After two years of competing with the Lamborghini Huracán GT3, HB Racing switches to the Ferrari 488 GT3 for the 2018 ADAC GT Masters season. The change of brand by the team from Neumarkt (Austria) means the comeback of Ferrari in the German “League of super sport-cars”, where no Ferrari-cars have started since 2012. The team will announce its drivers later but promises at least one powerful duo of professional drivers.
“After the season final we started a detailed analysis of our two debut years in the ADAC GT Masters. Especially the 2017 season was characterized by many incidents and reliability problems, which were not caused by our team,” Dietmar Hirsch and Andreas Fuchs from HB Racing explain. “Therefore, we decided to make a fresh start with a new manufacturer. Ferrari and Michelotto gave us a very warm welcome and we quickly completed a promising package.”
Technical cooperation with Rinaldi Racing – Powerful driver pairing planned
To be competitive from the start of the season on, HB Racing started a technical partnership with Rinaldi Racing. “Michele Rinaldi and his team are racing with the Ferrari 488 GT3 since its commercial launch around three years ago and will support us in the upcoming season. Their experience makes the switch a lot easier,” team principal Dietmar Hirsch explains the background of the cooperation with the team from Mendig (Germany).
The drivers shall contribute their part to a successful year as well. “Currently we are in final contract negotiations with drivers for our first car and will announce their names shortly,“ team manager Andreas Fuchs explains. “Right now, I can reveal that both will be experienced professionals. A second car is a further option as well as a participation in the Blancpain Endurance Cup.”
The Ferrari-programme was made possible because the team’s most important partners decided to continue to support HB Racing. “I would like to thank our sponsors and employees,” Andreas Fuchs emphasizes. “All of them agree with our interpretation of the last season and continue to see our potential despite the challenges.”
When talking about the strengths of the Ferrari 488 GT3, Dietmar Hirsch points out the aerodynamics: “In that area the car is not only the optical benchmark of the GT3-class.” Just in time with HB Racing’s commitment, Ferrari developed an update-package for the 2018 season, which includes small changes in the bodywork and the turbocharged 3.9-litre V8-engine and should improve drivability and reliability further.
