Jean-Michel Baert (Comtoyou Racing) : "Challenges are life of a team"

One of the major announcements this autumn in GT3 is the arrival of Comtoyou Racing in GT World Challenge Europe next season with three Audi R8 LMS GT3. The Belgian team led by Jean-Michel Baert is adding a stone to the edifice in addition to the TCR. See Comtoyou Racing in GT3 is not new because the team ran an Audi in the GT Sports Club a few years ago. This time, Comtoyou Racing is entering the toughest GT3 championship with three Audi R8 LMS GT3s in Sprint and two in Endurance.

This is quite a challenge when you consider the competitiveness of the series. Jean-Michel Baert, team principal, answered questions from Endurance-Info about the GT3 project. 

GT3 planned a long time ago?

We've been planning this move to GT3 for three years now. First of all, we had to build a solid team which is now the reference in Touring. I wanted a strong team for the long term, as we have seen over the last few seasons in TCR Europe and WTCR. Recently, we didn't really know what was going to happen with Audi after 2024. We had no guarantee of having a program. It was important for us to have guarantees because the investment in GT3 is substantial. 

What will be the objective in 2023? 

We are doing all this to win. In GT3, the difference is not in the development of the car but in the team itself. Challenges are the life of a team. The first thing we want to achieve in 2023 is to win the TCR World Tour and it means we will put everything in place for that. For the GT3 part, 2023 will be a learning year before winning races and titles in 2024. For that, we will reinforce the team on the human level.

Are the lineups fixed?

No. We will run three new chassis, three in Sprint and two in Endurance with one car in Pro. Comtoyou Racing will receive the same support from Audi as the other teams. 

You will inevitably hear that you are somehow taking over the place left vacant by WRT...

Our arrival in GT3 is totally independent of the departure of WRT. Comtoyou Racing is not here to replace WRT. As I said, we had to build the team. I don't think the team was mature in the last two years. 

Will it be a one-off program? 

The door is not closed for a few rounds of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. 

With Audi, you are not arriving in unknown territory...

2023 will mark the 7th year of our collaboration with Audi. We are one of the teams most supported by Audi with Tourism. The relationship with Audi is very strong and that's also why we are with Audi in GT3. In order to learn faster, we have to participate in both championships and this allows us to have a full-time team.