Loris Hezemans comes from a motorsport family fuelled by GT Racing. Having raced across GT3 and NASCAR, the Dutchman takes on the challenge of his first season in Fanatec GT2 European Series Powered by Pirelli with rookie outfit, Motorsport 98.
Teamed with Eric de Doncker in the Mercedes-AMG GT2, the duo scored a maiden Pro-Am class podium in only their second Fanatec GT2 event at Misano last month. A fourth-place finish scored in race two promoted Hezemans and De Doncker to fourth in the Pro-Am standings as the season approaches the halfway mark.
Belgian-based Dutchman Hezemans is also the son of Antoine "Toine" Hezemans and brother of 12-time FIA GT race winner Mike Hezemans – also a two-time victor of the legendary 24 Hours of Spa.
With Fanatec GT2 supporting the centenary edition of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa later this month, we sat down with Loris to talk about his time in the series so far in the latest edition of Driver Focus:
It’s great to see you racing in Fanatec GT2. How has the experience been for you so far?
“So far it’s been so good. The car is a lot of fun to drive - especially in the case of driving a Mercedes-AMG GT2 with over 650bph. Driving-wise it’s great. We struggled a bit at Circuit Paul Ricard but that was also to do with a lack of pre-season testing. For me, that first event was my first time in the car so we did what we could and at Misano it began to gel much better and we seem to be going quite well.”
You have raced in both GT2 and GT3 machinery, so how do both compare?
“They are a bit different I feel. The GT3 car is very much more designed to be the full-blown race car with how your inputs are very precise for it, but I would say that the fun thing about the GT2 concept is that you can attack the car and any kerb - wow! You go straight over them. And there’s obviously a lot of power in the GT2 car so it makes it very challenging when it comes to the high-speed corners. We’re coming into these corners I’d say about 20+ kph faster than a GT3 car, so it’s a lot of fun to drive.”
How has it been racing with Eric De Doncker? We know he has now raced in each category of GT racing, so what has that partnership been like?
“It’s very fun to race with Eric. We knew each other a little bit from previous championships we were racing in, but we didn’t entirely know each other. Funnily enough how these things come together; a contact of ours put us together, and he said let’s try this out. Since then it’s been very positive working together and for him, it’s obviously trying to get back into the rhythm of driving a GT car after racing a Prototype recently where you use no kerbs. He’s saying “you now need to use the track... AND even more of the track.”
“We’ve been working really well together, and I think the team atmosphere has been really nice also which is a very enjoyable thing to have. That is a big part of this Fanatec GT2 Series paddock."
What do think of the format and concept of Fanatec GT2 racing?
“The format is great. These Sprint races are definitely a lot of fun. The concept is good and it is full of different variants in terms of cars and drivers of different experience levels and age. The Mercedes-AMG GT2 is closer to a road car, so the ways they try to balance it out with more race-going cars is good, and makes it a good concept.”
What have been you career highlights in motorsport so far?
“I would say my biggest racing highlight has probably been racing in the United States when I was in NASCAR. That was very special racing against all the big names such as Kyle Busch and even Kimi Raikkonen who was in my race at Watkins Glen - I overtook him and we were fighting the whole race!
“Then I would say also racing in Fanatec GT Europe in Silver Cup with Comtoyou Racing. It was a funny deal because I think I signed with them nine days before the season started in Monza, and 11 days before that I was driving six laps at the Nürburgring - my first laps since 2018 in a GT3 car - then we got the drive and did really a good job, finished well at Spa and it was a very enjoyable time.”
Do you have a favourite circuit on the Fanatec GT2 calendar?
“I think the next circuit we are coming up to: Spa-Francorchamps. That is the classic one! I am Dutch, but have also lived in Belgium since I was nine, so that will be a fun one. I spend a lot of time coaching at that track so it’s a place I know well, and hopefully we will be able to get a good result.”
GT racing obviously runs in your family DNA, but were GT cars what you always wanted to race?
“For me, funnily enough, right from the beginning I wanted to be involved in GT racing. This is also to do with my family background in the categories because we had our own GT1 team with Mike Hezemans and won the Spa 24 Hours two times. I’ve been in the paddock ever since.
“We are lucky that at this year’s event at Spa, I will be driving our old 1997 Lotus Elise GT1 car. I will be driving that during the pre-event and then we race the Mercedes-AMG GT2 in our own event, so it will very enjoyable!”
Hezemans will next be in action when the Fanatec GT2 European Series Powered by Pirelli races alongside the historic CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa centenary event over 27-29 June. Follow all of the action live via the website and on the GT World YouTube channel.