Marc VDS Racing Team
| Marc VDS Racing Team | |
|---|---|
| legal form | SA |
| founding | 2009 |
| Seat | Gosselies , Belgium |
| management | Marc van der Straten |
| Branch | Motorsport |
| Website | www.marcvds.com |
The Marc VDS Racing Team is a Belgian motorsport team that was founded in 2009 by Marc van der Straten and combines various separate teams under one name. The team was active in the Gran Turismo area and is now focusing on the motorcycle world championship .
history
The Marc VDS Racing Team was founded under this name in 2009. The abbreviation VDS stands for the surname of the team owner Marc van der Straten. Previously, under the name Belgian Racing , the team was responsible for the Gillet Vertigo outings in the Belgian GT Championship and the FIA GT Championship before the racing program was ended in 2008.
Gran Turismo & Long Distance
Group GT1 and FIA GT1 World Championship
The Marc VDS Racing Team used 2009 as a year of preparation for the FIA GT1 World Championship in the following year: It was a Ford GT developed by Matech Concepts according to the new regulations of the GT1 group in the FIA GT Championship with Bas Leinders and Renaud Kuppens as drivers used.
Marc VDS registered two Ford GTs in the newly announced FIA GT World Championship in 2010 . The driver pairings at the start of the season were Bas Leinders and Maxime Martin as well as Markus Palttala and Renaud Kuppens. Matteo replaced Bobbi Kuppens in the overseas races in Brazil and Argentina . Marc VDS was sixth in the team classification with two third places in qualifying races. In the same year Marc VDS also competed in the 24-hour race of Le Mans with Bas Leinders, Markus Palttala and Eric de Doncker. The team started from second place in the GT1 category, but dropped out early after 26 laps in the race.
After Matech withdrew from the FIA GT1 World Championship, the Marc VDS Racing Team also took on two more Ford GTs under the name Belgian Racing . Bas Leinders and Marc Hennerici shared a vehicle before Ricardo Rissati replaced it at the last race of the season . The regular driver of the second vehicle was Maxime Martin, who competed six times with Frédéric Makowiecki and twice with Yann Clairay and Bertrand Baguette . A total of ten different drivers drove for Belgian Racing. The Marc VDS Racing Team finished sixth in the team standings and was right ahead of Belgian Racing in seventh place.
Blancpain Endurance Series
2011 season
In 2011 , the Marc VDS Racing Team fielded four different vehicle types from the GT3 group regulations in the first season of the Blancpain Endurance Series . Bas Leinders, Maxime Martin and Markus Palttala, who first drove a Ford GT but later switched to a BMW Z4 GT3 , made up the most capable vehicle crew. Marc Hennerici replaced the Finn Palttala for the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps , who, however, was able to score points in contrast to his usual partners. In the team ranking of the Pro category, Marc VDS was only defeated by the W Racing Team . In the drivers' championship of the same category, Palttala finished second after winning the last two races of the season together with Leinders and Martin.
2012 season
In 2012 , Marc VDS concentrated on racing two BMW Z4 GT3s in the Pro category in the Blancpain Endurance Series. One driver trio again consisted of Bas Leinders, Maxime Martin and Markus Palltala, the other of Henri Moser, Bert Longin and Mike Hezemans , who was replaced by Nicky Catsburg in the last race . Leinders, Martin and Palttala won two of the five races of the season, but only finished second in the drivers' championship. The Marc VDS Racing Team was again defeated by the W Racing Team in the team classification.
2014 season
In 2014 the Marc VDS Racing Team no longer competed in the Blancpain GT Series . They only took part in the Spa 24 Hours with two BMW Z4 GT3s . There the car with starting number 77, driven by Markus Palltala, Dirk Werner and Lucas Luhr, achieved an overall second place after losing the leading position in a duel against the W Racing Team 17 minutes before the end. The electronic aids failed due to technical problems, which is why no tires were changed at the pit stop in order to save time. Accordingly, one could hardly defend oneself against the attacks of the Audi R8. The sister car with starting number 66, driven by Maxime Martin, Jörg Müller and Augusto Farfus, ran into problems early on. You missed a Full Course Yellow and hit a slower moving vehicle. However, the race continued despite being five laps behind due to repairs. But at night you finally had to park the car because a rabbit crossed the route and it was taken at full speed, causing major damage to the radiator.
2015 season
In 2015 Marc VDS only took part in two races. On the one hand again at the 24 Hours of Spa, with two BMW Z4 GT3s, and on the other hand at the 6 Hours of Paul Ricard, with only one BMW Z4 GT3. In the 6 Hours of Paul Ricard you could work your way up to third place at the end of the race after having to start from last place on the grid as a result of an engine change. This year it was enough to win the overall 24-hour Spa. The car with the starting number 46, driven by Nicky Catsburg, Lucas Luhr and Markus Palltala, was the first to cross the finish line. However, the race for the number 45, piloted by Maxime Martin, Augusto Farfus and Dirk Werner, ended with a gearbox problem in the midday, after having been in the lead since early in the morning and had already built a large gap to the runner-up.
