Written by KS Motorsport

KS Motorsport and the British Ginetta outfit will be joining forces on the Belgian racing scene this year. The team comprised of Koen Leyssens and Steve Vanbellingen has recently concluded an agreement with the British sports car manufacturer, resulting in KS becoming the official Ginetta team in Belgium.

The team will be entering two brand new G50 GT4 cars in the Mediagroep van Dyck Belcar Division 2. In addition KS Motorsport are also looking to the international scene, but a more definite answer on this in the foreseeable future.

Back at the Racing Show of Liege it was clear that for this coming season we would once more have a British prestige car on the Belgian circuits. Ginetta is one of the few authentic British sports car makes emanating from this island renowned for its cars. “Indeed”, Steve Vanbellingen starts off. “It was back in 1958 that the British Walklett brothers laid the foundations of the first Ginetta and today the make rests on the sturdy shoulders of none other than Lawrence Tomlinson and Richard Dean, the stalwarts of LNT Automotive. Just run through the list of sports car makes and you’ll notice that Ginetta is one of the few remaining real British representatives.”

Last season LNT invested in an entirely new car, the Ginetta G50 and in 2007 we saw this latest descendant in action during the GT4-races at Nogaro and Magny-Cours (left). It was immediately apparent that the car had enormous potential, as confirmed by a second and fourth place during the car’s maiden weekend at Nogaro.

“KS Motorsport was looking for something similar on the lines of the successful BTCS-story - which will definitely experience an interesting future – and this is how we landed up with the Ginetta G50 GT4”, Koen Leyssens continues. “GT4 is undoubtedly the future, definitely in national championships because it blends real racing pleasure with realistic budgets, and this is what most national drivers are looking for.”

Both partners came to an agreement and together with the support of Carsons Motors and Benny Smets, Ginettas’s Belgian importer; they came to an agreement resulting in KS Motorsport becoming the make’s official team in Belgium.

Steve Vanbellingen aboard the G50

On the technical and logistics front the team can count on the support of the parent company. “We willindeed be working closely together with a view to achieving full success”, Vanbellingen comments, emphasising their ambitions. “In fact in a couple of days time –and in anticipation of our cars - we’ll have a test car at our disposal, which is identical to our cars. This will give the team the opportunity to get to know the car, and in addition potential partners can be convinced for themselves about the car at first hand. Recent test sessions at the British Mallory Park circuit (right) proved the G50 to be a real thoroughbred racing car.”

Richard Dean of Ginetta agreed on this: “Ginetta have been looking for a top line, professional team to represent the new G50 into mainland Europe, KS Motorsport are the perfect fit. We have a long relationship with Benny Smets Carsons Motors so this combination in Belcar gives Ginetta a great opportunity to demonstrate the potential and reliability of the G50 GT4 car. Ginetta represents affordable motorsport which is exactly what the new GT4 championships are about. We are looking forward to having a professional agent in the Belcar series we can work closely with, developing the product and supporting our customers.”

This season’s programme schedule for KS Motorsport and Ginetta includes the entire Belcar championship and naturally the 24 Hours of Zolder, with two identical G50s. “As for the drivers nothing has been decided as yet, but in all probability I’ll be at the wheel of one of the cars”, Vanbellingen continues. “Regarding the international scene there’s nothing definite as yet, but KS will do everything in their power to be on the grid at Silverstone, for the first race of the GT4-series.”