Schumacher CLRT Racing Team will contest this season's Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Endurance Cup with a trio of Porsche experts sharing its 911 GT3 R.
The squad has formed from an alliance between three French organisations: Autosport GP LS Group Performance; IMSA LS Group Performance; and CLRT. The latter made its Fanatec GT Europe debut last term and is led by former series champion Côme Ledogar, who remains in place as team manager.
After running a full-season Bronze Cup entry in 2023, the reinforced outfit will graduate to the Pro ranks this term. Contesting the Endurance schedule, its #22 car will be driven by Porsche factory drivers Ayhancan Güven and Laurin Heinrich, and reigning Carrera Cup France champion Dorian Boccolacci.
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CLRT was an instant hit with fans thanks to its striking 2023 livery
Güven – the elder statesman of the crew at just 26 – switches from the Dinamic GT outfit with which he contested the 2023 Endurance campaign. The Turkish ace has enjoyed a stellar start to the year, winning this month's REPCO Bathurst 12 Hour with the Manthey EMA squad. Heinrich also moves across from a rival Porsche team, joining Schumacher CLRT from Rutronik Racing. What's more, both made a one-off Sprint Cup outing for CLRT at Zandvoort last term.
Boccolacci has made sporadic Fanatec GT Europe starts in recent seasons, including a one-off drive with CLRT last season at Circuit Paul Ricard which yielded a Pro-Am podium. The former single-seater ace won last year's Porsche Carrera Cup France championship driving for CLRT.
Indeed, in announcing its line-up the team noted that all three drivers have secured at least one national Porsche Cup title: Guven secured back-to-back French crowns in 2018/2019 while Heinrich was German champion in 2022.
Left to right: Güven, Heinrich and Boccolacci, national Porsche Cup champions with Fanatec GT Europe experience
Team manager Côme Ledogar commented: "Moving from the Bronze Cup to the Pro category should not pose any problems. You just have to do the job well – on the pit stops, the set-up, the strategy – because in the end it is the same championship and it requires the same commitment.
"As for our 2024 drivers, they are among the best I have worked with as a team manager; they are fighters and winners. What’s more, they get along well. Having been a Porsche driver myself, I know the importance of being able to count on official drivers who work closely with the manufacturer."
Schumacher CLRT will be on-track with its Porsche during next week's Fanatec GT Europe Prologue at Circuit Paul Ricard (5/6 March), while the Endurance Cup kicks off at the same venue in a little over a month's time (5–7 April).