Comtoyou reveals DTM plans with Aston Martin for 2024
Comtoyou is working on entering the DTM this year with a two-car effort following its switch from Audi to Aston Martin over the winter.
The Belgian squad revealed that it has received interest from a former DTM driver, believed to be Dev Gore, to field the latest-spec Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the series in 2024.
Comtoyou has the capacity to add a second programme on top of its existing commitments in GT World Challenge Europe with the British brand, having four acquired four Vantage GT3 cars for its 2024 campaign.
"Our main championship is GT World Challenge, Sprint and Endurance,” team manager Francois Verbist told Autosport's sister website Motorsport-Total.com.
“We will fully focus this year on that. On top of that, we have possibilities to do an extra programme. We have two cars available. Our partnership with Aston leaves some room to do extra things.
“The story with DTM came from a customer who clearly asked us to make an offer for DTM and to start working on that. And then we said, instead of only pushing for one car let's push for a second one. We are still talking with the same customer. It is not over yet.
“It is a driver that has been doing DTM before. Aston is also interested to be part of it as DTM now with the GT3 era is growing a bit. We just need to find the best compromise to finance it.
“The team is ready to do it, we have some support. We are now just on a customer base to find the budget to make it happen. Without budget we can't do anything. But the wish and the capability of the team to do it is there.
#21 Comtoyou Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II: Gilles Magnus, Nicolas Baert, Maxime Soulet
Photo by: AG Photo
“It is a decision of the customer."
Verbist, son of WRT co-founder Rene Verbist, left the then-Audi squad at the end of 2017 to join the nascent Comtoyou operation.
Comtoyou has since enjoyed plenty of success in TCR racing and in 2023 it made the decision to expand its scope to GT3 competition.
Following Audi’s decision to curtail its customer programme last year, it struck a long-term deal with Aston Martin beginning the 2024 season.
The DTM is seen as an obvious choice for both Comtoyou and Aston Martin, with the brand having had a full presence in the series since R-Motorsport entered four Class 1-spec Vantages in 2019.
Asked to rate Comtoyou’s chances of joining the 2024 DTM grid, Verbist said: "50:50.
“To be fair If we have an option and someone is coming, okay, we don't like to do things in a rush, at some stage we have to put a deadline on it.
“But so far we are still in discussions so we keep the door open for it."
Dev Gore, Team Rosberg Audi R8 LMS GT3
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
American Gore raced for Team Rosberg during the first two years of DTM’s GT3 era in 2021-22 before the Audi squad’s departure from the category left him without a drive.
He failed in his attempt to join the Project1 team last year but has been spending the last few months working on a DTM comeback.
Should the plan come to fruition, Gore could return to the DTM this year, with a factory Aston Martin driver taking the cockpit of Comtoyou’s second Vantage.
Asked who is in contention for the second seat, Verbist said: "The wish was to be with an Aston pro driver.
“There are few in-house but most probably it would be one who has the experience and the profile to be doing well in DTM. That would be our wish for the second car."
Aston has nine factory drivers on its roster for 2024.
Two-time World Endurance champion class winner Nicki Thiim is not an option for Comtoyou, with the Dane having signed a contract to race for Lamborghini outfit SSR Performance.
The best possible candidate for the Belgian squad is ex-Audi driver Mattia Drudi, who racked up a season’s worth of experience with Attempto in 2023.
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