The Ford Mustang GT3 passed its first major endurance test on the Nordschleife at the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring. Dennis Fetzer, Jusuf Owega, Salman Owega and David Schumacher (all GER) confidently secured class victory in the SP9 PRO-AM.
The young quartet from HRT Ford Performance finished fourth in the overall standings, achieving the best result ever for a PRO-AM car in the legendary endurance classic. Ulrich Fritz, Managing Director of the Haupt Racing Team, reviews the race for us and looks ahead to the next highlight this coming weekend: the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
What is your conclusion after the first highlight of the season?
We look back on the race with mixed feelings. On the positive side, of course, is the fourth place overall for the Ford Mustang GT3 #65 and the commanding class victory in the SP9 PRO-AM. On the other hand, we had to retire the #63 and #64 cars early in the race. The red flag helped us a little at the start. At that point, we had to cope with a puncture on the #64 and the #65 had already made an unplanned but fortunately short pit stop. You can never completely rule out things like that in a 24-hour race. After the restart, however, all our cars were back on track and very competitive.
What value does this class victory have?
The performance of the #65 cannot be praised highly enough. Fourth place overall with a PRO-AM car – that has never happened before in this race! The boys won their class by a commanding margin of two laps. I deliberately say “the boys” because, with an average age of just 22.5, this result is a fantastic achievement in such a tough race. What's more, the class victory is the first major 24-hour success for the Ford Mustang GT3 in Europe. We are all very proud to be part of this history.
Even though the preparations didn't go perfectly...
Our preparations were very thorough, but also very challenging. Due to an accident at the start of the NLS season and overlaps with the DTM and ADAC GT Masters, we weren't able to test as much as we would have liked. In terms of strategy, we were very well prepared, but we would still have liked to have completed more test kilometers. This was particularly noticeable at the start of the race weekend. After the warm-up, however, things went really well. The drivers were happy with the Ford Mustang GT3 in the race.
How much motivation does the team draw from the race?
The team has been doing an outstanding job all season long. Everyone works incredibly hard — in preparation, during the races on the weekends, and even through the night when necessary. That adds up to a lot of hours. When a success like winning our class in one of the toughest car races in the world comes along, it's a great source of motivation for all of us.
The next 24-hour highlight is already coming up this weekend in Spa. What are HRT's expectations going into the race?
The CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa is considered the largest and most demanding GT3 race in the world. The fact that it follows so closely on the heels of the Nürburgring this year doesn't make things any easier. However, we are taking a lot of fresh impressions and valuable insights with us to Belgium. We are up to speed, as they say. The tire strategy will certainly not be easy, as very hot racing conditions are forecast again, but everyone will have to cope with that. We have set ourselves the goal of driving cleanly, and if we succeed, a good result is possible in Spa. As a team, we definitely have the potential to do so.
About HRT
The Haupt Racing Team (HRT) was founded in 2020 by racing driver and entrepreneur Hubert Haupt and has firmly established itself in international GT3 sport. Its greatest successes to date include the 2021 DTM Drivers' Championship, the 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Drivers' and Teams' Titles (Sprint and Silver Cup) and the 2023 and 2024 ADAC GT Masters Teams' Titles, as well as class wins and podium finishes in the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring and Spa-Francorchamps. From the 2025 season, HRT will run the Ford Mustang GT3 with factory support from Ford Performance in several high-profile racing series and championships. HRT is also actively involved in the promotion of young talent, covering the entire pyramid of driver development from entry into motorsport in the HRT Kart Team to the highest level of GT racing in the DTM. The joint operations center is the state-of-the-art HRT RACE BASE in Drees at the Nürburgring, where technical development projects and motorsport events of all kinds are also carried out.
