Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS newcomer Comtoyou Racing has confirmed that it will mount a three-car assault on the 2023 season in collaboration with Audi Sport.
Led by team principal Jean-Michel Baert and team manager François Verbist, the Belgian squad announced late last year that it would contest the full 10-round championship, tackling both the Sprint and Endurance Cups.
Its plans have now taken a further step, with Sébastien Breuil appointed as GT3 Program Leader. The accomplished French engineer comes with considerable experience of the Audi R8 LMS GT3 at various teams.
“I would like to thank Jean-Michel and François for their confidence,” said Breuil. “Our common objective is to build on the long term and I feel that the entire team is very motivated.”
“Effectively, we can confirm no fewer than three Audi R8 LMS GT3s, both in Sprint and in Endurance,” he continued. “We will have two cars in the Pro class in Sprint and one Pro in Endurance. The third car in Sprint will be entered in Silver.
"For the two remaining cars in Endurance, there will be at least one Silver car and we are in the process of putting together the last crew. It could be a Silver Cup car again, but the idea of a Bronze Cup trio with a Bronze, and therefore amateur, driver is not excluded. This would allow us to be present in three different categories and to demonstrate our versatility in the services offered to drivers.”
Meanwhile, preparations are well under way for the season ahead. “We have purchased three new Audi R8 LMS GT3 cars from Audi Sport customer racing,” explained Team Manager François Verbist. “The first car arrived in December and we have already run several test sessions with it. We received the second car last week and the third is currently being assembled at Audi Sport.”
Drivers are yet to be confirmed by the team, with an announcement set to be made at the end of February. This would put Comtoyou Racing on course to have its line-ups in place ahead of the official Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS test days at Circuit Paul Ricard on 7-8 March. The Endurance season launches at Monza on 21-23 April, while the Sprint campaign gets under way at Brands Hatch on 13-14 May.