Comtoyou “Here to Learn” With New Audi GT3 Program

Comtoyou Racing team manager Francois Verbist says the TCR race-winning squad is “here to learn” in the early stages of its new Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS program with Audi.

Belgian outfit Comtoyou is making its GT3 debut in Sunday’s Endurance Cup season-opener at Monza with a trio of Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo IIs, including a Pro car for factory drivers Frederic Vervisch, Christopher Haase and Gilles Magnus.

Verbist explained that the GT3 operation is “basically a new team” in addition to the ongoing TCR effort with Audi, and that it aspires to eventually compete for overall wins in GTWC Europe despite having conservative expectations at the start of the new project.

“We needed the right time and the right place, with the right guys,” he told Sportscar365.

“It’s basically a new team, based on experience of the Audi and GT categories. [GT program manager] Seb Breuil has worked with Audi teams the last nine years, so we don’t start with a white paper.

“The idea from the beginning, with the level we set up in TCR always fighting at the top, was that we didn’t want to start GT as one more car to fill up the grid.

“We checked our goals and discussed with Audi, in Hockenheim and Barcelona. We started the project in late September last year.

“It was clear, when we started the project, that we had a goal to achieve.

“The level is very high so we don’t have so much expectation about where we will be. We’re here to learn and don’t want to give ourselves pressure which is not needed.”

Team principal Jean-Michel Baert added: “We have to prove that we can work all together. But also, the level of the championship is very high.

“For me, it’s impossible to say at this moment where we will finish. We have to stay focused on our job. If everybody is at 100 percent, we will finish in a good place. And I’m sure we have the package to do that.”

Comtoyou completed nine pre-season tests with its new Audis, according to Verbist.

The GT3 team was created with some members of the TCR staff permanently moving across and being combined with new signings from other outfits, including Breuil who joined from Car Collection Motorsport.

“We focused the team and the team needed to do two or three tests to get them working together,” said Verbist.

“A few guys moved to GT3 but have not gone back to TCR. They were replaced in the TCR program. It was a choice for us. We are professional, but we like to keep an atmosphere and family spirit, to have guys with experience of Comtoyou Racing.

“We will make sure that we keep the philosophy long-term. The structures can work completely independently.”

Despite being a Belgian team with a multi-car Audi program and a factory-driven Pro entry, Comtoyou has shaken off the notion that it’s filling the void left by Team WRT.

Verbist stressed that WRT’s departure from Audi was “nothing to do with” Comtoyou’s decision to enter GTWC Europe, and that it likely would have joined the series even if Vincent Vosse’s organization hadn’t switched to BMW.

“It’s nothing related to that decision,” said Verbist, who previously worked for WRT. “A lot of guys are thinking that we bought some stuff from them.

“We have a partnership with Audi which support us with the program, but that was part of the engagement from the beginning. We chose to start with new guys.

“We don’t rely on what the others have done. We rely on Audi technical staff, so we are working with them on testing. But what happened in the past is what happened in the past.”

Comtoyou Comfortable With Long-Term “Risk”

The long-term status of Comtoyou Racing’s commitment to GTWC Europe with Audi depends on the future of the German manufacturer’s GT3 program, which is only confirmed until the end of the current Evo II model’s third season in 2024.

When asked if it was a risk to launch a three-car Audi program when the long-term future of the program is unclear, Baert said: “Of course, because nobody has the answer.

“But sometimes in life you have to take risks. The risk is only on the cars: with the trailer, you can put another brand on it.

“I know that there is a risk. But I take the risk and then we will see. The situation will not change for two years, so the risk is after that.”

Verbist added that a customer team like Comtoyou would likely be able to manage the end of a manufacturer’s program if it occurred.

“The TCR cars are sold when they finish the season,” he said. “By running the car properly with proper servicing, you can have a second-hand market. The risk is somehow under control.”