Haase, Winkelhock Among Three-Car BWT Muecke Entry

Photo: Gruppe C/ADAC

Audi factory drivers Christopher Haase and Markus Winkelhock will remain part of BWT Muecke Motorsport’s three-car entry in ADAC GT Masters this season, the team confirmed on Monday.

Winkelhock will share one of the team’s Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evos with Mike David Ortmann in a lineup unchanged since last season.

Haase and Jeffrey Schmidt will drive a second car together after competing in different BWT Muecke entries last season.

The previously shared a cockpit together in 2017, driving one of Montaplast by Land Motorsport’s entries.

The third car will be driven by Stefan Muecke and Nikolaj Rogivue with the latter moving from Aust Motorsport to join Muecke who raced a partial season alongside Schmidt last year.

“The ADAC GT Masters is getting to be a tougher nut to crack every year,” said team principal Peter Muecke.

“Anyway, we are well prepared and have continuity in our squad of six top drivers, which should of course work to our benefit.

“We all know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and everyone is perfectly attuned to each other.

“Nevertheless, I’m reluctant to make any forecasts because, in the ADAC GT Masters, the outcome depends on the moment.

“Even if we have a first-class car and first-class drivers, we cannot automatically assume that we are going to win.”

Muecke Casts Doubts About Series’ Future

Despite his optimism about his team’s package for the upcoming season, Peter Muecke did express concerns about the future of GT Masters.

The championship has become more popular in recent years, surpassing the grid sizes of Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe (formerly Sprint Cup), but with escalating concerns about the costs involved.

“For me, the ADAC GT Masters is the most competitive GT series in the world,” he said. “But every silver lining has a cloud.

“It is doubtful how long this series can survive, as it keeps getting more and more expensive.

“There is a lack of support from the series organiser, the manufacturers and also the sponsors. The teams themselves can no longer bear the costs alone.

“It’s time to take some tough decisions about the future.”

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.