Cumbrian racing driver Frank Bird and his German-based Haupt Racing Team will be in action this weekend when they contest the 75th edition of CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa at the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
Considered the biggest GT3 race in the world and undoubtedly the highlight of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS race calendar, Penrith-born Frank will be part of a four driver team including fellow Brits James Cottingham and Matt Bell along with American Naveen Rao contesting the Pro-Am Cup class in the Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Frank has experience around the seven kilometre circuit nestled in the Ardennes region and is looking forward to the challenge following his recent class victory at the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Race Nürburgring which saw him impress during the night.
Frank Bird: “I’m really looking forward to the 24 Hours of Spa. We’ve worked really hard and had a fantastic start to the season and I know we’re going to have to keep up the good work and get to the end without making too many mistakes. The experience gained at Nurburgring will stand me in good stead and I’m looking forward to teaming up with James, Matt and Naveen for the race.”
Sean Paul Breslin, team principal Haupt Racing Team: “We are going to Spa full of anticipation and with a lot of optimism. After recent good results, we have set our sights high for this race. With around 70 GT3 cars, there will be a lot of traffic on the track. It will be crucial to get through the race without any major incidents so we will do our best.”
Note to Editors
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. The team’s programme is demanding and diverse: among other things, HRT starts in the DTM, the Nürburgring Endurance Series, the GT World Challenge Europe, and the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and Spa-Francorchamps. 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. As of the 2023 season, the team’s new operations centre is the HRT Race Base in Drees, which is located at the Nürburgring. The headquarters of Haupt Racing Team GmbH are in Grünwald near Munich.
Pictures attached: The Haupt Racing Team livery of Frank Bird’s Mercedes-AMG GT2 for the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers
For further information, please visit https://media.hauptracingteam.de and the Paul Bird Motorsport website www.pbmuk.net.
ENDS
