Introduction
Laurens Vanthoor (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈlʌu̯rəns vɑnˈtoːr] (pronounced together as [ˈlʌu̯rənsfɑnˈtoːr]); born 8 May 1991) is a Belgian professional racing driver currently racing for Porsche Motorsport as a factory driver in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He currently resides in Waiblingen outside of Stuttgart.
Career
Karting
Born in Hasselt, Vanthoor began his kart racing career at an early age. In 2005 he became French and Belgian Champion in the ICA-J class, and he also finished fourth in the European Championship.
In 2007 Vanthoor become an official factory driver for the CRG racing team in the KF2 category. He ended up being out of action for five months out due to an accident, resulting in six fractures. His best result in the season was a runner-up position in the North European Championship.
Formula Three
Vanthoor began his formula racing career in the 2008 German Formula Three season, jumping from karting directly into Formula Three. He finished fourth overall in the championship, with two wins and three poles. Following his successes, the Belgian Automobile Club (RACB) made him a member of their "National Team" initiative and Volkswagen Motorsport made him an official driver. Vanthoor also became the youngest driver ever in the history of the Macau Grand Prix, and he finished in sixth position.
With Frédéric Vervisch and Sebastian Saavedra both moving Stateside and Johnny Cecotto Jr. moving up to the F3 Euroseries and GP2, Vanthoor became the main title contender for the 2009 season. Vanthoor followed Vervisch's lead of 2008, by dominating the field, wrapping up the title at the Nürburgring.
He moved into the Formula Three Euroseries for the 2010 season, with Signature and stayed with the team for the 2011 season. He scored several podium finishes, but never won a race.
FIA GT1
In 2012 he switched to the FIA GT1 World Championship with WRT. Together with Stéphane Ortelli, he won both the qualifying and championship races at the first round at Nogaro.
In 2014 he competed in the Blancpain Sprint Series and Blancpain Endurance Series, winning the latter.
2015
In 2015, he started his season in the Bathurst 12 Hour with Phoenix Racing. He took the pole with a new lap record and ended 2nd. He also drove in Brazil for the 1st round of the Stock Car Brasil together with Valdeno Brito for Shell Racing at Goiania. Together with Belgian Audi Club Team WRT he won the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in the new Audi R8 LMS 2015 specification. On 3 October, during the event at Misano for the Blancpain Sprint Series, he was involved in a major crash which led to a serious injury. Therefore, he missed the last race of the season as well as the race at Macau, where he was replaced by René Rast. He made his comeback at the Sepang 12 Hours, which he won with Stéphane Ortelli and Stuart Leonard.
2016
In 2016, he started his season with a win in the Dubai 24 Hour with Belgian Audi Club Team WRT. On 21 November 2016, Vanthoor quite literally flew and won the FIA GT World Cup, crowning himself as World Champion on the streets of Macau. On 3 December 2016, it was announced that Vanthoor would change from Audi to Porsche and the focus would be on the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship where he will drive a Porsche 911 RSR together with Kevin Estre. During his last race with Audi, he won the Sepang 12 Hours together with Robin Frijns, Christopher Haase and Phoenix Racing. With this he crowned himself as the first winner of the Intercontinental GT Challenge.
2017
In 2017, he started his season in the Daytona 24 Hours with, after driving 4 years for Audi, his new employer: Porsche, in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Together with Kevin Estre and Richard Lietz, he finished 10th overall and 6th in the GTLM-class with the new Porsche 911 RSR 2017 specifications.
