Porsche factory driver Laurens Vanthoor says he now prefers racing in the USA over Europe, becuase the influx of rules and regulations that have been injected into European sportscar racing have taken away some of its allure, and purity.

Speaking to DSC, the 27-year-old Belgian explained that given the choice, he’d rather race full-time in IMSA with Porsche, than over in Europe in series like the FIA WEC or Blancpain GT Series. And this year he’s done just that, competing alongside Earl Bamber in the #912 Porsche 911 RSR in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship all season long, and raced in the FIA WEC just once, at Le Mans.

“Without talking bad about anybody else, I was asked whether I would want to do WEC,” he told DSC’s Editor at Watkins Glen. “There were rumours that I wouldn’t work with Gimmi, and I decided that I prefer to stay in the USA. I wasn’t sure in the beginning, but eventually, I decided and I’m happy to be back.

“Racing here (in the USA) is just a lot more pure. It’s not just the WEC, I’m not just pointing fingers at that, it’s racing in general, also Blancpain. There are so many rules and restrictions, with stint limits, and stuff like that. I mean, in Blancpain you have five minutes to change your brakes, you also get a drive-through for spinning your wheels even just a little bit when you leave your pit box. We’re racing cars here… I don’t understand it.

“It’s also from a driving point of view. If you dive your nose in, you’re not scared that you will get a penalty if there’s contact. In Europe, you push somebody off, or you have contact while overtaking in something like DTM, sometimes you have to give positions back.

“Here it’s just racing. You leave the pits with a pile of smoke, you crank the full engine open. You get an applause here.”

Vanthoor also feels that with the increase in track changes, particularly at tracks like the Circuits de la Sarthe, on the grounds of safety, that some of the enjoyment behind the wheel has been lost. It’s clear that he’s not happy about the direction modern motorsport is going in Europe.

“Every track (in the USA) is a lot more pure,” he explained. “Here (in the USA) if you drive there’s no room for error, you’re so tense. Even Le Mans doesn’t offer that anymore. It’s only two corners at the Porsche Curves. Then after that everything is open. If you brake late at the chicane you go straight, if you miss your point at Tertre Rouge you have a massive run-off.

“Is it spoiling it for me? Yeah, big time.

“I love things like the Nurburgring, Macau, Bathurst, the GP loop at Brands Hatch. Even Lime Rock. Because you can’t make a mistake. If you do you’re punished. It’s about drivers who are daring, it’s not just about being able to drive quick, it’s about having ‘balls’, taking risks.

“That’s what made racing great in the past.”