After a successful debut year in the ADAC GT Masters, which ended with HRT winning the team championship, the team from Drees is expanding its involvement in the series for the 2024 season. The team will field a total of three high-class Mercedes-AMG GT3s. Jannes Fittje, a familiar face, is also returning to the HRT family.

The 24-year-old will drive the #3 car together with youngster Finn Wiebelhaus (GER). Jannes Fittje already competed for the Haupt Racing Team in 2022, back then in the Endurance Cup of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS. Despite his young age, he can look back on years of experience in GT racing, from which his new team-mate and GT3 rookie Finn Wiebelhaus should also benefit. At the beginning of the year, 17-year-old Finn Wiebelhaus used the GT Winter Series races to gain his first experience with the Mercedes-AMG GT3. In nine race starts, the youngster finished on the top step of the podium seven times.

The Mercedes-AMG GT3 with starting number 5 will be driven by the young South African Kwanda Mokoena, who has also finished on the podium several times for HRT in the GT Winter Series. With the young German Max Reis, he has another GT3 rookie as a team-mate. The 17-year-old Max Reis is quiet experienced in formula racing and has already achieved podium finishes in the French Formula 4 Championship.

The driver pairing for the #2 Mercedes-AMG GT3 has been known for a month now: The two Germans Salman Owega and David Schumacher are in charge to help bring another trophy to Drees. Owega was crowned ADAC GT Masters drivers‘ champion last year with impressive performances. The DTM-experienced Schumacher attracted further attention in the Endurance Cup of the GT World Challenge Europe, where he finished third overall in the Gold Cup with a victory and two further podium finishes.

The ADAC GT Masters has a new class structure for this year, which is primarily focussed on young talent and amateur drivers. With the Pro-Am Cup, the Silver Cup and the Am Cup, the racing series is creating an attractive platform for drivers with FIA Silver and Bronze classifications. Cash and non-cash prizes as well as support from the ADAC through the „Road to DTM“ concept for the best young drivers round off the attractive package. The Haupt Racing Team will compete with all three driver pairings in the „Silver Cup“.

This year, the ADAC GT Masters will once again comprise a total of twelve races at six events. The ADAC GT Masters will run four times in conjunction with the DTM. The official test days will take place at the Hockenheimring from 9th to 11th April. There, the Haupt Racing Team wants to make the final adjustments in order to be optimally prepared for the title defence mission. The ADAC GT Masters protagonists will have their first real battle at the season opener in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben from 26th to 28th April. The season finale will again take place at the Hockenheimring from 18th to 20th October.

Ulrich Fritz, Managing Director of Haupt Racing Team: „After our successful debut in the 2023 ADAC GT Masters, we are now entering our second season in this highly competitive championship, in which we are expanding our commitment to fielding three Mercedes-AMG GT3s. I think we have been able to attract a strong driver line-up with a healthy mix of GT3 experience and youthful ambition for HRT. From our point of view, the ADAC GT Masters is the ideal series to offer young, talented and aspiring drivers a platform for their development. With this in mind, we obviously want to make our contribution as a team and are highly motivated to fight for the championship.“

About HRT
HRT stands for HAUPT RACING TEAM. The motorsport team was founded in July 2020 by racing driver and entrepreneur Hubert Haupt and has firmly established itself in international GT3 sport within a very short time. As well as numerous race wins and top results, HRT’s greatest success came in 2021 when it won the Drivers’ Championship in the DTM. In 2023, the team celebrated its most successful season to date, competing in the DTM, the Nürburgring Endurance Series, the GT World Challenge Europe and the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and Spa-Francorchamps, among others. Many of these race outings are as a Mercedes-AMG Performance Team with extended factory support. HRT is also involved in professional sim racing and is a sought-after partner for technical development projects and motorsport events of all kinds. The HAUPT RACING TEAM is based in Drees, which is located at the Nürburgring.