Colin Coox and Belgium Racing continued their strong start to the 2026 Belcar Endurance Championship with another podium finish during the second round of the season at TT Circuit Assen. Together with teammates Michael Cool and Kaï Rillaerts, Coox guided the #98 Porsche to third place after a challenging weekend marked by changing weather conditions and a dramatic qualifying session.
The Assen weekend got underway on Saturday with three training sessions, giving the drivers the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the Dutch track. For many competitors, Assen was still relatively unfamiliar territory despite extensive simulator preparation beforehand. The sessions allowed the drivers to settle into a rhythm and adapt to the realities of the circuit, with the pace of the #98 Porsche proving encouraging from the outset.
That speed became even more apparent during pre-qualifying. The #98 Porsche initially set the fastest lap of the session, but the time was later removed due to track limits recorded during other laps. While the result did not appear on the final timing sheets, the team knew it had the pace to fight at the front and headed into Sunday with confidence.
Qualifying proved far from straightforward. Just as the session began, rain started to fall, forcing drivers onto a damp circuit on slick tyres. Kaï Rillaerts was building towards a strong lap as the track gradually began to dry, but a red flag interrupted the session after a car stopped on track. Shortly after the restart, a second red flag followed due to issues with the timing system. When qualifying finally resumed, heavy rain returned, preventing any significant improvements. The #98 Porsche ultimately secured third place on the grid, providing a strong starting position for the race.
Michael Cool took the start and immediately remained in touch with the leading group. An unfortunate Full Course Yellow early in the race resulted in valuable time being lost behind a slower car, allowing a gap to open at the front. Despite that setback, the team remained firmly in contention for another podium finish.
The middle phase of the race saw both Kaï Rillaerts and Colin Coox complete strong stints. For Coox, it was another important step in his adaptation to both the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup and the Assen circuit. The Belgian delivered a composed and competitive performance, continuing to build experience while keeping the #98 Porsche firmly in the fight for a strong result.
For the final stint, the team handed the car back to Kaï Rillaerts. By that stage, the Porsche was carrying damage sustained earlier in the race, which made the car increasingly difficult to drive and affected its overall balance. As a result, matching the pace of the two leading cars became a difficult task. Nevertheless, Rillaerts extracted everything possible from the car and successfully defended the team's podium position until the chequered flag.
The result marks a second consecutive podium finish for the #98 crew after also finishing third in the season opener at Circuit Zolder.
"We can be proud of this result," said Brent Verheyen. "The speed was there throughout the weekend and everyone did exactly what was needed. It wasn't an easy race, especially with the changing weather and the challenges we faced during the race, but the team once again did an excellent job. Two podium finishes from the first two races is a great start to the season and gives us a lot of confidence for what is still to come."
The next round of the Belcar Endurance Championship takes place at Spa-Francorchamps, where Verheyen hopes to make his long-awaited return to competition after several months of rehabilitation.
"The goal is to be back behind the wheel at Spa," Verheyen added. "After a long rehabilitation period, I'm looking forward to racing again and rejoining the fight on track. Seeing the team perform so well over the first two races only increases the motivation to get back as soon as possible."
