The #5 Mercedes-AMG GT3 run by Haupt Racing Team with team owner Hubert Haupt (GER), Michele Beretta (ITA) and Sergei Afanasiev (RUS) showed a strong final dash of their debut season, claiming the second and third position in the overall Silver Cup driver category of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and a podium finish in Le Castellet, the second podium after the Total 24 Hours of Spa. The sister car #4 was the best-placed Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the final stage of the season, ending the race in 6th place.
- #5 Haupt Racing Team: Hubert Haupt and Sergei Afanasiev finish the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup in second place in the Silver Cup driver classification, Michele Beretta comes in on third
- #5 HRT Mercedes-AMG GT3 finishes Silver Cup at Le Castellet in third place
- #4 HRT Mercedes-AMG GT3 finishes the race as best-placed Mercedes in 6th place
The #5 HRT Mercedes-AMG GT3, with Hubert Haupt, Michele Beretta and Sergei Afanasiev competing at the 6 hours of Paul Ricard, finished the final race of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup in third place in the Silver Cup classification with an overall 17th position in Le Castellet. Having started on 23rd, the trio was determined to still play a role in the battle for the category titles, having headed to France with a second place in the driver standings for Hubert Haupt and Sergei Afanasiev in the Endurance Cup. The duo secured an overall second place in the debut season of the newly founded Haupt Racing Team, while Michele Beretta claimed the overall third position.
The Mercedes-AMG Team HRT car #4 of Maro Engel, Luca Stolz (both GER) and Vincent Abril (FRA), started the grand finale of the GT World Challenge 2020 on third position, with a combined qualifying result just 0.317 seconds behind the pole setter. A messy start with cars running wide in turns one and two saw the orange AM Solutions Mercedes-AMG GT3 having to claim back two positions at the beginning of the six-hour race with a strong field of about 40 competitors. Throughout the entire 1.000 km long battle, the #4 remained to be the best-placed Mercedes-AMG, finally crossing the finish line of the Endurance Cup finale on the 6th position.
Hubert Haupt, Team Owner and Driver HRT #5: “The sixth place of our #4 in the 1,000 km race at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet was not the result that we hoped for. We had much higher goals for the season – which we did not reach. Even though we finished in third position in the Silver Cup with the #5 car, we hoped for more. In this case it was unfortunate that we didn’t score any points in Imola. Otherwise we could have won this class.”
Maro Engel, driver, Mercedes-AMG Team HRT #4: „First of all, I want to thank the Haupt Racing Team as well as Mercedes-AMG for an exciting season that was quite tough to be managed to take place. We tried to do our best with the package we had - today and also throughout the season - even though there was missing a bit of speed in our cars. It would have been great to finish the season with a podium – but today other cars were stronger.
Luca Stolz, driver, Mercedes-AMG Team HRT #4: “We’ve done what we could at Paul Ricard. The season had its highs and lows and we were constantly in a position to be in the top 10, which is very positive in such a competitive field. But having secured only one podium in the Endurance Cup was simply a result we have to work on in the future. I’m sure the team can be at the top next season.”
Sean Paul Breslin, Team Principal HRT: „Tough track for the Mercedes-AMG. We qualified well, but it was difficult to keep up on the long straights and in the end, P6 was the best we could manage overall. But I’m very happy to take third place in Silver Cup. Well done to that crew.”
About HRT
HRT stands for HAUPT RACING TEAM. Formed in July 2020 by racing driver and entrepreneur Hubert Haupt, the team enjoys success in GT3 racing. Among other things, HRT secured the 2021 DTM drivers' championship in just its second motorsport season. HRT lines up with extended works support from Mercedes-AMG in many of the team's outings. The outings and cars are prepared in Meuspath, not far from the Nürburgring. HRT is also involved in professional sim racing and is a sought-after partner for motorsport events of all sorts. HRT can call on a host of experts with a wealth of motorsport and engineering experience, which the diverse motorsport company leverages when implementing technical development projects for and with its partners. The headquarters of Haupt Racing Team GmbH is Grünwald near Munich. The team owner is racing driver and businessman Hubert Haupt. As well as motorsport, Haupt is primarily known as a successful property developer. With his real estate company, he implements high-quality living and building concepts in southern Germany – from innovative buildings to complete districts.
