Boutsen VDS Switches to Porsche

Photo: JEP/SRO

Boutsen VDS has announced a new partnership with Porsche in GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, joining the Stuttgart marque after a two-year stint campaigning Mercedes-AMG machinery.

The Belgian squad will field a pair of Porsche 911 GT3 R Evos in both the Sprint and Endurance Cup, with Alessio Picariello named as the first driver for its Pro effort.

“First of all, I would like to thank our former partner, with whom we won the GT World Challenge Europe Silver Cup in the last two seasons,” said team principal Olivier Laine.

“However, we are taking on a new challenge which we hope will allow us to aim even higher. I am very excited about racing Porsches next year, especially as we will be a privileged partner of the marque in Europe.

“I can already tell you that we will have a Belgian driver in the Pro car in the form of Alessio Picariello, this year’s GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup champion.

“I would like to thank my partner, Marc van der Straten, as well as Rudi Penders and Lionel Hansen.

“They are true lovers of the brand and their collaboration in setting up this ambitious project has been invaluable.

“Together with the whole team, we are looking forward to starting winter testing.”

Boutsen VDS first began racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evos in 2024 after previously racing Audis, fielding one car in Pro and one in the Silver Cup category.

While its Silver Cup crew, mainly consisting of Aurelien Panis and Cesar Gazeau, won the overall teams’ title in both season, the Pro effort struggled for results.

In the Endurance Cup, it scored a best finish of sixth in last year’s Monza round but endured a tough 2025 campaign that resulted in Mikael Grenier, Maximilian Goetz and Maxime Martin finishing the season behind the Silver Cup car in the overall drivers’ standings.

Meanwhile, in Sprint Cup competition, Goetz and Jules Gounon initially took the team’s first victory during Race 1 at Barcelona last year, only for the results of that race to be cancelled when Team WRT successfully filed an appeal regarding the application of the safety car procedure.

Source: Sports Car 365