Haupt Racing Team enjoyed the perfect start to its time in the ADAC GT Masters. In its first season, the Mercedes-AMG outfit won the Team Championship at the season finale at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg (20th to 22nd October). The two HRT drivers, Alain Valente (CH) and Ralf Aron from Estonia, also celebrated their first victory in the ADAC’s iconic GT series.
As well as taking victory in race twelve of the season at the former Formula 1 circuit in Hockenheim, Valente and Aron also claimed a further three podiums. Another person instrumental in winning the Team Championship was Petru Umbrarescu. The regular driver in the second Mercedes-AMG GT3, Romanian Umbrarescu started alongside various team-mates, including 2012 ADAC GT Masters champion Maximilian Götz (Uffenheim), and claimed a total of four top-three results. With eight podiums in the 2023 ADAC GT Masters, HRT was the most successful team. “We are very happy with our first year in the ADAC GT Masters. Our two Mercedes-AMG GT3 produced impressive individual performances all season. To win the Team title in Hockenheim is a great end to the season for us as a team, including all the mechanics, engineers and drivers. Every single person invested a lot of energy and ambition in this project,” says Ulrich Fritz, CEO of Haupt Racing Team GmbH.
The team from Drees, near the Nürburgring, was among the teams permanently registered for the ADAC GT Masters and ran two cars in all twelve races. Fritz is keen to stress the importance of the iconic GT series’ association with the high-profile DTM platform: “The synergy between the DTM and the ADAC GT Masters is an ideal combination, particularly with regard to the development of young drivers. I am sure that we will see far more cars again next year.” The mission for the champion team in the coming season is clear – to defend its title. “We plan to line up with the Haupt Racing Team again in 2024,” says Fritz.
The 2024 ADAC GT Masters features a total of six rounds at attractive racetracks in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria. The season-opener shares the bill with the DTM at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben from 26th to 28th April.
