusion and gaps in society. In 2022, the WPC programme distributed almost 1500 devices since the start in 2020.
In the environmental area, Team WRT’s LMP2 program cooperates since 2021 with the “Drive Fast, Act Faster” campaign initiated by Ferdinand Habsburg and Green Future Project, aimed at protecting the tropical Amazonian Rainforest and bringing 'carbon neutral' racing to the teams. The ultimate goal is to shift the motorsport industry to support one of the world’s most urgent climate projects and biodiverse regions. In 2022, Team WRT has set off 2,475 tons of CO2 and protected over 222,500 acres of forest, virtually becoming a carbon neutral race team with our LMP2 Program.
This and the efforts undertaken in GTWCE racing together with SRO led Team WRT to perform a carbon-neutral 2022 racing season.