In the second round of the Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France, the Haupt Racing Team (HRT) scored big as Arjun Maini and his team took class victory in the Bronze Cup, which has the largest number of entrees. Maini competed in the GT World Challenge Europe race with a Mercedes-AMG GT3 vehicle, which was also driven by teammates Sebastien Baud and Hubert Haupt. The #79 team secured 19th overall and P2 in the Bronze Cup with their 18 cars. Start driver Hubert Haupt completed a double stint and gained a few positions, before handing over the vehicle to Sebastien Baud in the 14th position - who had appeared for his home race with family support.
The final driver Arjun Maini then took over, leading to Garage 59's late-race withdrawal just a few minutes before the end of the six-hour race. As a consequence, Maini moved up to fourteenth place overall, clinching the first win of the season for the HRT from Drees. As of now, the trio of Arjun Maini, Sebastien Baud, and Hubert Haupt lead the championship with 44 points each.
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Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Race: Here's What Maini Said
"It was a tough race - but everything worked out for us this time. Everyone did a mega job and it's a deserved result for the whole team, which has been trying to win the class since last year. This is the third Podium this year with the team, and we are definitely looking to have good seasons with the Team HRT across the championships", commented Arjun Maini, Driver, Haupt Racing Team.
The 60-minute qualifying session on Saturday (June 3, 2023) is said to lay the strong foundation for the Haupt Racing Team's success at Circuit Paul Ricard. The next race of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe will be hosted by the Crowdstrike 24 hours of Spa in Belgium from June 29 to July 2.
"A great performance led to a 2nd podium and first victory in the FANATEC GT World Challenge Europe season for the number 79 in the Bronze Cup. The plan was always to score as many points as possible in every race and now the team is well poised going into the 24-hour race at Spa later this month", said Sean Paul Breslin, Team Principal, Haupt Racing Team
HRT's Arjun Maini Finishes Third in Bronze Cup Class at Monza GT World Challenge Europe Race
The 2023 season of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe began with a three-hour race at Monza in Italy, with Hubert Haupt driving the vehicle from the fifth position on the grid. He survived safety cars and yellow flags, gaining a few positions before handing it over to Baud. Onboard a Mercedes-AMG GT3, Arjun Maini along with his team made a strong start in this year's championship by finishing third in the Bronze Cup class at Monza.
In addition, the Haupt Racing Team also secured big in 2021 when it won the Drivers' Championship in the most popular touring car racing series in the world, called DTM. Other than that, the team competes in the Nurburgring Endurance Series, the GT World Challenge Europe, and the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring and Spa-Francorchamps.
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