Racing record
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | FLaps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | German Formula Three | Van Amersfoort Racing | 18 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 85 | 4th |
| Macau Grand Prix | RC Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6th | |
| 2009 | German Formula Three | Van Amersfoort Racing | 18 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 163 | 1st |
| Masters of Formula 3 | Carlin Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 15th | |
| Macau Grand Prix | Signature | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 13th | |
| Belgian Touring Car Series | SEAT Belgium | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | NC† | |
| 2010 | Formula 3 Euroseries | Signature | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 42 | 6th |
| 2011 | Formula 3 Euroseries | Signature | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 189 | 6th |
| 2012 | FIA GT1 World Championship | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 122 | 4th |
| Blancpain Endurance Series | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 59 | 5th | ||
| 2013 | FIA GT Series | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | 12 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 132 | 1st |
| Blancpain Endurance Series | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 14th | ||
| 2014 | Blancpain Sprint Series | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | 14 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 100 | 4th |
| Blancpain Endurance Series | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 107 | 1st | ||
| 2015 | Blancpain Sprint Series | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | 12 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 109 | 3rd |
| Blancpain Endurance Series | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 48 | 6th | ||
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 | OAK Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF | |
| World Endurance Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19th | ||
| Stock Car Brasil | Shell Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | |
| Red Bull Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2016 | Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 58 | 5th |
| Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 54 | 6th | ||
| European Le Mans Series | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 19th | ||
| Intercontinental GT Challenge | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 58 | 1st | ||
| Phoenix Racing | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| ADAC GT Masters | kfzteile24 APR Motorsport | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 50 | 16th | |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 | Michael Shank Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 9th | |
| Stock Car Brasil | Shell Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | |
| 2017 | WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - GTLM | Porsche GT Team | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 239 | 6th* |
| 24 Hours of Daytona - GTLM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6th | ||
| Intercontinental GT Challenge | Walkinshaw GT3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC* | |
| Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup | KÜS TEAM75 Bernhard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 17th* | |
| Pirelli World Challenge | GMG Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 44th* |
† As Vanthoor was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
* Season still in progress.
Complete Formula 3 Euro Series results
(key)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Signature | Dallara F308/033 | Volkswagen | LEC 1 Ret |
