TEAM WRT DETERMINED TO FIGHT BACK IN THE FIA WEC AND THE ADAC GT MASTERS

TEAM WRT DETERMINED TO FIGHT BACK IN THE FIA WEC AND THE ADAC GT MASTERS

09/06/2021

Double commitment for Team WRT this weekend, as the Belgian squad will be competing in the second round of both the FIA WEC and the ADAC GT Masters, on two very different sceneries.

The FIA WEC will be on stage in Portimão, in Portugal, where the mission for the Oreca 07 Gibson will be to obtain a first good result after the encouraging but unlucky performance in the season-opener at Spa.

In Austria, at the Red Bull Ring, is scheduled the second round of the ADAC GT Masters, where the Audi R8 LMS of Team WRT will also be looking for a first good result, with Dries Vanthoor exceptionally associated with Dennis Lind, who replaces Charles Weerts, taken by his university exams.

At the eve of this important weekend, Team Principal Vincent Vosse comments: “We did not have a great start of the season in the FIA WEC, due to the clutch issue encountered during the race at Spa, but we were competitive, as proven by the fact we were running as high as P2 before hitting the trouble. We aim at having everything aligned in the right order at Portimão and get a good result, although it is going to be a long race, with all the variables it implies. We have been working hard, improving a lot of little things and thanks also to our ELMS programme, we are progressing well. In the ADAC GT Masters also, we did not have the start of the season that we had hoped for, but we have a good package and aim at doing better at the Red Bull Ring, a track that is not easy for us. We welcome Dennis Lind in the team, as he will be subbing for Charles Weerts.”

FIA WEC

The second-ever outing of Team WRT in the FIA World Endurance Championship brings the Belgian squad to the most South Western track in Europe, the Autódromo do Algarve, located near Portimão, close to the cliffs of the Atlantic coast. It’s a wonderful region for holiday-makers but also the home of one of the nicest and most technical tracks in Europe, brought back to the general attention by the two Formula 1 GPs held there recently.

Scheduled on a longer format (8 hours) than the standard, the race will certainly be an excellent test for all competitors. For Team WRT, the objective is to obtain a good result after the mixed feelings left by the season-opener at Spa, where the pace was not optimal in qualifying but very good in the race, unfortunately shortened by a technical issue.

Robin Frijns, Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi are seeking for revenge and ready to take advantage of the great work done by the squad to improve in all aspects, benefitting also from the great work done in the parallel ELMS programme.

Robin Frijns: “I’m looking forward to Portimão after our unfortunate and disappointing race in Spa, where we had good speed in the race but having some issues in qualifying. We hope to sort out the qualifying pace to be able to start more upfront and fight for the big points in Portimão. The team has been working very hard lately to give us the car we need. We are ready to jump back and go for a strong results.”

Ferdinand Habsburg: “I’m gaining a lot of experience in LMP2, racing both in the WEC and ELMS, and I hope to take advantage from it straight away in Portimão, which marks the beginning of the summer ride. Hopefully, we’ll come away with a trophy, which would be well-earned for the team after all the hard work and dedication, as we walk the road to Le Mans.”

Charles Milesi: “Second round of the year in the WEC and Portimão will not be easy for the LMP2 cars with the new regulations this year, I think it will be hard to manage the tyres on the long runs with the high temperatures and the low downforce kit, but it will be the same for everyone. From our side, we have fixed the issues we had in Spa and we should be more competitive on this race.”

FIA World Endurance Championship - Round 2
Portimão 8 Hours, Portugal, 11-13 June 2021

Timetable (CET - 1)

Friday 11 June 2021
15:15-16:45 Free Practice 1

Saturday 12 June 2021
09:35-11:05 Free Practice 2
14:00-15:00 Free Practice 3
18:20-18:30 Qualifying

Sunday 13 June 2021
11:00-19:00 Race (8 Hours)

Team WRT entry (Oreca 07 Gibson)
#31 Robin Frijns (NL) - Ferdinand Habsburg (AT) – Charles Milesi (FR)

ADAC GT Masters

Very far from Portimão, another ideal holiday spot, although completely different as the Styrian Alps, will be hosting the second round of the ADAC GT Masters, the ultra competitive GT3 series with German roots. The season-opener at Oschersleben proved once again, if it was needed, how difficult it is to master all the elements in this championship.

Team WRT, despite showing great pace, narrowly missed the top-10, and will be completely motivated to fight back in Austria and conquer a good result. The track near Spielberg, also because of its elevation, usually poses some challenges to the Audi R8 LMS but the car has proven to have good pace on all type of tracks. For this round, Dries Vanthoor will exceptionally have a new teammate, Dennis Lind, the well-known and fast 28-year-old Danish driver, who will be replacing Charles Weerts, busy with another type of ‘competition’, his HEC university exams.

Dries Vanthoor: “The main news for round 2 is that I will have a new teammate, which is always exciting. I don’t know Dennis personally very well, but we all know he is a quick driver, and I am sure we will do a good job together. The Red Bull Ring, with its long straight and because of the altitude, is not the track that the Audi R8 LMS is the most fond of, but we have a good package and we should be competitive. After a frustrating season-opener in the ADAC GT Masters, we certainly need to strike back and that will be the objective.”

Dennis Lind: “It’s a great opportunity for me, I was surprised to receive the call from WRT and I thank them for the trust. I am actually quite excited to be driving for the first time for such a strong team, whom I have only raced against so far. It will be a pleasure and I think that together with Dries we make quite a good combination. I have never been to the Red Bull Ring, but I am sure this will not be a big issue, as I have been working a lot on the simulator and we have a lot of track time.”

ADAC GT Masters - Round 2
Red Bull Ring, Austria – 10-13 June 2021

Timetable (CET)

Friday 11 June 2021
10:25-11:25 Free practice 1
16:40-17:30 Free practice 2

Saturday 12 June 2021
09:05-09:25 Qualifying 1
13:30-14:30 Race 1

Sunday 13 June 2021
09:00-09:20 Qualifying 2
13:30-14:30 Race 2

Team WRT entry (Audi R8 LMS)
#32 Dennis Lind (DK) - Dries Vanthoor (BE)

PHOTO: Brecht Decancq