NEWS

The Haupt Racing Team returns to the Green Hell with high goals this weekend after the first race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series had been cancelled due to difficult weather conditions. 

Having expanded its racing programme for the 2021 season, the Haupt Racing Team continues to grow structurally too: the team founded last year by businessman and racing driver Hubert Haupt welcomes on board Ulrich Fritz, who takes over the management of Haupt Racing Team GmbH. In his new role, Fritz is responsible for the operational areas of the company’s business and will push ahead with the strategic further development. The joint mission is clearly defined: in the coming years, HRT will develop into a benchmark in international GT racing, as well as positioning itself even more broadly, with new projects, and growing as a company. The successful structures for race outings, with Sean Paul Breslin as team principal, Marvin Wagner as technical director and Renaud Dufour as chief engineer, remain unchanged.

Disappointing start to the season for HRT in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup: An impressive fightback saw Mercedes-AMG Team HRT (#4) lead the high-quality GT3 field at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, before a puncture dashed any hopes of a top result. In the end, the team had to settle for 13th place. The number 5 car fought hard and was on course for a podium finish in the Silver Cup, but eventually had to settle for 22nd place overall and 11th place in its class.

Mercedes-AMG Team HRT can look back on two positive days of DTM testing. The Haupt Racing Team demonstrated impressive early form at the Hockenheimring, where it kicked off the pre-season with a promising one-two: on the Wednesday of the test, Maximilian Götz (#4) set the fastest time of the day in difficult weather conditions. He was followed in second place by team-mate Vincent Abril (#5). Götz and Abril were among the front-runners again on Thursday. Over the course of the two days, the Haupt Racing Team completed valuable test kilometres ahead of the coming DTM season, which gets underway in mid-June in Monza and comprises a total of 16 races.

The Haupt Racing Team is ready for its first DTM season. The team belonging to former DTM driver Hubert Haupt will run two Mercedes-AMG GT3s in the popular touring car series, both driven by top-class drivers. In Maximilian Götz (35, GER) and Vincent Abril (26, FRA), two of the top international GT professionals take their place at the wheel. For Mercedes-AMG driver Götz, this marks a return to the DTM, having previously raced in the series in 2015 and 2016. Abril, who tasted success with HRT in last year’s GT World Challenge Europe, will make his DTM debut at the opening round on 18th June 2021 in Monza. The Haupt Racing Team lines up in the 16-race DTM season as Mercedes-AMG Team HRT, with extended support from Affalterbach.

The wait is over: with the 66th ADAC Westfalenfahrt on 27 March, this year's Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) starts into the season. The Haupt Racing Team will enter the race at the legendary Nordschleife with two top-class Mercedes-AMG GT3s. Team owner Hubert Haupt, Patrick Assenheimer, Nico Bastian and Maro Engel will be at the wheel of the #6 and compete under the entry Mercedes-AMG Team HRT. Under the same name, Luca Stolz, Adam Christodoulou and Manuel Metzger will be sharing driving duties in the #16 Mercedes-AMG GT3. Both cars stand out visually: while the #16 car will be sporting a striking blue and yellow Bilstein livery, the #6 will be chasing points in a full AutoArenA livery.

Support for the Haupt Racing Team is growing: with the new season approaching, AutoArenA has now also been confirmed as team partner in 2021. The well-known brand of the AssenheimerMulfinger car dealership will feature prominently on all the race cars run by HRT on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife and in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. As an additional highlight, the plan is for one Mercedes-AMG GT3 to sport a full AutoArenA livery at rounds one and three of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS). The team sponsorship marks the continuation of the successful and thriving partnership between HRT and AutoArenA, which was launched last year.

The Haupt Racing Team will go in pursuit of victory in the endurance races within the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. Like last year, the German team plans to run two Mercedes-AMG GT3 cars, one of which will set its sights on the overall title, the other on the Silver Cup. Maro Engel, Luca Stolz (both GER) and Vincent Abril (FRA) have already been confirmed as drivers for the Pro car. In the Silver Cup, team owner Hubert Haupt, Patrick Assenheimer (both GER) and Ricardo Sánchez (MEX) will share the driving duties. The high-class European endurance racing series consists of five races in 2021, the highlight of which is the Total 24 Hours of Spa.

The Haupt Racing Team and Bilstein have expanded their strategic partnership in the new motorsport season. The cooperation sees Bilstein take to the Nürburgring-Nordschleife track as official technical partner of the team from Meuspath, with one of the HRT Mercedes-AMG GT3 sporting a striking blue and yellow Bilstein livery. This development takes the visible and long-term partnership between the two companies, which was launched last year, seamlessly into 2021.

The Haupt Racing Team will line up in the DTM in 2021. Former DTM driver Hubert Haupt’s team will field two Mercedes-AMG GT3. The German team will receive support in the DTM from Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. Exactly who will go in pursuit of points at the wheel of the two HRT cars when the season kicks off in Monza in June 2021 is yet to be confirmed. However, fans can look forward to a top-class driver line-up, which will be announced shortly.