An extremely successful debut season, ending with a double win, has given them an appetite for more! After achieving overall victories in the drivers' and team classifications in the 2019 ADAC GT Masters, HCB-Rutronik Racing have put defending titles at the top of the agenda this year and will again field reigning champions, Audi Sport drivers Kelvin van der Linde (23, South Africa) and Patric Niederhauser (28, Switzerland) in the Audi R8 LMS which will now display #1 as it challenges for the title.

Team Principal, Fabian Plentz, confidently set out their grand plan: "After a superb first year, we obviously have great expectations and aim to defend our titles. We are well aware of just how difficult that will be, of course, but it should be possible to face the challenge and set a new record with our highly motivated team and well-practised squad of drivers." Note: No driver has yet managed to successfully defend his title since the ADAC GT Masters first began in 2007. Kelvin van der Linde is already looking forward to the season opener on the weekend of 24th-26th April in Oschersleben: "I'm really keen to get under way. We intend to start 2020 where we left off in 2019. This will be the first time in my career that I’ve embarked on the season that follows with the same co-driver and same team - that should make us stronger. Nevertheless, we’re getting all prepared for a tough season ahead, as the bar is set higher in the ADAC GT Masters with every year that passes and it’s a well-known fact that the field is extremely competitive."

His partner in the cockpit, Patric Niederhauser, added: "Of course, we now have different expectations compared to a year ago. My goal is to defend the title, but we know all too well that the level of competition in the ADAC GT Masters is very high, and so, we must continue to work hard and effectively. There's no guarantee of success, but after having had such a great season in 2019, the team have really come together. Kelvin and I complement each other extremely well. The atmosphere in the team is tremendous and our Audi R8 LMS is amazingly competitive. I'm really looking forward to the new season."

The team's record with four pole positions and eight podium finishes in 2019 is one to be proud of.

The crew in HCB-Rutronik Racing's second car will remain the same as already announced. Dennis Marschall (23, GER) and Carrie Schreiner (21, GER) will share the drive again in the Audi R8 LMS.