The 6-hour highlight race at the legendary Nürburgring-Nordschleife was a mix of fortune and misfortune for HAUPT RACING TEAM. The #17 Mercedes-AMG Team HRT classified in 6th position after an astounding chase. After a promising start into the fifth round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) the #6 Mercedes-AMG Team HRT AutoArenA had a massive crash in the second lap of the race. Also the #16 Mercedes-AMG Team HRT which was in a secure top three position was involved in a collision and could not continue the race.
- #17 Mercedes-AMG Team HRT: 6th position
- #16 Mercedes-AMG Team HRT: DNF with broken suspension
- #6 Mercedes-AMG Team HRT AutoArenA: crash forced early retirement
It was a promising start by setting the fastest time of all Mercedes-AMG GT3s in the 162 cars strong field. Manuel Metzger in the #16 Mercedes-AMG Team HRT secured starting position four with a time of 7m59.253s. The #6 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Team HRT AutoArenA started from 10th place and the #17 Mercedes-AMG Team HRT from 16th position.
At the race start Maro Engel in the #16 car immediately made a statement and moved up to second place. Patrick Assenheimer behind the wheel of the #6 car and Nico Bastian in car #17 had a tough start and frequent duels but kept a steady pace on position 15 and 16 respectively. But the promising beginning was not to last. An unfortunate collision caused by a competitor at the Döttinger Höhe resulted in a massive crash of the #6 Mercedes-AMG GT3 – only two laps into the race. Patrick Assenheimer luckily remained uninjured. Shortly after, car #16 with Maro Engel – who was showing a fantastic race in third position at this time – had contact while lapping a slower car. As a result, the rear suspension broke and forced the team to retire in lap 7.
As the race unfolded all eyes were on car #17. They pitted strategically early and Hubert Haupt took over from Nico Bastian securing the momentarily lead. Haupt showed a steady stint before handing over to Philip Ellis – who did a solid stint and Gabriele Piana continued the chase. Hubert Haupt, taking over for the final stint, finished finally 6th after 41 laps.
The next race for HAUPT RACING TEAM is the third round of the GT World Challenge Europe at the Nürburgring on 6 September.
Hubert Haupt, team owner HRT and driver #17: “Unfortunately, we’ve lost car #6 due to a unnecessary crash caused by a competitor early in the race and had the same misfortune with our car #16. Due to an optimized pit stop we were even leading the race for a while with car #17 and were able to finish in 6th position. All in all it was a tough weekend and we are too slow – especially on the straights. So there will be some work to do until the 24h race end of September.”
Sean Paul Breslin, team principal, HRT: “NLS 5 was our last chance to prepare for the 24h Nürburgring. We had difficult conditions for the team today with two early retirements and a 6th position for car #17. Now we go forward with the team and a good preparation for the 24h Nürburgring.”
Patrick Assenheimer, driver, #6 Mercedes-AMG Team HRT AutoArenA: “After a hard-fought start and tough duels, the unfortunate collision followed and resulted in me spinning and flipping the car. Fortunately, you don't have that kind of situation very often. I'm fine and therefore keep on racing.”
Maro Engel, driver, #16 Mercedes-AMG Team HRT: “I feel sorry for the team. As I was about to lap, I had some contact with a competitor, we met side by side at the apex and as a result the suspension broke. Until then, the car was running great and it was fun to drive. Even though with today’s misfortune I hope that we’ll be back stronger for the 24H Nürburgring.”
Nico Bastian, driver, #17 Mercedes-AMG Team HRT: “Starting position 16 was certainly not a highlight. Unfortunately, we were unlucky in qualifying, so we decided on a very short first stint to get out of the traffic. It also helped that I got off to a good start and was able to make up a few positions in the first lap. The strategy worked and I had a clear run, a good pace and we were able to place ourselves in the top ten finally.”
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. Among other things, HRT secured the 2021 DTM drivers' championship in just its second motorsport season. 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 is also involved in professional sim racing 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.
