Luhr replaces Leinders in VDS BMW for Spa 24 Hours

Former American Le Mans Series and FIA GT1 star Lucas Luhr will drive for the factory-backed Marc VDS BMW squad in this month's Spa 24 Hours in place of team boss Bas Leinders.

Longtime Marc VDS driver Leinders, who previously raced for the team when it was known as Belgian Racing, has opted to step down from the driver lineup for the biggest round of the Blancpain Endurance Series on July 26-27 to focus on his role as team principal.

Luhr has been brought in to replace the Belgian in the team's second BMW Z4 alongside works driver Dirk Werner and Markus Palttala.

"This is an extremely difficult decision for me," Leinders, 38, said. "I've made this decision with the team in mind – we need a team principal who is purely focused on organization and leadership."

The former Minardi Formula 1 test driver stressed that he was not retiring from the cockpit.

Luhr, who raced for the factory BMW Schubert team in last month's Nurburgring 24 Hours, said he was looking forward to racing the Marc VDS BMW.

"I know that Marc VDS is a strong team, and I remember fighting against them in the FIA GT1 World Championship, where they were one of the best and Spa is a very special race for them," he explained.

Spa will be the first BES appearance of the season for Marc VDS, which was a race winner in the first three years of the series in 2011-'13.