24-hour race on the Nürburgring
The Marc VDS Racing Team has been taking part in the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring with the BMW Z4 GT3 since 2012 . In 2012, a vehicle was used, the driver pairing Bas Leinders, Markus Paltalla and Maxime Martin achieved fourth place in the overall standings. Since 2013, the team has been competing under the name BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS as the second factory-supported team alongside Schubert Motorsport with two BMW Z4 GT3s.
In 2013, Marc VDS took second ( Maxime Martin , Andrea Piccini , Yelmer Buurman and Richard Göransson ) and 26th place ( Henri Moser , Markus Palttala , Richard Göransson and Bas Leinders ). In 2014 Marc VDS took first place (Maxime Martin, Uwe Alzen , Marco Wittmann ) and four (Bas Leinders, Markus Palttala, Nick Catsburg and Dirk Adorf ) in the qualification race . The 24-hour race ended in a total failure, both vehicles were badly damaged in accidents. In 2015, the team was able to repeat the result of a runner-up from 2013.
Withdrawal from GT racing
After Bas Leinders allegedly left the team peacefully in July 2015 - Bas Leinders later said in an interview that he had been kicked out of the team - Marc Van Der Straaten, founder and owner of Marc VDS, announced his resignation in October 2015 the GT sport. He has lost confidence in his managers because they have taken too great risks with his money. In addition, the SRO Motorsports Group , the head of the Blancpain GT Series , introduced a new regulation for the 24 Hours of Spa, which said that you had to take part in all races of the Blancpain Endurance Series as a pro team. Marc Van Der Straaten did not like this as the Marc VDS Racing Team only wanted to take part in the Spa 24 Hours. Accordingly, the Marv VDS Racing Team now only wants to concentrate on two-wheeled sports
Miscellaneous
In 2011, the Marc VDS Racing Team took part again in the 24 Hours of Le Mans because, together with Kronos Racing, they fielded a Lola B09 / 60 owned by Orbello Racing for Vanina Ickx , Maxime Martin and Bas Leinders, who had initially only been on the replacement list. The driver trio reached seventh place overall.
motorcycle
Since the 2010 season, Marc VDS has also started motorcycling after the team of Michael Bartholemy and Didier de Radiguès was integrated. In 2010 Scott Redding and Héctor Faubel competed in the Moto2 class of the Motorcycle World Championship . In 2011 Faubel left the team, while Mika Kallio joined the team. Both drivers stayed with the Marc VDS Racing Team in 2012 . In 2013 , the team also fielded Scott Redding and Mika Kallio in the Moto2 class. Redding secured the runner-up title in the season, Kallio fourth.
2014 season
For the Moto2 season 2014 Redding left the team and switched to Fausto Gresini's team in the MotoGP class. The Spaniard Esteve Rabat replaced Redding in the team. Mika Kallio continued to drive for Marc VDS. Rabat became world champion straight away and Kallio secured the team an excellent World Cup result with the runner-up world title.
2015 season
In the MotoGP class, Redding was signed again for the 2015 season . The highlight of the season was Redding's third place at the San Marino Grand Prix in Misano . In the Team World Championship this meant eighth place in the World Championship. In the Moto2 category, after the move from Kallio to the Italtrans team , the driver pairing was called Rabat and Álex Márquez , who had become world champion in the Moto3 category last year . Although the team reached third place in the World Cup with Rabat, they couldn't quite meet expectations. After initial difficulties with the new class, Márquez found the season better and better and he finished it in 14th place.
2016 season
For the 2016 season , Tito Rabat was promoted to the MotoGP team. He also got a new teammate in Jack Miller , since Redding had switched to the Pramac team . The season was pretty mixed for both pilots. Rabat had to deal with difficulties in adapting to the customer's Honda for a long time and fell short of expectations. At the end of the season, she finished 19th overall. Miller, on the other hand, showed his potential and that of the machine with a victory in the wet race for the Dutch TT in Assen , which did not detract from the weak season's performance. At the Grand Prix of Aragon Miller could not start due to injury and was represented by Nicky Hayden . In the end Miller was only 18th and Marc VDS in the team world championship, despite the victory, eleventh and last. For the Moto2 season, Franco Morbidelli was hired as Rabat's successor , who played the season alongside Marquez. The season was very difficult, as Márquez could only achieve one podium, Morbidelli in turn was fourth with eight podiums and 213 points.
