Haupt Racing Team kicked off the new motorsport season with two top results at the 24 Hours of Dubai. The #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 finished fourth, narrowly missing out on a place on the podium. The #777 car came home fifth at the desert circuit.
- Abu Dhabi Racing by HRT #4: 4th place
- Al Manar Racing by HRT #777: 5th place
- Solid start to the season for Haupt Racing Team at the Hankook 24H Dubai
Thursday’s qualifying saw the two HRT cars establish promising starting positions for the race. The #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3, driven by Khaled Al Qubaisi (UAE), Hubert Haupt (GER), Raffaele Marciello (ITA) and Manuel Metzger (GER), secured second place on the grid at the circuit in Dubai. The #777 car, with Al Faisal Al Zubair (OMA), Indy Dontje (NED), Martin Konrad (AUT) and Luca Stolz (GER) at the wheel, qualified third to round off an impressive performance from HRT.
Both cars made a good start on Friday, backing up the previous day’s performance in perfect racing conditions. Start driver Raffaele Marciello, in the #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 sporting the blue and yellow livery of team partner Bilstein, applied pressure from the word go and briefly took the lead. Marciello was then unfortunate after the first stop and had to return to the pits with a puncture. Team owner Hubert Haupt was next behind the wheel, and he gradually worked his way back through the field as the sun set over the desert circuit. After exactly three hours, Haupt returned to the pits in fourth place for Abu Dhabi Racing by HRT. As the endurance race progressed, and after Manuel Metzger’s stint, Marciello secured the trio’s position among the leading group. He then handed the car back to Haupt in third place at the six-hour mark.
The night was characterised by multiple Code 60 phases, different race strategies, and exciting battles for position. Throughout all this, the #4 was constantly to be found towards the front of the field. With three hours remaining, the #4 GT3 was still running fourth. Metzger took over from Al Qubaisi as conditions started to deteriorate a little and produced an impressive overtaking manoeuvre to temporarily take third place. Marciello was back in the driver’s seat for the final stint in the #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 and had to come in for one final fuel stop shortly before the end of the race. In the end, Abu Dhabi Racing by HRT narrowly missed out on the podium in fourth place.
The number 777 car, in the colours of team sponsor Al Manar Financial Investments and with the official title Al Manar Racing by HRT, also started well with Luca Stolz at the wheel. Indy Dontje took his place in the driver’s seat of the chestnut Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the first time on lap 43 and returned to the pits exactly three hours later in third place. Al Faisal Al Zubair also enjoyed a good race and established himself in the leading group as the race continued.
At the halfway point of the race, Al Manar Racing by HRT was back in the top five. Martin Konrad was also able to keep the #777 Mercedes-AMG GT3 towards the front of the field during his stints in the early hours of the morning. After 24 hours of racing, Luca Stolz eventually guided the car home in a fine fifth place to round off a successful opening weekend of the season for Haupt Racing Team.
The CapitalRT-YADRO team, which received significant technical and logistical support from HRT, started second in the GT3-AM class on Friday, after an impressive qualifying. The #13 Mercedes-AMG GT3, driven by Dmitry Gvazava, Denis Remenyako, Victor Shaytar and Sergey Stolyarov (all RUS), crossed the finish line in fourth place in its class.
Hubert Haupt, Team Owner HRT / HRT #4: “When I look at the week as a whole, I am happy. Overall, we had a very good car and performed strongly. It would have been difficult to win on our own merit. In the end, we had to stop to refuel again, which meant we narrowly missed out on the podium. Despite this, the week was still enjoyable.”
Khaled Al Qubaisi, #4 Abu Dhabi Racing by HRT: “We had a fantastic car all weekend, which also looks awesome in our Bilstein colours. The pace was good from the start and we were able to secure second place in qualifying. All in all, we can be very happy with the performance of the whole team, even though we just missed out on the podium.”
Raffaele Marciello, #4 Abu Dhabi Racing by HRT: “Unfortunately, we were not quite able to achieve what we might have done with the speed we had. The additional fuel stop cost us a position. Nevertheless, we performed strongly all week and are now determined to do even better over the coming year.”
Al Faisal Al Zubair, #777 Al Manar Racing by HRT: "We had a great weekend and started very well in practice. The car also felt very good in qualifying, which allowed us to secure third place on the grid. We were a little unfortunate in the race. That aside, we all did a great job. In the end, I am very happy with a fifth place in my first race in Dubai.”
Indy Dontje, #777 Al Manar Racing by HRT: “It was a fantastic week for us. Everything went well, from practice to qualifying. The speed was also very good in the race, and even in the night we were still very fast. We were battling for the top positions throughout the entire race. All in all, we can be very happy with the car, the race and the result. Hopefully we can make it onto the podium next time.”
Luca Stolz, #777 Al Manar Racing by HRT: "I think it could have been even better than fifth position. We had a lot of unfortunate Code 60 phases, so in the end it wasn't possible to do better. Nevertheless, it was a lot of fun. The whole team harmonised well and everyone did a great job."
Sean Paul Breslin, Team Principal HRT: "It was a close race and difficult race. We really wanted to win the race. In the end it wasn't possible and we wanted to secure the third place. Unfortunately, we didn't have the right strategy, so it ended up being a fourth place. In addition, we still managed a fifth place."
About HRT
HRT stands for HAUPT RACING TEAM. Formed in July 2020 by racing driver and entrepreneur Hubert Haupt, the team enjoys success in GT3 racing. HRT lines up with extended works support from Mercedes-AMG in many of the team's outings. The outings and cars are prepared in Meuspath, not far from the Nürburgring. HRT also has its own eSPORTS team in the professional sim racing sector and is a sought-after partner for motorsport events of all sorts. HRT can call on a host of experts with a wealth of motorsport and engineering experience, which the diverse motorsport company leverages when implementing technical development projects for and with its partners. The headquarters of Haupt Racing Team GmbH is Grünwald near Munich. The team owner is racing driver and businessman Hubert Haupt. As well as motorsport, Haupt is primarily known as a successful property developer. With his real estate company, he implements high-quality living and building concepts in southern Germany – from innovative buildings to complete districts.
