After the impressive second place yesterday, the Haupt Racing Team left the Nürburgring-Nordschleife empty handed on Sunday after a collision with another car that was no fault of their own.
The Mercedes-AMG GT3, with team owner Hubert Haupt at the wheel, had started brilliantly, climbing from seventh to third. However, at the start of the second lap, it suffered damage to the exhaust system after Haupt was hit by another car.
The team was able to solve the issue, but HRT had by this point been robbed of any chance of a top result.
- Haupt Racing Team Bilstein empty handed on Sunday
- Difficult qualifying for Manuel Metzger ends with seventh place
- Damage after contact robs the team of any chance of a podium
Start driver and team owner, Hubert Haupt, made a perfect start to race six of the Nürburgring Endurance Series:
From seventh on the grid, the former DTM driver sprinted through to take third place after turn one and put his team on course for a podium finish.
However, one lap later a rival car hit the left side of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 on the Grand Prix Circuit, resulting in damage to the exhaust and a significant loss of performance.
The team was able to fix the damage in the ensuring pit stop, but the repairs took over three minutes, dashing any hopes of achieving a decent result.
Next up for the HRT team is the DTM at the Lausitzring on 24th and 25th July.
Hubert Haupt, Haupt Racing Team Bilstein #6 and team owner HRT: "It was obviously a shame. We had a super start and made it into third place! Then came the contact with the other car, which drove into me unnecessarily. He was travelling far too fast, was no longer able to make the corner, and so used me as a buffer. After that, the exhaust was broken and had to be repaired. It was still fun to drive after that, but it is a shame when you are no longer looking at getting a decent result."
Sean Paul Breslin, team principal HRT: "We had a really great race yesterday, which naturally raised our expectations for today's race. Hubert made an outstanding start. Unfortunately, his Mercedes-AMG GT3 was hit by another car. After that, all that remained was for us to sensibly use the remaining time for testing.
About HRT
HRT stands for HAUPT RACING TEAM. Formed in June 2020 by racing driver and entrepreneur Hubert Haupt, the team enjoys success in GT3 racing. 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 also has its own eSPORTS team in the professional sim racing sector 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.
