For the 2026 season, Haupt Racing Team will once again compete in the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS. Two Ford Mustang GT3s, fielded by a strong lineup of drivers, will battle for top finishes and championship points in the five races of the Endurance Cup.
- Two Ford Mustang GT3s in the GT World Challenge Europe
- Entry in the Endurance Cup with the 24 Hours of Spa as the season highlight
- Allianz Philipp Thode is HRT’s new partner
- Ulrich Fritz: “We’re once again fielding a very strong lineup.”
As in previous years, the Haupt Racing Team will once again line up in one of the most competitive GT series in 2026: the GT World Challenge Europe. Under the HRT Ford Racing banner, the team from Drees will field two Ford Mustang GT3s equipped with the new EVO Performance Package in the series’ prestigious Endurance Cup.
The #64 car will compete as the team’s PRO entry for positions in the overall classification. The car will be driven by DTM driver Arjun Maini (IND), Fabio Scherer (SUI), and Thomas Drouet (FRA). Maini competed in the Endurance Cup last year and will once again take part in the endurance series alongside his teammates. Following his GT3 debut in the 2025 DTM, Scherer is completing an extensive endurance program this season, which includes the GT World Challenge Europe. Drouet has been active in GT racing for many years and, like Maini, already competed for HRT in this series last season. The 27-year-old rounds out the formidable trio in the Ford Mustang GT3.
At the same time, HRT is introducing a new team partner on car #64. The Allianz Agency Philipp Thode will be prominently featured on the blue Ford Mustang GT3 in the GT World Challenge Europe. Based in Göttingen, the insurance agency serves entrepreneurs, self-employed individuals, and discerning private clients, particularly in the areas of asset protection, business insurance, and strategic insurance structuring. As a partner of Haupt Racing Team, the agency specifically uses the international motorsports environment as a platform for networking, customer loyalty, and business exchange. The partnership is designed for the long term and, beyond mere brand presence, aims to promote exchange between entrepreneurs, partners, and motorsports enthusiasts in the context of racing events.
As in the previous year, HRT will also compete in the SILVER class with one car. Car #65, which will be racing in classic white with blue accents, will be driven by ADAC GT Masters champion and DTM rookie Finn Wiebelhaus (GER), Eduardo Coseteng (PHI), and Maxime Oosten (NED). Wiebelhaus was already active in the Endurance Cup last season alongside his commitment to the ADAC GT Masters. Coseteng and Oosten are making their debut for HRT, but they have extensive GT3 experience, including from the ADAC GT Masters. Oosten secured the runner-up title there in 2024. At the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, the highlight of the season, the trio will be joined by Max Reis (GER). Reis will also replace Oosten at the home race at the Nürburgring to gain further experience in endurance racing.
The GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup is one of the most demanding GT series in the world. With a grid of more than 50 cars, drivers and teams compete for the championship across various classes. The season opener takes place April 11–12 at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France and features a six-hour race. Following the second round in Monza on May 30 and 31, the 24-hour race at Spa will take place on the last weekend of June, from June 24 to 28. After the summer break, the series continues on August 30 and 31 with the home race at the Nürburgring. The season finale will be held for the first time at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal in 2026 and will take place from October 17 to 18.
Ulrich Fritz, Chief Executive Officer Haupt Racing Team: “Following our debut with the Ford Mustang GT3 last season, we are very excited that, with Ford’s support, we will be able to field the new EVO Performance Package in this highly competitive series this year. We’re fielding a strong lineup with which we aim to achieve good results. As always, the challenge in the GT World Challenge Europe is significant. However, we’re highly motivated to continue developing in this environment and translate that into corresponding results.”
Philipp Thode, owner of the Allianz Agency Philipp Thode: “Motorsports, more than almost any other platform, embodies precision, teamwork, and performance—values that also play a central role in our daily work with entrepreneurs and decision-makers. We are therefore all the more delighted to partner with the Haupt Racing Team in the GT World Challenge Europe. HRT’s professional environment and the series’ international appeal offer an excellent platform for combining entrepreneurship, networking, and top-level sports.”
