Vanthoor Ruled Out for FIA GT World Cup; Rast to Sub in Macau

Photo: Vision Sport Agency/SRO

Laurens Vanthoor has been ruled out of next weekend’s FIA GT World Cup, with the Belgian not having been cleared to race after sustaining multiple fractures in an accident last month in Italy.

Vanthoor sustained a fractured leg and hip in a high-speed accident in the Blancpain Sprint Series Qualifying Race at Misano, which sidelined him in the title-deciding round at Zandvoort, which saw Belgian Audi Club Team WRT co-driver Robin Frijns claim the overall Blancpain GT Series title solo.

While Vanthoor was hoping to return to the cockpit for Macau, following a rapid recovery, an Audi doctor has ruled out such hopes.

Instead, Rene Rast will take the wheel of the WRT-entered Audi R8 LMS for the Nov. 19-22 event, joining Audi DTM factory driver Edoardo Mortara in a sister Phoenix entry. Mortara has won the event, under the previous Macau GT Cup title, in three of the last four years.

Marchy Lee (Audi Hong Kong) and Jeffrey Lee (Absoulte Racing) will complete Audi’s four-car effort with the new-generation R8 LMS, which has received late approval to race in the event. Additionally, Philip Ma is entered with an Absoulte Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra.

“For the Asian premiere of our new race car, we selected the world’s most prestigious sprint event in GT racing,” said Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “Media and public awareness of this race is enormous because the Macau Grand Prix with its various racing series has a 62-year tradition.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John