With the award night and Belcar party last Friday in the beautiful Opera house at Ghent, the 2005 Media Group Van Dyck Belcar 2005 season came to an end. All winners of challenges, classes and divisions received their awards, and that was it for 2005.

Sponsor Freddy Van Dyck also received a highly original gift. Last year he was rewarded with a helmet with the autographs of all champions while this year, he completed his race outfit with a handmade racing suit with the names of all winners embroidered on it. The missing gloves, shoes and HANS device could be an idea for next year.

The ceremony was opened by speeches from General Manager Jan Verschraegen, Marketing Manager Walter Goossens and series promoter Marc Martens, who all gave an introduction to the new 2006 Belcar, which was introduced during the award evening. With details following later on, we present the major ideas behind the new rules.

The Touring, Silhouette and GT-divisions will disappear and TA and TB will be absorbed into the new classes. After examination of the lap times, the Belcar organisation found out that TA was altogether very close to the fastest cars in GTB and TB would be able to match the pace of the Porsche 996 GT3 Supercup. So we now have three classes with a supplementary guest or invitation class.

Class 1: FIA GT1, and national GTs such as the Stealth or new developed projects such as a Carrera GT Class 2: GTB, TA and Silhouette 2005 Class 3: Porsche 996 GT3 Supercup and TB (eventually to be extended) Class 4: Guests

The minimum weight has also changed: Class 1: 1100 kg, Class 2: 1000 kg, Class 3: 1100 kg.

In order to level out the differences and to seek closer competition, the RACB and the Belcar organizers can add weight after every race for the top-3 of each class. Details will follow in the rulebook.

Aerodynamics will also change and a noise limitation will be applied. One of the measurements to reduce the noise will be the obligation to fit a catalytic converter. The fuel tank will be of 100 litres volume, as in FIA-GT and all drivers will have to use the HANS system. From 2007 on, ABS might very likely disappear.

The Belcar season will open at Spa in 2006, owing to the renewal of the track surface in Zolder. There will be again 7 races, all of 125 minutes except for the 24-hour race in Zolder. The yearly trip abroad will go to the Lausitzring, close to Dresden in Germany. A remarkable new initiative is a race on a Thursday. On the 29th of June, there will be a mid-week meeting: the Belcar Midsummer Race. In Belgium this is the last Thursday before the school holiday and Belcar will try to reach as many schools as possible, to attend the meeting. This event is of course also a good occasion for companies to be involved.

Calendar Mediagroep Van Dyck BELCAR Original

30.03.2006 - BELCAR Shakedown Spa-Francorchamps
06.04.2006 - BELCAR Launch Circuit Zolder
09.04.2006 - BELCAR First Race Spa-Francorchamps
21.05.2006 - BELCAR Home Race Circuit Zolder
29.06.2006 - BELCAR Mid Summer Race Circuit Zolder
09.07.2006 - BELCAR Holiday Race Eurospeedway (Lausitz)
26.08.2006 - Euphony 24 Uren van Zolder Circuit Zolder
08.10.2006 - Racing Festival Spa-Francorchamps
22.10.2006 - BELCAR Last Race Circuit Zolder

On Thursday December 15, there will be an information session for all drivers and team managers. The organizers will try to answer all questions regarding the Media Group van Dyck Belcar championship. This meeting is only for teams from the original Belcar. Please contact drivers@belcar.com to subscribe. The technical rules are online on www.belcar.com and www.racb.com. The Dutch version is online, a French version will follow asap.

For further information, please contact Belcar on marketing@circuit-zolder.be

At the beginning of 2006, a press conference will give further details on the Belcar series.

As mentioned before, Belcar is no longer a single series but an umbrella of races, following the same principle as Nascar. Each weekend will contain:
- Mediagroup Van Dyck Belcar original
- The Belcar endurance Cup (former Touring Cup, 4-hour races)
- The Belcar Sprint Cup
- The Belcar Historic Sprint

All details on www.belcar.com

In the meantime, there still was some racing. The second race of the Dutch Winter challenge at Oschersleben saw two Belcar team at the start: G&A Racing with the BMW 130i and the BMW M3 GTR V8 for Gino Kenis and Michaël De Keersmaecker and First Motorsport with a Porsche 996 Porsche Supercup for Haane and Waaienberg.

We quickly lost the V8 during the qualifying session and so only the Supercup and the brand new 130i were left for the race. After a steady race, Henk Haane even led this second round briefly, First Motorsport finished on a good 5th. Jo Jamers was happy, certainly as the tests with the Avon tyres were positive.

The Zakspeed Saleen won, while the Porsche of both Jetstream and Sotrax and the Euser Marcos completed the top-5.

G&A was unlucky again as a race incident caused a problem with the exhaust. G&A meanwhile confirmed its plans for 2006 with the arrival a second BMW 130i. The M3 V8 is for sale but could also return to Belcar with a V6 in division 3.

We wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year and would like to see you all back at Zolder, Spa or on the Lausitzring!