A great debut for HAUPT RACING TEAM (HRT): the HRT outfit, newly-founded by Hubert Haupt, finishes second in the opening round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series and also claims pole position. In the process, Maro Engel posted a time of 7m59.191s during qualifying in the morning, the fastest in the field with 137 participants and went on to add the fastest race lap during his final stint. Patrick Assenheimer took the start with the #6 Mercedes-AMG GT3 and immediately built up a margin for the HRT team that had prepared its participation at the Nürburgring within the shortest time frame.
- Successful competition debut for HRT with second place
- Maro Engel posts pole-winning time and fastest race lap time
- Haupt: “A huge compliment to the entire team.”
The timed session in the morning at the 24.358km long combination of the Grand Prix circuit and the Nordschleife already made it clear that a very exciting race was in store, with the first five GT3 cars qualifying within only two seconds. Patrick Assenheimer having converted pole position into a perfect start, he extended his lead to over eight seconds within only a few laps. The remainder of the race included numerous lead changes. Temporarily, there was a thrilling four-way battle for the lead, also just before Assenheimer handed the #6 Mercedes-AMG GT3 to Maro Engel after his double stint.
Likewise, Engel had to push it to the limit on every lap in order to avoid losing ground in the battle for the overall win. After his final pit stop, that had to be carried out in a changed routing of the track in the paddock of the Nürburgring as a result of the hygiene and safety concept in place for the NLS, the Munich-born driver was three seconds down on the leading BMW. He made up one tenth after another and a few laps before the finish, he was able to reclaim the lead. After that, Engel really pushed once more and also posted the fastest race lap time around the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. After 27 laps, he crossed the finish line in first place for Mercedes-AMG Team HRT AutoArenA. However, the team from Meuspath didn’t get the winner’s trophy as a 37-second time penalty was imposed post-race for failing to meet the required minimum pit stop time. Nevertheless, the records show a very successful debut for the HRT team: second place overall, pole position and the fastest race lap in the maiden outing.
On July 11 and 12, the next races for the HRT team are on already, with the double header of the Nürburgring Endurance Series scheduled to take place at the Nordschleife. There, the team will be running no less than three Mercedes-AMG GT3s under the Performance Team banner.
Hubert Haupt, team owner, HRT: “A huge compliment to the entire team! There were many small things that needed to be finalised prior to our competition debut within the shortest time frame. Starting right away with pole position for the first race already was a huge success. Then, Patrick and Maro followed up with a really great performance in the and successfully brought it home with the fastest race lap and second place overall in our maiden race. Congratulations to all! It can continue like this.”
Patrick Assenheimer, driver, Mercedes-AMG Team AutoArenA #6: “I would never have thought that I wouldn’t be entirely happy with second place after such a tremendous race at the Nürburgring. Today, we really put on a mega race as the entire team, with great racing, but it was a tiny system failure during the pit stop that eventually cost us victory. That is too bad, but all in all, we have delivered a strong performance in HRT’s race debut. Huge thanks also to all the fans who have supported us from home and first and foremost to the numerous marshals who made this race possible for us in the first place.”
Maro Engel, driver, Mercedes-AMG Team AutoArenA #6: “When you are first across the finish line, you also want to be on top in the classification afterwards. Today, however, we had a little timing problem during the pit stop and we were two seconds early leaving the pit lane. From that perspective, the penalty is justified and we have to accept it. But all in all, we had a great car that was really well balanced today. We also had a very successful day with pole position, the fastest race lap and what eventually was second place. A great debut for HAUPT RACING TEAM. I would also like to take the opportunity to express my thanks to the NLS organisers, but also to everyone who has contributed in implementing the hygiene and safety concepts. The fact that we were allowed to race again is the best thing. Thanks also to all the fans who have supported us from home. We are happy that the action now continues with the next races.”
About HRT
HRT stands for HAUPT RACING TEAM and is a brand of Hubert Haupt Motorsport GmbH, headquartered in Grünwald near Munich. In its debut season 2020, the team will be competing with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the Nürburgring Endurance Series and in the GT World Challenge Europe. Preparation of the activities and the cars is located in Meuspath near the Nürburgring. Owner of the team is racing driver and entrepreneur Hubert Haupt. Next to motorsport, Haupt is particularly known as a successful real estate developer. With his real estate holding, he is turning residential and commercial concepts in the south of Germany into reality, from innovative buildings to entire districts.
