Following the death of Marc van der Straten: What lies ahead for his teams?

Marc van der Straten, whose full name and title was Count Marc-Oswald van der Straten-Ponthoz, has died. This comes as a shock to the world of motorbike racing, as the Belgian was one of its greatest patrons. When he passed away on the morning of 5 July 2026 in his adopted home of Switzerland, van der Straten was 78 years old. He was a descendant of the Belgian Artois dynasty, which made a fortune from brewing and selling beer. Today, the company is part of the huge, publicly listed Anheuser-Busch group, whose portfolio includes world-famous brands such as Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois and Becks.

Van der Straten was always described in the media as a billionaire; the eccentric with a passion for motorsport never objected to this characterisation either. In reality, Marc was one of many in a long line of heirs and received an annual payout in the tens of millions – he certainly didn’t have to live from hand to mouth.

Insiders estimate that, over the decades, Marc van der Straten spent more than 100 million euros on motor racing, initially on four wheels and, from 2009 onwards, on two. In sports car racing, he was involved in various series, whilst in motorcycling his name became well known through his involvement in the MotoGP paddock.

Marc van der Straten 2025 im Superbike-Paddock

Foto: Gold & Goose

Three World Championship titles in Moto2

His Moto2 team won the world championship in 2014, 2017 and 2019 with Tito Rabat, Franco Morbidelli and Alex Márquez. From 2015 to 2018, the team also competed in MotoGP; Jack Miller secured their only victory in the premier class in 2016, riding a Honda in the rain at Assen.

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Since 2024, Marc VDS has also been competing in the World Superbike Championship, fielding a Ducati Panigale V4R. The idea of the enterprising team founder is to offer former Moto2 World Championship riders the chance to extend their careers should they fail to make the leap to MotoGP.

The team has established itself in the top five of the Superbike series within three years; Englishman Sam Lowes is currently fifth in the overall standings ahead of his home races at Donington Park this coming weekend. Sam finished the World Championship in 18th and 8th place in the previous two years, and the 35-year-old has secured eleven podium finishes to date.

Future of the teams is uncertain

It is unclear what the future holds for the teams in the Moto2 and Superbike World Championships following van der Straten’s death. The 2026 season is likely to be secure, but beyond that there is considerable uncertainty. None of his three children has so far shown any interest in following in their father’s footsteps. Given the huge sums van der Straten spent on motor racing each year, this is hardly surprising: insiders speak of between 7 and 8 million euros for all his racing projects on two and four wheels. It is not currently known whether Marc VDS had the foresight to set up a foundation or a special fund to finance his teams in the future.