In the 2023 season of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS), the Haupt Racing Team will field three race cars in three different classification classes for the first time. The two top-class Mercedes-AMG GT3s will be joined by a Mercedes-AMG GT4 with an equally strong driver line-up. The start of the season on the Nordschleife also marks the beginning of the hot phase of preparation for the 24-hour highlight at the end of May for the successful GT team from Drees.
- Hubert Haupt, Jordan Love and Arjun Maini in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 #6
- Luca Stolz, Raffaele Marciello and Philip Ellis in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 #8
- Nordschleife premiere for HRT with the Mercedes-AMG GT4 #189
As in the previous year, HRT's Mercedes-AMG GT3s will compete in distinctive designs on the legendary Eifel circuit. Behind the wheel of the #8 car, running under the Mercedes-AMG Team BILSTEIN naming, Luca Stolz (GER) and Raffaele Marciello (SUI) will share the cockpit in the SP9/Pro class in the first round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series season on March 18. Philip Ellis (SUI) will reinforce the duo in further events. The NLS season opener will also see the first use of a new yellow and blue design created in collaboration with BILSTEIN, which will serve as the basis for future vehicle liveries of the GT team from Drees.
Taking turns in the green-white-black Mercedes-AMG of mobility partner Merbag are team owner Hubert Haupt (GER), Jordan Love (AUS) and Arjun Maini (IND), who also competed together in the 2022 season. This car with the starting number #6 will start in the SP9/ProAm category.
A novelty in the 2023 season is the first-time entry of a Mercedes-AMG GT4, which is registered in the SP10 classification and carries the starting number #189. With the use of the GT4 over the entire NLS season, the Haupt Racing Team further expands its customer sports offering and thus competes in three different classification classes on the Nordschleife. The first race of the season will be contested by Tobias Wahl and Reinhold Renger (both GER), who will receive additional support from Florian Wahl as the season progresses.
The 68th ADAC Westfalenfahrt is the opening round of the 2023 Nürburgring Endurance Series and will primarily serve the team as a test event for the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring, which takes place from May 18-21.
Luca Stolz, Mercedes-AMG Team BILSTEIN #8:
"Races on the Nordschleife are always a special experience. At the same time, we can use the NLS events as preparation for the 24-hour race in May. The experience in the team and the strong line-up are ideal prerequisites for starting the season successfully and regularly scoring good placings in our smart blue and yellow BILSTEIN livery."
Raffaele Marciello, Mercedes-AMG Team BILSTEIN #8:
"I'm delighted to be competing for HRT on the Nordschleife again this season. The track is always a challenge, but with Luca, Philip and the experienced team we are strong enough to bring home good results on a regular basis. We're going into the new season with big ambitions."
Philip Ellis, Mercedes-AMG Team BILSTEIN #8:
"Our goal for the Nordschleife season is clear: Delivering a good preparation for the 24-hour race. After we had a good chance of winning last year, we've got our sights set high for this year and will do everything we can to achieve our ambitious goals. The Nürburgring is one of my favorite tracks and I'm really looking forward to achieving some sporting successes for Mercedes-AMG Team BILSTEIN together with Luca and Raffaele."
Hubert Haupt, Team Owner, Haupt Racing Team #6:
"Having just moved to our new Race Base this month in the immediate vicinity of the Nürburgring, we naturally want to inaugurate the new location with success and bring back a few trophies from the Nordschleife for the showroom. I'm looking forward to a good season!"
Jordan Love, Haupt Racing Team #6:
"I'm really excited to be racing with HRT at the Nordschleife again. Last season with the team left me wanting more, and I can't wait to gain even more experience on such a legendary track. The Nürburgring is comparatively new to me, but already one of my favorite places to race the Mercedes-AMG GT3 and continue to improve."
Arjun Maini, Haupt Racing Team #6:
"In 2022, I was already racing in HRT's Mercedes-AMG GT3 on the Nordschleife, so I'm even more excited to be racing again this season. Together with Hubert and Jordan, I will use the NLS races to prepare myself optimally for the 24-hour race."
Tobias Wahl, Haupt Racing Team #189:
"I have been able to gain a very good impression of Team HRT and their way of working so far. Now it's getting serious and I'm really looking forward to our first race with the new race car. It's sure to be an exciting season with a strong package on the world's most legendary race track."
Florian Wahl, Haupt Racing Team #189:
"The Mercedes-AMG GT4 and HRT are two exciting new additions for my brother and me this year. I'm looking forward to competing with such a motivated and experienced team."
Reinhold Renger, Haupt Racing Team #189:
"We have an exciting Nordschleife season ahead of us with the Mercedes-AMG GT4. I'm excited to see what we can deliver together with Tobias and Florian in the nine scheduled scoring races."
Sean Paul Breslin, Team Principal Haupt Racing Team:
"We start the new NLS season having recently moved to our new race base in Drees, right next to Meuspath. As a team we have some big challenges ahead of us and are top motivated together with our partners and fantastic drivers to give everything to get some trophies for the new showroom right away."
About HRT
HRT stands for HAUPT RACING TEAM. The motorsport team was founded in July 2020 by racing driver and entrepreneur Hubert Haupt and has firmly established itself in international GT3 sport within a very short time. As well as numerous race wins and top results, HRT’s greatest success came in 2021 when it won the Drivers’ Championship in the DTM. The team’s programme is demanding and diverse: among other things, HRT starts in the DTM, the Nürburgring Endurance Series, the GT World Challenge Europe, and the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and Spa-Francorchamps. Many of these race outings are as a Mercedes-AMG Performance Team with extended factory support. HRT is also involved in professional sim racing and is a sought-after partner for technical development projects and motorsport events of all kinds. As of the 2023 season, the team’s new operations centre is the HRT Race Base in Drees, which is located at the Nürburgring. The headquarters of Haupt Racing Team GmbH are in Grünwald near Munich.