2017 season
Miller and Rabat continued to form the driver pairing in the MotoGP class in 2017 . Rabat only scored 35 points, Miller, on the other hand, improved significantly to eleventh place, despite not making a podium this season. The team also improved to seventh place in the constructors' championship. The Moto2 season turned out to be even more successful. Franco Morbidelli was able to convince with eight wins and a total of twelve podiums and became world champion. Márquez finished fourth overall with three wins and a total of six podiums.
2018 season
The largest class of the motorcycle world championship was contested in the 2018 season with the driver Franco Morbidelli, who rose within the team, and the Moto2 runner-up world champion Thomas Lüthi . While Lüthi remained without points, Morbidelli was 15th with 50 points and best rookie. In the team world championship it was only enough for eleventh place, which, in contrast to 2016, was the penultimate place this time. The Moto2 season was driven with rider Alex Márquez and rookie and Moto3 world champion from 2017, Joan Mir . Márquez was fourth with six podiums and 173 points, and Mir was sixth with four podiums and 155 points. Marc VDS came third in the Team World Championship, which has now also been held in Moto2 and Moto3 .
Season 2019
In 2019 Marc VDS only competed in Moto2. While Alex Márquez stayed for a fifth year in a row, Mir was replaced by Xavi Vierge after he was promoted to MotoGP . In the end, Márquez was world champion with five wins of the season, ten podiums and 262 points, while Vierge struggled and finished 13th with 81 points and no podium finishes. Despite the driver title, Marc VDS declined to fourth place in the team world championship. In addition, they competed in the new MotoE World Cup with Mike Di Meglio . This could win a race and finished the cup in fifth place.
2020 season
In 2020 the team had to completely reposition itself, as Márquez, who actually had a contract until the end of 2020, was promoted to MotoGP, while Vierge switched to Petronas Sprinta Racing . Now the new driver pairing was Sam Lowes and Augusto Fernández . The season got off to a bad start in Qatar when Lowes was unable to participate in the race due to an injury and Fernández fell in the race. In Spain Lowes was fourth and Fernández 13th.
Rally raid
In 2010 the Marc VDS Racing Team took part in the Dakar Rally , fielding a Volkswagen Touareg for Stéphane Henrard and François Béguin.
Results
FIA GT1 World Championship
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 hours of Le Mans
| year | team | driver | vehicle | class | Round | Overall position | Class position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 |
 Marc VDS Racing Team
|
Eric de Doncker Bas Leinders Markus Palttala |
Ford GT | GT | 26th | DNF | DNF |
| 2011 |
Kronos Racing Marc VDS Racing Team
|
Vanina Ickx Bas Leinder's Maxime Martin |
Lola B09 / 60 | LMP1 | 328 | 7th | 7th |
Grand Prix victories (motorcycle world championship)
(Status: GP of the Czech Republic 2019)
| season | class | run |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Moto2 |
   
|
| 2014 | Moto2 |
     
|
| 2015 | Moto2 |
 .svg){kind=small}
|
| 2016 | MotoGP |
|
| 2017 | Moto2 |
   
|
| 2019 | Moto2 |
|
| MotoE |
|
Picture gallery
The Ford GT of Marc VDS when testing the Le Mans Series at the Circuit Paul Ricard in 2010
The Ford GT from Kuppens / Palttala at the FIA GT1 World Championship round in Silverstone 2010
The two Marc VDS vehicles in parc fermé at the FIA GT1 World Championship round on the Nürburgring 2010
The Ford GT from Leclerc / Palttala with the mention of Belgian Racing at Silverstone 2011
A tractor from the Marc VDS Racing Team in 2012
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Harald Gallinnis: Marc VDS - a tight program in 5 series 2010. In: gt-eins.at. gt-eins.at, December 11, 2009, accessed on February 21, 2013 .
- ↑ a b Marc VDS Racing Team. In: fiagt.com. SRO Motorsports Group, accessed February 19, 2013 .
- ↑ Ralf Kieven: New team: Belgian Racing takes over Matech-Boliden. (No longer available online.) In: sportscar-info.de. sportscar-info.de, March 1, 2011, formerly in the original ; Retrieved February 9, 2013 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )
- ^ Roman Wittemeier: Le Mans: Kronos teamed up with Marc VDS. In: motorsport-total.com. Motorsport-Total.com GmbH, April 12, 2011, accessed on February 21, 2013 .
- ↑ Matthew Birt: Ex-Kawasaki MotoGP boss unveils Moto2 plan. In: motorcyclenews.com. Motorcycle News, December 10, 2009, accessed September 2, 2010 .
- ↑ Markus Lehner: VDS Racing Team: On 2 and 4 wheels. In: speedweek.de. Red Bulletin Schweiz AG, March 22, 2010, accessed on February 21, 2013 .