The Haupt Racing Team celebrated a strong debut at the FIA Motorsport Games in Valencia, Spain, with three medals. In the GT competition, team founder Hubert Haupt and Finn Wiebelhaus (both GER) won the gold medal for Team Germany. In the GT Sprint, Wiebelhaus and Daniel Juncadella (ESP) also won two medals, silver and bronze.
- Three medals for HRT at the FIA Motorsport Games
- Gold for Team Germany through Haupt and Wiebelhaus in the GT discipline
- GT Sprint: Silver and bronze for Wiebelhaus and Juncadella
In the GT competition held on Saturday, where two drivers share the wheel in a 60-minute race, there were already signs of a duel for the gold medal in the qualifying race. In an intense race on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, in which the starting grid for the crucial main race were determined, Hubert Haupt and Finn Wiebelhaus in the #4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 took second position and thus started the battle for the gold medal from the front row of the grid. Hubert Haupt took the lead on the first lap and controlled the action from the top. At the mandatory pit stop, Finn Wiebelhaus took over the #4 car and initially remained in the lead. Wiebelhaus then battled for first position for a long time in an intense duel, but initially had to settle for second place. However, after a time penalty was imposed on the leading car, Wiebelhaus no longer took any risks. He controlled the gap to the leader and crossed the finish line in second place, but could celebrate the gold medal together with Hubert Haupt and the whole team.
In the GT Sprint discipline, where one driver competes for victory in a 40-minute race, Finn Wiebelhaus started from pole position, followed by Daniel Juncadella. The Spaniard competed for his home country with HRT in the #12 Mercedes-AMG GT3 and had a good chance of winning a medal with second position on the grid. Wiebelhaus and Juncadella maintained the one-two lead at the start of the race, but had to fend off many attacks from their rivals. Wiebelhaus defended the lead until shortly before the end of the race, but ultimately had to concede defeat to his rival and won the silver medal, the second medal for the German team. Daniel Juncadella also won a medal for HRT and the Spanish team, which won the FIA Motorsport Games with a total of 18 medals. Germany followed in second place in the medal table, recording its best result to date in this comparison of nations thanks to HRT's two medals.
The motorsport season is slowly coming to an end for the Haupt Racing Team. On 16 November, HRT will start the final round of the ADAC Nürburgring Endurance Series before the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe holds its finale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 28 to 30 November. Here, the final decisions in the Endurance Cup will be made in the last six-hour race.
Hubert Haupt, Team Germany: “We won gold for Germany - simply amazing. We are very happy and it was a lot of fun. In the end, it was crucial to make the fewest mistakes. We managed to realise that.“
Finn Wiebelhaus, Team Germany: “I am very happy to have won gold. The race was very exciting, and nobody could afford to make a mistake. It was a very intense race in the GT Sprint. I was under pressure for a long time and had to keep calm. In the end, it wasn't quite enough, but I'm still super happy. A big thank you to the Haupt Racing Team for their support. We had a super car on all three days. I would also like to thank the Deutscher Motor Sport Bund for having the confidence to send me to Valencia. The whole German team delivered really well and took second place in the medal standings.“
Daniel Juncadella, Team Spain: “I am very happy about my first medal at the FIA Motorsport Games. It was a very intense race, but I managed to bring home third place safely and I'm delighted that I was able to contribute to Spain winning this event. Thanks also to the team for their great work.“
Ulrich Fritz, Chief Executive Officer Haupt Racing Team: „Our first participation in the FIA Motorsport Games was a wonderful and successful experience. It was also very special for us to represent two countries at the same time and to compete for medals alongside other motorsport disciplines. Winning the gold medal for Finn and Hubert in the GT category was certainly outstanding, as it secured Germany second place in the medal table - that makes us particularly proud. But the silver medal in the GT Sprint for Finn and the bronze medal for Dani and Spain are also great results. Congratulations to the drivers and, of course, to the whole team, who remained faultless over the weekend and thus laid the foundations for these successes.“