LEC 2 5 |
HOC 1 Ret |
HOC 2 Ret |
VAL 1 5 |
VAL 2 3 |
NOR 1 9 |
NOR 2 5 |
NÜR 1 2 |
NÜR 2 11 |
ZAN 1 7 |
ZAN 2 2 |
BRH 1 2 |
BRH 2 7 |
OSC 1 13 |
OSC 2 4 |
HOC 1 6 |
HOC 2 DSQ |
6th | 42 | |||||||||
| 2011 | Signature | Dallara F309/023 | Volkswagen | LEC 1 8 |
LEC 2 7 |
LEC 3 5 |
HOC 1 3 |
HOC 2 6 |
HOC 3 15 |
ZAN 1 4 |
ZAN 2 5 |
ZAN 3 6 |
RBR 1 7 |
RBR 2 2 |
RBR 3 7 |
NOR 1 2 |
NOR 2 8 |
NOR 3 4 |
NÜR 1 5 |
NÜR 2 3 |
NÜR 3 5 |
SIL 1 6 |
SIL 2 6 |
SIL 3 4 |
VAL 1 11 |
VAL 2 11 |
VAL 3 6 |
HOC 1 3 |
HOC 2 9 |
HOC 3 12 |
6th | 189 |
FIA GT competition results
Complete GT1 World Championship results
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi R8 LMS ultra | NOG QR 1 |
NOG CR 1 |
ZOL QR 12 |
ZOL CR 6 |
NAV QR 9 |
NAV QR 10 |
SVK QR 11 |
SVK CR 6 |
ALG QR 10 |
ALG CR 6 |
SVK QR 5 |
SVK CR 5 |
MOS QR 1 |
MOS CR 4 |
NUR QR 2 |
NUR CR 6 |
DON QR 2 |
DON CR 4 |
4th | 122 |
Complete FIA GT Series results
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi R8 LMS ultra | Pro | NOG QR 16 |
NOG CR 2 |
ZOL QR 1 |
ZOL CR 2 |
ZAN QR 1 |
ZAN CR 2 |
SVK QR 2 |
SVK CR 3 |
NAV QR 7 |
NAV CR 15 |
BAK QR 2 |
BAK CR 1 |
1st | 132 |
Complete Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup results
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi R8 LMS ultra | Pro | NOG QR 1 |
NOG CR Ret |
BRH QR 6 |
BRH CR 4 |
ZAN QR 3 |
ZAN CR 10 |
SVK QR 1 |
SVK CR 11 |
ALG QR 4 |
ALG CR 8 |
ZOL QR 1 |
ZOL CR 3 |
BAK QR 1 |
BAK CR 1 |
4th | 100 |
| 2015 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi R8 LMS ultra | Pro | NOG QR DNS |
NOG CR DNS |
BRH QR 1 |
BRH CR 1 |
ZOL QR 1 |
ZOL CR 1 |
MOS QR Ret |
MOS CR 5 |
ALG QR 2 |
ALG CR 1 |
MIS QR Ret |
MIS CR DNS |
ZAN QR |
ZAN CR |
3rd | 109 |
| 2016 | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | Audi R8 LMS | Pro | MIS QR 3 |
MIS CR 1 |
BRH QR 5 |
BRH CR 15 |
NÜR QR 24 |
NÜR CR 7 |
HUN QR 3 |
HUN CR 8 |
CAT QR 13 |
CAT CR 4 |
5th | 58 |
Complete Intercontinental GT Challenge results
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Phoenix Racing | Audi R8 LMS | Pro | BAT 3 |
SEP 1 |
1st | 58 | ||
| Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | SPA 2 |
||||||||
| 2017 | Walkinshaw GT3 | Porsche 911 GT3 R | Pro | BAT Ret |
SPA |
LAG |
SEP |
NC | 0 |
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 |  OAK Racing |
 Chris Cumming Kévin Estre |
Ligier JS P2-Honda | LMP2 | 329 | DNF | DNF |
| 2016 |  Michael Shank Racing |
 Oswaldo Negri John Pew |
Ligier JS P2-Honda | LMP2 | 345 | 14th | 9th |
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | OAK Racing | LMP2 | Ligier JS P2 | Honda HR28TT 2.8 L Turbo V6 | SIL | SPA | LMS Ret |
NÜR | COA | FUJ | SHA | BHR | 19th | 0 |
Complete European Le Mans Series results
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Team WRT | LMP2 | Ligier JS P2 | Judd HK 3.6 L V8 | SIL | IMO | RBR | LEC | SPA 2 |
EST | 19th | 18 |
Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Porsche GT Team | Porsche 911 RSR (2017) | GTLM | DAY 6 |
SEB 8 |
LBH 3 |
COA 8 |
WGL 6 |
MOS 6 |
LIM 2 |
ELK 2 |
VIR 7 |
LGA |
PET |
6th* | 239* |
* Season still in progress.
Complete Stock Car Brasil results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Shell Racing | Chevrolet Sonic | GOI 1 8 |
RBP 1 |
RBP 2 |
VEL 1 |
VEL 2 |
CUR 1 |
CUR 2 |
SCZ 1 |
SCZ 2 |
NC† | 0† | ||||||||||||
| Red Bull Racing | CUR 1 19 |
CUR 2 Ret |
GOI 1 |
CAS 1 |
CAS 2 |
MOU 1 |
MOU 2 |
CUR 1 |
CUR 2 |
TAR 1 |
TAR 2 |
INT 1 |
|||||||||||||
| 2016 | Shell Racing | Chevrolet Sonic | CUR 1 5 |
VEL 1 |
VEL 2 |
GOI 1 |
GOI 2 |
SCZ 1 |
SCZ 2 |
TAR 1 |
TAR 2 |
CAS 1 |
CAS 2 |
INT 1 |
LON 1 |
LON 2 |
TBA 1 |
TBA 2 |
GOI 1 |
GOI 2 |
CDC 1 |
CDC 2 |
INT 1 |
NC† | 0† |
† As Vanthoor was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.