The 2023 motorsport season begins with a real highlight for Haupt Racing Team: the Hankook 24H DUBAI, which will take place at the Dubai Autodrome from 13 to 15 January 2023. HRT will be competing in the Pro class with two Mercedes-AMG GT3s and has assembled a top-class driver line-up.
On the 5.377 km track at the Persian Gulf, Khaled Al Qubaisi (UAE), team owner Hubert Haupt (GER), Sebastien Baud and Jules Gounon (both FRA) will take turns at the wheel of the #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3, which will start under the “Abu Dhabi Racing by HRT” entry and in the colours of team partner BILSTEIN.
The driver quintet of Al Faisal Al Zubair (OMA), Axcil Jefferies (ZIM), Martin Konrad (AUT), Luca Stolz and Fabian Schiller (both GER) will enter the race with the #777 sister car by “Al Manar Racing by HRT” in the colours of team sponsor Al Manar Financial Investments.
Khaled Al Qubaisi and Hubert Haupt are the record holders with three 24H DUBAI overall victories each. Last year's winner Axcil Jefferies, for his part, has already claimed two overall victories and would draw level with his teammates with a win. For Gounon and Baud, this is their first race for HRT while Konrad had already raced for the team from Meuspath in 2022.
A field of over 60 cars will compete in the first highlight race of the year on Saturday, 14 January, at 3 p.m. local time (12 noon CET).
Al Faisal Al Zubair, #777 Al Manar Racing by HRT:
“Excited to be back for the 2023 Dubai24 with Al Manar Racing and HRT! I believe we have an extremely strong package with the team and driver lineup. Looking forward to getting back in the car and fighting for the win!”
Axcil Jefferies, #777 Al Manar Racing by HRT:
“I couldn’t be happier to be back at the 24H DUBAI and to be sharing the car with close friends and great drivers and with the full support of Al Manar Racing by HRT! It’s an eventful race where anything can happen, but I believe we have a package to be able to extract the maximum!”
Luca Stolz, #777 Al Manar Racing by HRT:
"It's nice to be back at Dubai with HRT. Last year, we finished fifth. I hope we can finish even better this year. We have a line-up strong enough to achieve this."
Fabian Schiller, #777 Al Manar Racing by HRT #777:
“I’m looking forward to be getting my first 24H DUBAI experience and to continue working with HRT in 2023. It will be challenge as it’s a crazy race where everything can happen. HRT has been the most successful team in the last decade of that event and I have great teammates including Axcil, who won the last two editions in 2021 and 2022. So I’m sure we will have a great package to fight for the win, which is certainly our target.”
Martin Konrad, #777 Al Manar Racing by HRT:
“I am very happy to be part of the 24H DUBAI with HRT for the second time this year after 2022. It's a great line-up and a race win is definitely possible. I think everyone is more than motivated to achieve this goal. I can't wait for the lights to turn green.”
Khaled Al Qubaisi, #4 Abu Dhabi Racing by HRT:
“Going back to Dubai in January, a race I have not missed for over a decade. I’m looking forward to working with HRT again, teaming up with Hubert and aiming for the overall win at this great event.”
Sebastien Baud, #4 Abu Dhabi Racing by HRT:
“I’m so proud to participate in the 24H DUBAI for the first time. It’s also a great pleasure to join HRT – and even more to team up with Jules Gounon, my partner and coach for the past year. I’m looking forward to work with the team and give my best as it represents a great opportunity for me.”
Jules Gounon, #4 Abu Dhabi Racing by HRT:
„I’m really happy to join HRT for the first time. Last year, I finished the race in P3. Hopefully, we can go up two more steps this time and bring home a nice trophy and great memories.”
Hubert Haupt, team owner HRT / #4 Abu Dhabi Racing by HRT:
“The 24H DUBAI is a very special event. After narrowly missing out on the podium last year, we are entering this year’s race with great ambitions. We have two strong cars on the grid and want to race for victory to get a successful start into the new motorsport season.”
Sean Paul Breslin, team principal Haupt Racing Team:
“HRT is returning to the 24H DUBAI in 2023 with the feeling of some unfinished business, having narrowly missed the podium in 2022. We have two very strong driver line-ups and the team has been preparing over the winter for the big challenge ahead. After the short festive break, it is back to business and pushing for the best result in the first race of the 2023 season!”
About HRT
HRT stands for HAUPT RACING TEAM. The motorsport team was formed in July 2020 by racing driver and businessman Hubert Haupt and has established itself as a big name in international GT3 racing within a very short space of time. For example, HRT won the Drivers’ Championship in the DTM in only its second season of motorsport. In 2022, the team starts in the DTM, the Nürburgring Endurance Series, the Endurance Cup in the GT World Challenge Europe, and the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and Spa-Francorchamps – in some cases with works support from Mercedes-AMG. The headquarters of Haupt Racing Team GmbH are in Grünwald near Munich, while the HRT Race Base is located on the Meuspath industrial estate, right next to the Nürburgring. HRT is also involved in professional sim racing and is a sought-after partner for technical development projects and motorsport events of all kinds. www.hauptracingteam.de/en
