HRT “Proud” to Secure N24 Pro-Am Win in Mustang GT3 Debut

Haupt Racing Team CEO Ulrich Fritz described the team’s top-five finish and SP9 Pro-Am victory in the Nürburgring 24 as “something we wouldn’t have dreamt of” as it secured the Ford Mustang GT3’s first win in a European 24-hour race.

The yellow-liveried No. 65 car, driven by Dennis Fetzer, Jusuf Owega, Salman Owega and David Schumacher, was classified fourth at the end of the Eifel endurance classic on Sunday.

That came after the car started the final lap fourth, but dropped to fifth before the line due to contact with the No. 28 ABT Sportsline Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, which Fritz later described as “not the nicest manoeuvre.”

Stewards would then impose a 32-second penalty on the Lamborghini, dropping Marco Mapelli, Christian Engelhart and Luca Engstler behind the Ford crew in the final results.

Notably, the team also came out on top in the SP9 Pro-Am class, three laps clear of the No. 37 PROsport Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 that finished seventh overall.

“[This] is something we wouldn’t have dreamt of,” Fritz told Sportscar365.

“Especially not with the Pro-Am car, I have to say.

“Winning the class in Pro-Am, we couldn’t have asked for more and it’s the first win in a major race for the Mustang in Europe and we’re proud to be part of it.”

HRT Ford Performance’s Pro-Am success marks the second time this year that the Blue Oval has triumphed in a 24-hour race after Ford Multimatic Motorsports won the GTD Pro category at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.

However, Fritz did add that the result felt somewhat “bittersweet” after HRT’s two other cars failed to reach the finish line in a grueling race.

The No. 64 car dropped out of the race after Nordschleife veteran Frank Stippler crashed at Schwedenkreuz overnight, while the No. 63 machine of Patrick Assenheimer, Hubert Haupt, Vincent Kolb and Dirk Mueller fell victim to engine problems.

“There were so many endless hours in this project and tired mechanics and in the end the effort paid off, but we lost two cars in the night,” said Fritz.

“One with a technical defect, one with an accident and also on the No. 65 car we struggled in the end because we had some issues so I only can say thanks to the mechanics, to the drivers, to bring it home.”

HRT and Ford are currently working through an intensive double header with the N24 and the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa back-to-back, running five cars across the two races.

Fritz hailed the significance of the N24 result in the context of that demanding schedule, noting that it serves as a great morale boost during a busy period.

“It’s a mega step, and it’s also great for the motivation of the whole crew,” said Fritz.

“We are going to Spa in [a few] days, so yeah, it’s insane.”