24-25 April: Belcar & World Series Zolder
Mediagroup Van Dyck Belcar 2004

Who will stop the GLPK Viper?

After the opening heat of 4th April during the Belcar New Race Festival, the teams had three weeks to doctor up their bolides in order to have them in perfect shape for the next race. The New Race Festival's race was very animated, with changing weather circumstances and twice a Safety Car intervention. As a consequence, most teams had to bring in their best strategists, hoping that Dame Fortune was at their side. When after some 20 minutes of race, the Zolder asphalt was hit by a shower of rain, some of the best skaters remained on the track, trying to complete the regulatory race time of 30%. In this way, they could save a pit stop, while most other teams, who prematurely entered the pits in order to get rain tyres, had to provide for an extra pit stop for the drivers' change.

Longin, member of the GLPK team, kept on facing the rain on slicks, so that Kumpen could finish the remaining 70% with rain tyres. Looking back, a lucky guess: at the time of the change, the Safety Car engaged the track. During the second Safety Car intervention, Anthony even could insert an extra pit stop to have the slicks fitted, thus being perfectly launched for his ultimate rush to victory.

Last season, two Belmondo Vipers were welcomed with rolls of drums during the World Nissan Series weekend. They animated the race and both cars made it to the podium. This year though, the top teams are so close to one another and there are so many candidate-winners that there is currently no need for such an invasion to obtain an exciting race. If all competitors figuring on the list of participants will be present, some 55 cars will line up on the start grid next Sunday at about 04.00 p.m.

GT Division

GTA class: an abundance of victory claimants

Considering that Kumpen/Longin won the first race for GLPK, they are in an excellent position for the second meeting. The hegemony of the GLPK Viper will be broken this season, that's for sure. Some day, sooner or later, they will be beaten. On the other hand, the current leaders can adopt an expectant attitude during the race. Hart/Hezemans and Lamot/Goossens, the highest-quoted teams at the bookies, already ended up scoreless once.

SRT anyhow does not get downhearted. Patrick Selleslagh: "Everything went according to the plan. The Lamot/Goossens duo is a dream team. Goossens has lots of experience, can perfectly tune a car and knows a lot of people at source. Franz is the perfect complement to Marc. He listens to the master and has already made huge progress. He also perfectly knows his limits. Our strategy therefore was simple: Franz would start the race and keep up with the leaders, without overstraining. During the second part of the race, Marc had to finish the job. Of course, we were disappointed when we had to throw in the towel. The Corvette was entirely revised. Moreover, a new gearbox and a new engine, both capable of enduring 30 race hours, were installed. I am not dealing with the mechanical part myself, in order to avoid any misunderstanding. SRT is not to blame for the axle break in the gearbox. It is a setback, that's for sure, but we will not change our attitude. Everything is still going according to the plan. If you compare our current situation to our situation of last season at the same moment, you can say that we have set a big step forward. We will not change our strategy: victory is our goal", says the combative SRT boss. As the practice time of Marc Goossens is concerned: Marc is the first to go beyond the magical limit of one minute and a half (1'29"332) in a Belcar car. This is an absolute record since the transformation and shortening of Circuit Zolder up to its current length of 3.970 km.

The previous record that was realised during the practices, dates from the 2002 Belgian Masters, when Hezemans rushed with his Viper in 1'31"198 over the Zolder asphalt.

The fastest lap ever realised during a Belcar race also dates from 2002, when Kurt Mollekens clocked 1'32"802 with the PSI Porsche.

No one doubts that this record will be history as well this season. Despite the slight adaptation to the Zolder trace, it is still remarkable that, three years later, the pole of the 2001 Belgian Masters (Mollekens PSI Porsche 1'33"16 and at that time the fastest lap ever in Belcar) has been lowered with almost four full seconds.

The Hart/Hezemans couple, on the lead during the NRF until Hart ran into the rear of Koen Wauters' Porsche, will be a dangerous opponent once again, as well as the other Vipers of Kuismanen/Hasenbichler and rookies Point Preparation with Pelle/Cook. They were absent during the first meeting, but apparently, they will show up for the remainder of the championship. Anyhow, the already well-filled field will welcome another top car.

With Palttala and Vosse, PSI proved from the start of the first race that it has two top cars in competition. Both bi-turbo Porsches followed an extremely strict rhythm. Only in the final stage of the race, the GLPK Viper and the AD Porsche bi-turbo of Menten/Verbergt could overtake Leo Van Sande. These two cars drove a perfect race and installed themselves pussyfoot in the top 3.

Albert Vanierschot: "Qualification rubber and extreme solicitation of the material in order to clock a good time is not our cup of tea", says the Lummen tuner. "We simply do not have the budget to do so. We install new tyres for the practices and once more before the start. During the tyre change, we install the tyres that already were used during practice. We realise almost identical lap times during the race and during practice. As you notice, we're doing well out of it after two hours of racing".

Tim Verbergt, 2nd in the NRF with Jos Menten, will be featuring with the Audi Light in the second BTCS race at Dijon next weekend. The AD Sport workshop also is working intensively to get the new Porsche bi-turbo ready for the Wauters brothers. "Whatever Tim decides, that's his business", says Vanierschot. "Considering the running score, I deeply regret that he prefers BTCS over Belcar. We still don't know who will replace him next Sunday.

