The newly-named Marc VDS Racing team has revealed that it will run a new Matech-developed Ford GT1 during the 2009 FIA GT Championship season.

The team, which campaigned the distinctive Gillet Vertigo in recent seasons, will run a single car during the season ahead with Renaud Kuppens and Bas Leinders sharing driving duties.

With the new GT regulations coming into force from 2010, the team will use the season ahead to aid Matech in development of the new Ford GT1 machine with Leinders admitted the team was hoping to spring a surprise along the way.

“2009 will be a transitional year for FIA GT, before the championship will start a new era in 2010,” he said. “The appeal of the Ford is not only the enormous potential of the GT1-version, but also the fact that the car is being developed with the new 2010 rules in mind. We will use this season as a preparation for 2010. That does not mean that we will be doomed to fulfill the role of backmarkers, far from it, but everything we do will have a positive effect on our 2010 campaign. That is not the case for all of our competitors, since they are driving cars which are at the end of their development.

“We will contribute to the development of the car, with the aim to make it one of the best in 2010. Because we do not have the most powerful of engines in comparison with those of the competition, we will be at a disadvantage on some of this year's tracks. But I'm sure that we can perform well on others, always keeping in mind that 2010 is our main target.”

The team will take part in a test with the new car at Magny-Cours prior to the official series tests at Le Castellet.