Late-March Belcar News
It’s the Belcar Shakedown at Spa-Francorchamps today (March 30) – writes Joost Custers – and most of the Mediagroep Van Dyck teams are complete, but some are still looking for an extra driver or funding.

Fred Bouvy is working hard to find a solution to go racing with the PSI Experience Biturbo or 996 GT3-RSR, while the McDonald’s Racing Team (We're Loving It) is also looking to replace Stefan Tavernier in its Porsche 996 biturbo. If nobody shows up for the first race, Luc Gabriël, team manager, will join François Bouillon in this entry.

More than a year ago, Patrick Beliën was convinced that he would retire by the end of the 2004 season - but he came back for another season in 2005, with considerable success: he and Jan Jakobs won a third consecutive title in the Tourism division and apparently this title gave him wings. Right now, he and Jakobs are aiming to run a brand new BMW Z4 M Coupé, later this season. This fine car, developed by BMW Motorsport, will only be delivered after the first road going version of the Z4 Coupé rolls out of the factory. “And this will only be by the end of June”, explains Patrick Beliën. “And BMW has still to develop the M-version of the car. Following the best-case scenario, the car will only be ready for competition in August or even September.

“We will not adapt the BMW E46 to the new rules, the car is for sale and ideal for the BonGou Belcar Endurance Cup. Meanwhile, I could do some races in class 3 of Belcar in another, older BMW M3, together with Dimitri Cuyvers.”

We will also be missing the G&A Mosler at the first race in 10 days’ time. The development of the car in the States is delayed and the car will only be ready for the second race of the year. Guino Kenis and Michaël de Keersmaecker will start the first race with the old BMW Z3, or the newly built BMW 130i. If the pair decides to run the 130i, it would be the maiden race of this G&A product in the Mediagroep Van Dyck Belcar.

AD Sport has decided to start the season, for the Wauters brothers, with the Porsche Biturbo. According to Albert Vanierschot, it’s difficult to adapt the ex-GLPK Viper to the new Belcar Original rules; the catalytic converter is a particular problem. Most likely, AD Sport will enter a second car, for Patrick Schreurs and Albert Vanierschot himself. AD has a large choice of Porsches, but the ex-Menten Biturbo and the new Boxster are the preferred ones.

Last but not least AD Sport might also enter a car in the BonGou Belcar Endurance Cup. “We have different options and some of them are capable of grabbing the title in the BonGou Belcar Endurance Cup, but we still haven’t found a driver pair”, explains AD-boss Albert Vanierschot.

Ruben Maes is looking forward to the beginning of the season … but without his 2005 team mate Jos Menten. The latter will be in Istanbul for the opening round of the LMS with PSI Experience. But with Kurt Mollekens partnering Ruben Maes, the PSI-youngster gets a very good ‘interim’ co-driver.

More Belcar news, from today’s test day, in due course.