Just as the ADAC GT Masters season is about to commence this weekend at the etropolis Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, Team Prosperia C Abt Racing have acquired the services of another very promising trainee driver - 17-year-old Bavarian Stefan Wackerbauer is moving up to GT cars from open-wheel racing. Wackerbauer will partner ex-Formula star Markus Winkelhock in the Audi R8 LMS Ultra bearing start number 12 in this season's Super Sports Car League.

"With the signing of Stefan Wackerbauer, we are continuing our philosophy in the ADAC GT Masters of fielding a mixture of successful, experienced drivers and young trainees, who can learn on the job alongside the pros, gain experience and maybe achieve one or two notable successes this season," said team boss Christian Abt. "Stefan Wackerbauer impressed us in various tests with his speed and his calm approach. We intend to work with him over the next two years and turn him into a top GT racing driver. I am certain that Stefan has it in him," added the former DTM driver and team manager at Prosperia C Abt Racing.

The young German schoolboy first got started in motor racing in 2003. After numerous successes in karting, in 2010 he switched to the Formula BMW Talent Cup, which he won after achieving 15 victories from 17 races in 2011. There followed in 2012 the move up into Formula Renault and inclusion in the squad supported by the Deutsche Post Speed Academy. But Wackerbauer has also learned to deal with setbacks. Financial difficulties led to his removal from his team in the middle of the season and the young Bavarian has been without a cockpit ever since. Now he wants to start afresh.

"Lining up with Prosperia C Abt Racing in the ADAC GT Masters has to be the biggest challenge of my career. I am very grateful to the team for giving me this amazing opportunity. After a period of uncertainty, this is a big step forward in my dream of becoming a professional racing driver. I will do everything in my power to justify their trust in me by producing good results, and I'm now looking forward to my first outing in the ADAC GT Masters," said Wackerbauer in the run-up to his first race with Team Prosperia C Abt Racing.