Marc VDS founder Marc van der Straten has died: “We will never forget him”

Sad news from Moto2: Marc van der Straten has died. His Moto2 team, Elf Marc VDS Racing, announced this on Sunday. The charismatic team founder passed away peacefully at his home in Switzerland on Sunday morning, 5 July 2026. He was 78 years old.

The Belgian entrepreneur Marc van der Straten founded Marc VDS Racing in 2009. His team bid him farewell with the French phrase “Bonne route, mes félins”, meaning “Have a good journey, my big cats”, a reference to the team’s logo.

A life dedicated to motorsport

His team wrote of Marc van der Straten: “His love of motorsport was passed on to him by his father, who was himself a former racing driver, and it was this shared passion that led Marc to a life dedicated to motorsport.” Van der Straten was a descendant of the Belgian Stella Artois brewing dynasty. He had already inherited a team founded in 1964 from his father, Rudolph. Van der Straten subsequently supported the Belgian Tony Gillet and founded his first team in 1997. In 2009, he embarked on his journey into motorcycling: his Moto2 team won the title in 2014, 2017 and 2019 with Tito Rabat, Franco Morbidelli and Alex Márquez. He was also involved in MotoGP for several years.

Marc VDS was “a larger-than-life personality”

The Marc VDS team wrote of its founder and owner: “Marc was not just the boss, but also a larger-than-life personality who was instantly recognisable worldwide thanks to his distinctive chequered cap. Winning meant a great deal to him, but just as important was his pursuit of excellence both on and off the track. Marc VDS is not just a team. It is a family. And one of his greatest joys in life was seeing this family flourish and celebrate successes through hard work and dedication.”

Marc van der Straten 2025 im Superbike-Paddock

Foto: Gold & Goose

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It continues: “Marc created memories that will last forever. And we will never forget him – nor his contribution to enabling so many people to pursue and realise their dreams in a truly remarkable life.”

Following van der Straten’s death, it is unclear what the future holds for his teams. His Moto2 squad and his Superbike team (which has been competing since 2024 with Sam Lowes as a lone rider on a Ducati) are privateer teams that were funded by van der Straten himself. None of his three children are interested in taking over the teams; it is unclear whether he set up a foundation or made any other arrangements to ensure their continued existence. Van der Straten spent between 7 and 8 million euros a year on his various racing projects across two and four wheels.