Just over a month since the untimely passing of his father Paul, Penrith-born racing driver Frank Bird returned to action when he contested the Nürburgring Endurance Series (Langstrecken-Serie) at the weekend but was out of luck.
Driving for the German-based Haupt Racing Team, it was Frank’s first outing since the Misano round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe back in July and was teamed up with Estonian driver Ralf Aron and Arjun Maini from India for the four-hour race.
The trio were contesting the SP9 Pro class in the the Mercedes-AMG GT3 and qualified in 17th place overall amidst a very strong field for the 47th PAGID Racing DMV Münsterlandpokal race but Frank’s hopes of repeating his class victory at the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Race Nürburgring earlier in the season were dashed early on with a techical problem whilst holding ninth place.
Frank Bird: “It’s been a difficult few weeks since we lost my dad and I’ve had to put my schedule on hold for a while, but it was good to get back in the car again. Unfortunately we had a transmission issue very early on and lost around 45 minutes whilst the team made repairs but we got back out to gain some more valauble track time and bring the car home to a finish although not to a result we wanted. Thanks as always to team HRT and my sponsors for the opportunity.”
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: Frank Bird in action in the 47th PAGID Racing DMV Münsterlandpokal race this weekend.
For further information, please visit https://media.hauptracingteam.de and the Paul Bird Motorsport website www.pbmuk.net.
ENDS
