Belgo-Dutch team  GLPK-Carsport has confirmed that it enter a Corvette C5-R from the Pratt & Miller workshops in the 2005 FIA-GT championship.   The car will be driven by Bert Longin, Mike Hezemans and Anthony Kumpen - all regular FIA GT drivers.

Until recently known as GLPK Racing and Carsport Holland, the Paul Kumpen and Toine Hezemans teams carried out a regular merger with a view to this new Corvette adventure. The result of this association is called GLPK Carsport, and from a practical point of view, the C5-R will be serviced in the GLPK Racing workshops in Belgium.

To take care of it there will be a GLPK engineer and a Carsport engineer, in addition to the mechanics, all of them coming from the Belgian team. During the races, Toine Hezemans will officiate as team manager. \"For the new team created to take part in the FIA-GT championship, it is a very prestigious challenge,\" comments Toine Hezemans. \"To find oneself on the international scene with the support of Cadillac & Corvette Europe, a new entity based in the Netherlands, is an honour and, above all, an opportunity to be seized. The contract concerning the C5-R is now signed, and the adventure can begin …\"

The car will be one of the two official cars which participated in - and won - the American Le Mans Series in the GTS category last year. \"This Corvette benefits from the latest 2004 developments,\" explains Bert Longin. \"Which means that it will be equipped with latest-generation X-Trac sequential gearbox, as well as the latest engine development and the most efficient aerodynamic package. With a car like that, I\'m sure we can lay claim to a prominent place in the FIA-GT championship. In the course of its career, the C5-R has won everywhere it has gone, whether in ALMS or at Le Mans 24 Hours. It is the first time that such a car will be involved in the FIA-GT, and we are very confident. I even think it is the only serious rival for the Maserati MC12…\"

If the Corvette should do well in the 3-hour races, one of the major events of the season will of course be the 24 Hours of Francorchamps. \"At Spa, we will clearly be there to win,\" says Mike Hezemans, one of the trio of drivers. \"For the rest, we would like to prepare for going twice around the clock by participating in the 1000 Km of Spa, the inaugural round of the Le Mans Endurance Series. But nothing is yet decided with regard to this. In fact, the hardest thing for the team will be to make a good impression at the opening of the FIA-GT championship. Because of quite tight deadlines, we will be unable to test the car before Monza, and this initial race will be an unknown quantity for us …\".

 While this project is organised with the support of Cadillac & Corvette Europe, the GLPK Carsport team will also be able to count on the unconditional assistance of Pirelli. A partnership which delights Anthony Kumpen, the third driver of the Belgo-Dutch team … \"It is in fact very important to have support like this from a tyre manufacturer, especially at the European level. In this way, after Monza, we are already sure of carrying out several test sessions, which will allow us not only to continue learning about the Corvette but also to accelerate its development. What is already certain is that the potential of the car is enormous and this is a great source of motivation for everybody. I think that we are on the eve of a great adventure, and you can count on the entire GLPK Carsport team to get its quintessential best from this extraordinary car very quickly …\"