WRT (W Racing Team)

WRT (W Racing Team)
Name	WRT (W Racing Team)
Founded	2009
Base	Schilde, Belgium
Principal	Vincent Vosse

WRT (W Racing Team) is a Belgian motorsport team founded in 2009 specializing in sports car racing, GT competition, and touring car series. The team is known for programs with manufacturers such as Audi AG, BMW, and Bentley Motors and for campaigning in championships including the FIA World Endurance Championship, FIA GT1 World Championship, FIA GT Series, and GT World Challenge Europe. WRT has fielded cars in marquee events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Spa, the Bathurst 12 Hour, and the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

History

WRT was established by a group including Vincent Vosse and entrepreneurs from Belgium, emerging from connections with Marc VDS Racing Team and SRO Motorsports Group events. Early seasons saw entries in the Blancpain Endurance Series alongside teams such as AF Corse, Kessel Racing, and M-Sport. The team expanded through partnerships with Audi Sport and driver programs linked to Audi Sport customer racing and later cooperated with Bentley Continental GT3 efforts that involved entities like M-Sport Limited. WRT’s evolution paralleled shifts in GT regulations introduced by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile and paralleled other outfits such as AKKA ASP and HRT Motorsport. Strategic alliances included technical exchanges with Oreca and commercial ties to TotalEnergies, enabling campaigns in series sanctioned by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and managed by promoters including SRO.

Team Structure and Management

Leadership centered on team principal Vincent Vosse complemented by engineering directors with backgrounds at Audi Sport Team WRT and collaborations with personnel from Rebellion Racing and Peugeot Sport. The organizational setup integrated aerodynamics specialists from workshops akin to Dallara and Multimatic, and operations staff often recruited from Formula Renault and GP2 Series programs. Commercial management liaised with partners such as Pirelli, Rolex, Castrol, and Brembo, while logistics interfaced with circuits including Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Circuit Paul Ricard, Silverstone Circuit, and Monza Circuit. Driver development channels connected WRT to academies like Audi Junior Program and entities including Honda Racing Corporation alumni in joint initiatives.

Racing Programmes and Series

WRT has competed in multiple series: FIA GT1 World Championship, FIA GT Series, Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, ADAC GT Masters, Intercontinental GT Challenge, and select rounds of the FIA World Endurance Championship. WRT also contested national events such as the Belcar Championship and endurance classics including the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside competitors like AF Corse, team75 Bernhard, Rowe Racing, and GRT Grasser Racing Team. In touring car arenas, WRT entered WTCR test programs and cooperated with outfits familiar from Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters circuits. Guest entries and one-off appearances placed WRT at events organized by promoters like SRO Motorsports Group, FIA, and the ACO.

Vehicles and Technical Partners

The team campaigned primarily Audi R8 LMS variants in early years, later adding Bentley Continental GT3 and BMW M6 GT3 machinery. Technical partnerships extended to manufacturers including Audi AG, Bentley Motors, BMW M GmbH, and suppliers such as Pirelli, Brembo, Motul, and Sparco. Chassis and engineering input occasionally involved firms like Oreca, Multimatic, and Dallara. Electronics and ECU systems integrated products from Bosch and telemetry solutions from Cosworth‑style providers. WRT’s pit operations utilized equipment comparable to that used by Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing in logistics and garage setup.

Notable Drivers

Drivers associated with the team include multiple internationally recognized racers: Laurens Vanthoor, Robin Frijns, Dries Vanthoor, Yifei Ye, Raffaele Marciello, Stéphane Ortelli, Nick Catsburg, Edoardo Mortara, Stoffel Vandoorne, Felix da Costa, Jamie Green, Oliver Jarvis, Lucas di Grassi, Maxime Martin, Nico Müller, Frédéric Vervisch, Christopher Haase, Frank Stippler, Marco Wittmann, Alexander Sims, Andy Priaulx, Tom Blomqvist, Laurence Vanthoor, Aurelien Panis, Marc Gené, Brendon Hartley, Rene Rast, and Nico Hülkenberg. These drivers brought experience from series including Formula One, DTM, Formula E, IMSA SportsCar Championship, and Super GT.

Major Results and Championships

WRT achieved titles including overall victories in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup and team championships in GT World Challenge Europe. The team secured class wins at the 24 Hours of Spa and strong performances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in GTE Am and LMP2-adjacent campaigns, competing against factories like Porsche GT Team, Ferrari AF Corse, Aston Martin Racing, Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing, and Lamborghini Squadra Corse. Championship successes included driver and team honors in series managed by SRO, and event wins at Monza Circuit, Spa-Francorchamps, Paul Ricard, Silverstone, Zandvoort, and Hockenheimring.

Controversies and Incidents

WRT’s history includes on-track incidents and regulatory disputes typical in GT racing. The team has been involved in stewarding investigations at rounds promoted by SRO and decisions overseen by the FIA stewards, alongside incidents at endurance events like the 24 Hours of Spa and races featuring rivals such as Rowe Racing and GRT Grasser Racing Team. Technical scrutineering disputes have arisen at circuits governed by the ACO and during FIA homologation reviews, prompting clarifications with manufacturers including Audi AG and Bentley Motors. Personnel movements sometimes led to competitive tensions with teams like AF Corse and Team WRT‑adjacent competitors in the GT paddock.

Category:Motorsport teams Category:Auto racing teams in Belgium