Zolder 24: KS Motorsport preview

No less than three KS Motorsport Ginettas in the 24 Hours of Zolder

ZOLDER. KS Motorsport is entering no less than three Ginetta G50Rs in the 24 Hours of Zolder, the fifth meeting of the Belgian GT Championship and the highpoint of the national motorsport season. Having introduced the British make earlier this season to the Belgian GT Championship, KS Motorsport is underlining its close ties with the Leeds based manufacturer. In addition to both Belgian Ginetta G50Rs, there will also be a car with an entirely British crew. For the Belgian cars the team is still on the look out for additional drivers. And last but not least the safety-car in Zolder will be provided by the British make.

Yesterday - Thursday 15th August - the Leuven based team travelled on down to Circuit Zolder with two, still entirely black liveried cars, for an extended test session. "We still need to work on the tuning of the cars", team manager Koen Leyssens commented. "The Ginetta G50R is an evolution of the car which we raced earlier this season in the first two meetings, with amongst others a more powerful engine and a fair amount of aerodynamic evolution, and we feel that it's important to clock up test mileage. Our intention is not to come down to Zolder as mere nominal participants; our ambition is to put in a strong collective performance. During the 500 Km of Zolder the Ginetta G50R had proven itself to be a reliable and fast car. On top of that we are able to drive extended relays, which taking into account the tanking system of the 24 Hours of Zolder is a substantial advantage for us."

"Regarding the drivers I'll start off with our British guests", the man from Asse continues "None other than the owner of Ginetta, Lawrence Tomlinson, will be heading up the quartet, comprised out of Richard Dean, Danny Watts and Nigel Moore. Apart from being the owner of the British make Tomlinson is also a renowned industrialist and former winner in GT2 at Le Mans." As such both 'Belgian' Ginetta G50Rs will have strong opposition from within.

As yet it is not fully known who will be competing in the Belgian cars. Six out of the eight drivers are known and as such there is still one seat free in each car. Steve Vanbellingen, Marnix Vandermaesen and Bert Redant will be manning a first car, whilst Koen Leyssens, Werner Moonens and Harry Steegmans will be sharing the drive in the second car. "We have opted for a well balanced and homogenous team, Steve Vanbellingen explains, with a view to the 24 Hours. "It is not important to have one or more sprinters, but rather drivers who can keep to a constant pace for extended periods without damaging the car. This is the only way we can compete up front and achieve a good result. This is how we managed to finish third and fifth in the past."

Ginetta will be highly prominent in Zolder, as the safety car will also be travelling over from Leeds, whilst a street version of the Ginetta G50 will be the pole of attraction in the paddock.

-credit: ksm