My path.
In 2002 I started my journey in karting. The usual story.. I started to drive at my local track in Genk. I started at local competitions and gradually ranked my way up to national and international events. The highlight was 2005 where I managed to win the Belgian and French championship and finish fourth in the European championships in Juniors.
In 2008 I decided it was time to move to the next step : Single seaters. After long considerations we decided to skip the lower classes and directly move to Formula 3. To give myself time to grow, I started out in the German Formula 3 with Van Amersfoort Racing. The perfect environment to learn. Funny fact : After signing with Frits Van Amersfoort, his team became a Volkswagen factory team. Kris Nissen, the boss of VW Motorsport at that time was not very keen having my 17 year old un experienced feet in his car. Later we turned out to have a brilliant and long relationship. The year after we dominated the season and won the championship.
After my year learning in German Formula 3, it was time to join the big boys in the European Formula 3 championship in 2010. I stayed within Volkswagen and joined Signature. After a first year of adapting to a new environment, we ended the season by being consistently on the podium and finishing second in the Macau Grand Prix. It was clear that 2011 was going to be the year to prove myself in the world of motorsport. For various reason it ended up being the most catastrophic season so far in my career. I did not confirm was the summary.
When we are young, we all dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver. But sometimes you need to face the reality. My dream was to race cars for the rest of my life. I saw my chance in Formula 1 to be small and I had the opportunity to race in GT's with WRT thanks to my mentor J.G. Mal Voy. The transition went straight to a victory in our first FIA GT race. After my first season I received my first professional contract from Audi Sport and by that, one of my dreams was achieved.
In the years from 2013 to 2016 we had major succes together. We eventually won almost every race and championship we attended together. FIA GT, Blancpain GT, the 24 hours of Spa, the 24 hours of Nurburgring, Macau, Intercontinental GT,.. It was a dream relationship and times I will never forget !
But I had one big dream to achieve, joining Audi in LMP1 in Le Mans. I knew I did not have the experience yet and was young. So I made my first appearance in Le Mans in 2015 with OAK Racing in a Ligier-Honda LMP2. Followed by joining Michael Shank racing in 2016 in the same car.
After trying my best at everything I could, unfortunately my chance at Audi never came. The program got stopped at the point I was the next in line. I started to look at other opportunities because I wanted to grow in my career to become a better and more successful driver. In 2017 I received this chance when I was able to join Porsche Motorsport to drive in IMSA in the 911 RSR. A dream come true to become a Porsche driver !
Fun fact : At my last meeting with Dr. Ullrich, before it was announced that Audi Sport will pull-out of LMP1, he advised me to move on with my career and asked me for my options. After revealing I was in contact with Porsche, he picked up the phone and called Dr. Frank Walliser. The next day I received my contract to join Porsche Motorsport. A gesture I will never forget.
Fun fact : At my last meeting with Dr. Ullrich, before it was announced that Audi Sport will pull-out of LMP1, he advised me to move on with my career and asked me for my options. After revealing I was in contact with Porsche, he picked up the phone and called Dr. Frank Walliser. The next day I received my contract to join Porsche Motorsport. A gesture I will never forget.
The first months were not easy. I left my known environment at WRT/Audi and moved to USA. A new car, new championship, new tracks, new tyres, another level of operating in a factory program,.. I had to learn a lot and become more mature as a driver and person. But it paid off, in 2018 we won the 24 hours of Le Mans in the famous Pink Pig livery !
One of my personal highlights with Porsche so far was to win the IMSA GTLM championship in 2019. After learning everything from zero on the other side of the world it was important for me to finish this story with succes. And #BAMTHOR managed to do so! Together with another win at the 24 hours of Spa and another title in IMSA GTD, the story with Porsche continues with success.
Unfortunately the RSR Factory program was ended at the end of 2019. But with every disappointment lies another opportunity. A year later Porsche announced its entry in the new LMDh class, competing in WEC and IMSA.
Some months later I was able to sign a new long term deal with Porsche to compete in the new Porsche 963 starting in 2023. An absolute dream come true.
And the ultimate opportunity to complete my career goal of winning the four big 24 hours races in the world. 
My first year in the new Hyperclass in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2023 was a blast. Unfortunately the results did not show up as we had our work to improve our 963 during the course of the season. But nevertheless I was extremely grateful to be part of this amazing organisation. The learning curve was steep but I felt comfortable in my new environment and I was able to show that from time to time. Together with my teammates at the time, Kevin Estre and Andre Lotterer we were able to clinch on two podium positions.
In 2024 our road will continue together, trying to aim for the win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. On top of that I will finally get the chance to add my other dream, the 24 hours of Daytona. The future is bright! But the work never stops.
