British GT Press Release
Berg and Hughes select WRT for remainder of 2013 British GT campaign. Top Belgian Audi specialist, and reigning Blancpain Endurance Series Champion,WRT will make it's Avon Tyre British GT Championship debut next weekend at Brands Hatch, providing preparation and race weekend support for the continuing title challenge of Dutch driver Rembert Berg and British racer Warren Hughes in their Audi R8 LMS ultra.
Following the scheduled end of his programme with prominent World Rally Championship engineering group, M-Sport, and a strong start to his 2013 British GT campaign, Berg sought out the services of alternative teams that could run their Audi, the most obvious being, WRT. Currently, Berg and Hughes sit eighth in the British GT standings, just 22 points off the top spot, a gap they hope to close with their new outfit, WRT.
Having worked together with WRT's Vincent Vosse in Belcar in 2001 and given the heritage WRT have with the Audi brand that Berg and Hughes have used to good effect this season already, it was an obvious choice for the Dutchman. The deal will see the pair run with WRT next weekend at Brands Hatch (10/11 Aug) before Berg's home race at Zandvoort (06/08 Sept) and also at the series finale in October at Donington Park (05/06 Oct)
Founded in late 2009 by Vincent Vosse, René Verbist and Yves Weerts, the team has been a regular in European SRO championships such as the Blancpain Endurance Series, FIA GT Series and was a two-time victor at the endurance epic, Total 24 Hours of Spa (2011 and 2012), all with the venerable Audi R8 LMS and subsequent LMS ultra.
Cumbrian team, M-Sport will now concentrate of an intensive test schedule with the new for 2014 Bentley Continental GT, which is due to be race ready next season.
Quotes:
Rembert Berg, Driver: "We always knew M-sport wouldn't be able to do a full season of British GT due to their work with Bentley, it's been a given. M-Sport did a fantastic job for us, and we're very grateful. Seeing as our season was going quite well, we felt there was more potential, so we said okay, it would be nice to finish the season in a good way; the best way to do that I thought was with WRT. They are the number one GT team and they have a lot of experience, they just need to get used to the Avon tyres. I gave Vincent a call a few weeks ago and we finalised it all at Spa last weekend. It's perfect, they know all the ins and outs of the Audi and we can't be in a better place."
Vincent Vosse, Team Principal, Team WRT: "We are of course delighted to be present on the Brands-Hatch event. The British GT is one of the strongest national GT3 championship and we have already tried several times to set up a programme there in the past. It will be for sure a big challenge for all the team as the British GT is a championship with a lot of specialists. To have Rembert and Warren inside WRT is also very nice. We have already a small history with them as Rembert drove in the past in the super tourism championship together with René Verbist, my partner in the team, as engineer. On my side, I also know Warren quite well."
Photo credit: British GT Championship
