Round 4 of the Supercar Challenge (a series contested throughout the Benelux region; the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg) took place at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on June 24, 2012. The Van Herck Racing-entered Mazda3 sedan, with support from Mazda Belgium, won its class.

Van Herck Racing, using motorsport experience gained running a Mazda RX-7, began its campaign in the Supercar Challenge this year, using a Mazda3 sedan.

Owner and racing driver Werner van Herck got behind the wheel of his specially modified Mazda3 sedan, mounted with a 3-rotor 20B engine, producing 450hp. The car was built by VA Engineering in the Netherlands. They turned the Mazda3 into a FR layout, and mated the 3-rotor 20B engine to a 6-speed sequential transmission. Last year, the machine was campaigned in the Belgian Touring Car Series, but for 2012, van Herck decided to step up to the Supercar Challenge in order to expand his motorspors horizons.

In the Supercar Challenge races, the Mazda3 fascinates spectators with its typically high-pitched exhaust note, emanating from the car's 3-rotor racing engine. The Mazda3 takes part in the GTB class, against many powerful competitors such as the Aston Martin DBR9 and Porsche 997 GT3, among a host of others. Race weekends are comprised of two heat races. In the 1st heat, the Mazda3 was unfortunately forced to retire just 4 laps into the 1-hour race, while in the 2nd heat, the car ran very well to finish 15th overall and 1st in the GTB class. The Mazda3 sedan had beaten the likes of strong competitors that included FIA GT1, GT3, GT4 and Supercar Challenge cars.

The 3-rotor Mazda3 had taken 3rd-place finishes in both heats at the season-opening round at Zolder, and was, therefore, being watched by everybody for its performance and how it would cope in the race. The team has not yet made any statement regarding its next race. However, if they do decide to compete, we can expect a good result.