I myself am not in the mood and meanwhile we are having discussions with Freddy Van Roey and Kurt Thiers as a temporary alternative". "As the new Porsche for Koen and Kris is concerned, we will have to wait and see if the cable tree, which we have ordered some three months ago, will finally be supplied this week. If it is, they will be on the start grid with newer and much faster material", continues the King of Limburg.

Furthermore, the RTM and RS Racing bi-turbo Porsche are also expected amongst the leaders of GTA. Especially RTM and the fast duo Couwberghs/Van De Haterd must be taken into account. Without breakdown during the NRF, RTM would have been able claiming a place on the victory stand. For RS Racing, the podium will be a little premature, although they were delighted with their 7th place in the classic season's opener. "Relaxing and getting acquainted with the former Manthey Porsche as soon as possible", that the device of the Ingelmunster home base. This time, Ruben Maes will have François Verbist as teammate. Apart from the Point Preparation Viper, GTA will probably also bring the LVC and JMT BMW Z3 Coupé V8 on stage.

GTB class: the relief

Lambert/Lefort were the rightful winners of the opening race in their beautiful material. After the Gillet Vertigo had given up, the road to the podium was clear for the Track Promotion Team and their Porsche 996 GT3 RS. They hardly had to give in two laps on the triumphing Viper and obtained a 6th place in the general ranking. Both Walloons already were quite in fine form by the end of last season and 2004 should be the year of the confirmation. But the disappearance of the RTM cars of Penders-Goossens and Couwberghs/Lamot in GTB is no guarantee that victory will be a piece of cake to them. The Thiers brothers won the final sprint for the second place over Verhoeven/Döring. Vancraeynest/Dentant lost much time because of a misunderstanding during the tyre change (or perhaps Sergio's intervention had something to do with it?). When leaving the pit-lane, the light was red because of the intervention of the safety car, so that the Coast Racing men lost a lap. Never before in his entire 10-year race career, Vancraeynest was that close to a podium.

The Gillet Vertigo of Kuppens/Ugeux will undoubtedly remain the fastest GTB this season, but the opposition grows stronger. The Porsches of Lambert/ Lefort, the Thiers brothers, Vancraeynest/Dentant, Verhoeven/Döring, de Gastines/De Craene, completed with the Ultima GTR of Theuws/Derdaele and Qvick/Geoffroy will anyhow give them a hard time in the next weeks and months.

Next weekend, the Moritz Racing Marcos Mantis will join GTB as well. It concerns a cup version, in which Bert Moritz shares the wheel with Donny Crevels.

Touring Car Division: unexpected leader

With three big TA BMW's, equipped with a 5-liter V8, at the start, no one would have bet his money on the TB bolide of G&A with Steinberg/Cuyvers behind the wheel, except for the G & A Racing team itself of course.

Guino Kenis: "This E36 V6 was entirely revised last winter, you know. We are competing with this car for a few seasons already, so that it has no secrets for the team anymore. Which cannot be said from our new cars, who were not ready in due time and who are not yet over their teething troubles. I had a good take-off with the V8 and could maintain my position in the top 10, until the gas cable broke. It's a pity, but we have proven the potential of the car and what's more, for the time being without ABS. The BMW V8 is capable of going below 1'35" at Zolder".

Beliën/Jakobs competed a trouble free race, but ruling champion Jakobs had an off day, so that the TB's of Steinberg/Cuyvers and Moore/Cox could overtake him. The Volvo S40 Supertouring of Snijers/Heyman/Voet also figured on the TB podium. And there is more good news, since Snijers can keep up the Belcar adventure. Heyman found the missing budget, so that the "tall guy" can complete the entire season. The Daikin girls Ickx/Van de Velde also held out prospects of a podium, until the left rear wheel started to live its own life and the Mini S3 was sent to the abandoners' camp. The time of 1'44'7, realised by Vanina Ickx during practice, is an indication that they are on the right track with this difficult car.

Next weekend, KS Motorsport will join the troops with Leyssens/Vandermaesen in the BMW Supertouring, another podium-pretender. SME also deploys a supplementary car (BMW E36) in TB for Van Samang/Molenaers, so that the field in this class now consists of 13 cars.

Silhouette Division: three possibilities

Motorsport International, the team of Willy Plas, guardian of the Mondeo Silhouette and the Jaguar Silhouette, announces good news. The Jaguar X type competes in two championships: on the one hand, Chouvel/Duez go for gold in the Mediagroup Van Dyck Belcar, while Thiry/Dermont come into action in the BTCS.

Since the calendars of both championships are overlapping next Sunday, there was a problem. The family Thiry, owner of the car, gives an absolute priority to Belcar though. During the first race, Duez was excused and had to be replaced by Horion. But next weekend, a second musketeer will be on the start grid, next to Patrick Snijers. Perhaps anyone could offer a driver seat to Robert Droogmans to complete the picture?

Anyhow, we will see another fight at daggers drawn between both Silhouettes, who are deployed by two independent teams, although being both serviced by MI. We will have to wait and see to what extent KS Motorsport was able developing the BMW Silhouette during the three weeks after the first race.