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26.03.2008
New team, new car, same ambitions
On Sunday the 13th of April, the new Belcar season 2008 will take off. SRO Belgium succeeded in attracting a full start grid and races will be held at Zolder, Francorchamps and Dijon. And most of the names on the entry list sound familiar, as do those of Bert Longin and Anthony Kumpen. We’ll need to get used to it, but Kumpen-Longin are not longer faithful to Corvette. As already known the Belgian drivers changed to a Saleen in FIA GT and in Belcar another American car will be their weapon: the Mosler. "We have had several technical problems with the Corvette in GT3 and that explains why we decided to opt for another car. But that’s not all, we’ll also be racing with another team", Anthony Kumpen comments. "We’re naturally very satisfied with PK Carsport, but we wanted them to focus entirely on FIA GT and the Saleen, as we lack experience with this brand new car." "At the end of last season, we drew up a balance sheet of all the existing GT3 cars", Bert Longin continues. "Finally we had two options: the new Porsche or the Mosler. We talked to several teams and finally decided to work with the Gravity International team of Willy Plas and Loris De Sordi." A new car and a new team will in no way alter their ambitions. "We want to win and that’s something that will never change", Anthony Kumpen adds. "We had a rather difficult season in 2007 without any titles, and now we’re very hungry. In Belcar, we will only have to focus on racing, whereas in the past, with our own team, we still had some other things to deal with. Willy Plas and Loris De Sordi are very professional and their team has a solid foundation.." Loris de Sordi, team manager of Gravity International, is very keen to work with this ambitious driver line-up. "Working with Bert and Anthony is an excellent opportunity for us. Together with Radermecker and Kelders, we’ll have a very strong team and the title is one of our ambitions. With Bert and Anthony we want to go for the overall championship, whereas Radermecker and Kelders, who is a gentleman driver, will have to focus on strong overall results, especially in the shorter one-hour races." Radermecker will also be a perfect match for Kumpen and Longin in qualifying. And I also have a long-term vision as Ascari and our team, Gravity International, have a partnership for a period of five years with a view to preparing a GT1 car by 2009. This could also be very interesting for Kumpen and Longin as the actual GT1 cars will disappear by 2010 or 2011." "Our collaboration might be a win-win operation", continues Bert Longin. In order to prepare the upcoming season, Gravity have already carried out tests on the French track of Nogaro. "I immediately felt a huge difference between the Corvette GT3 and the Mosler. The driving style for both cars is completely different. The Corvette imposes a rather brutal handling, whereas the Mosler handles more like a kart. You have to drive it very smoothly. The Mosler – as is the Saleen - is also a mid-engine car and that’s new to me. It’s like a prototype or single-seater and unlike most of the actual GT drivers, I have never driven one of those…" Anthony Kumpen hasn’t driven the new car yet. "That will happen on Thursday if the weather doesn’t spoil the fun… I can’t quite see a Mosler in the … snow", Kumpen smiles "If you take a close look at the entry list, you’ll notice that Belcar is alive and kicking and that’s why I look forward to this new season." "And the fact that we’re present again would have been impossible without the support of our partners and sponsors. They are staunch supporters and I really do appreciate that", Bert Longin finishes.
- Kumpen Longin Press - also photo
Author: maggy (admin2)
Last modified: Wednesday, 26.03.2008 - 01:55 More reports from this category all copyright automobilsport.com.
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