The Haupt Racing Team was in action in four race series last weekend. At the 24h Qualifiers at the Nürburgring, HRT recorded two class wins with the new Mercedes-AMG GT2 and a second place in the GT4 class. The opening weekend of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS in Monza was also successful. Here, the team from Drees took a class podium in the Bronze Cup as well as the race win in the new SRO Esports SIM Pro Series.
- Class wins with the Mercedes-AMG GT2 at the Nürburgring.
- Class podium for the Mercedes-AMG GT4 in the SP10 class.
- Successful debut also at the GT2 European Series in Monza.
- Podium finish in the Bronze Cup of the GT World Challenge Europe.
- Premier victory in the SRO Esports SIM Pro Series.
The Haupt Racing Team successfully completed the first race weekend with the new Mercedes-AMG GT2. With the car, which boasts an output of up to 707 hp (520 kW), the team won straight away in the SPX class at the ADAC 24h Qualifiers at the Nürburgring. The Mercedes-AMG GT2 #46 with the Mercedes-AMG Team HRT entry came out on top in both the two-hour race on Saturday evening and the double-distance second race on Sunday afternoon. Frank Bird (GBR), Elia Erhart, Thomas Jäger and Jörg Viebahn (all GER) finished the second race on Sunday in 14th position overall and thus even as the best non-GT3.
The Mercedes-AMG GT2's debut outing in the "Green Hell" was in preparation for the prestigious ADAC TotalEnergies 24h race on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, which takes place this year from 18 to 21 May. Bird also started the four-hour race on Sunday afternoon in the Haupt Racing Team's #89 Mercedes-AMG GT4. Together with Tobias Wahl (GER), the Briton finished second in the SP10 class after an outstanding performance. In the overall classification, this meant 23rd position.
However, the Mercedes-AMG GT2's first race ever took place on Saturday afternoon in the parallel Fanatec GT2 European Series in Monza. Here, Hubert Haupt's team entered the first Mercedes-AMG GT2 delivered to a customer under the Fanatec by HRT name in the season opener. On the tradition-steeped Grand Prix circuit in Monza, Italy, the driver duo of Thomas Jackermeier and Jens Liebhauser (both GER) managed a pole position in the Am class. The duo finished the two races over a distance of 50 minutes in ninth and seventh place overall and thus in the Top 10.
The Haupt Racing Team was also represented at the main event in Monza. The season opener of the Endurance Cup of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS featured a race over the distance of three hours on the high-speed circuit. The driver trio Hubert Haupt (GER), Sebastien Baud (FRA) and Arjun Maini (IND) held their own in the huge starting field of over 50 GT3 cars and finished the race in third place in the Bronze Cup after a top performance by all involved in their #79 Mercedes-AMG GT3, which was one of the strongest classes with 17 cars alongside the Pro Cup.
Virtually, the Haupt Racing Team also achieved a strong success: In the newly created SRO Esports SIM Pro Series, which was also held in Monza, Tobias Pfeffer (GER) took the first victory for the Mercedes-AMG Team HRT by UoL. This new series from SRO brings together some of the best simracing drivers to race for virtual victory at selected GT World Challenge Europe events.
The Haupt Racing Team was also represented at the main event in Monza. The season opener of the Endurance Cup of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS featured a race over the distance of three hours on the high-speed circuit. The driver trio Hubert Haupt (GER), Sebastien Baud (FRA) and Arjun Maini (IND) held their own in the huge starting field of over 50 GT3 cars and finished the race in third place in the Bronze Cup after a top performance by all involved in their #79 Mercedes-AMG GT3, which was one of the strongest classes with 17 cars alongside the Pro Cup.
Virtually, the Haupt Racing Team also achieved a strong success: In the newly created SRO Esports SIM Pro Series, which was also held in Monza, Tobias Pfeffer (GER) took the first victory for the Mercedes-AMG Team HRT by UoL. This new series from SRO brings together some of the best simracing drivers to race for virtual victory at selected GT World Challenge Europe events at the racetrack.
Ulrich Fritz, Chief Executive Officer Haupt Racing Team GmbH: "First of all, we are very proud that we were the first team to be able to use all three current AMG customer racing cars on one weekend and we are very happy about the trust placed in us by our customers and Mercedes-AMG. Especially the first races of the Mercedes-AMG GT2 were an absolute highlight. The new GT2 is a fascinating vehicle concept and shows a lot of potential. For the first time, our Mercedes-AMG GT4 was able to achieve a class podium on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife and I think we can start optimistically into the season highlight, the 24h race on the Nürburgring.
We also had a good start in the highly competitive Endurance Cup of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe. Third place in the Bronze Cup is a strong result and we hope for further good results in the further season. We were equally successful in virtual racing, where we won the opening round of the new SRO Esports SIM Pro Series as Mercedes-AMG Team HRT by UoL.
These strong results demonstrate the expertise and breadth in which the Haupt Racing Team is positioned. Congratulations to all our drivers who did a top job in sometimes very challenging conditions. A big thank you also to our top-motivated HRT team, which accepts every challenge, no matter how big, with great passion and teamwork and does a great job.
We are looking forward to another season in 2023!"
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.
