All good things come in threes. For the Grasser Racing Team, this old adage is the order of the day as the Lamborghini Squadra Corse supported team from Austria are adding a third top-class GT3 series to their high-caliber program for the 2023 season. In addition to their commitments in the DTM and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, GRT will also enter the new Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 in the ADAC GT Masters. The talented Chilean youngster Benjamin Hites and Lamborghini factory driver Marco Mapelli from Italy will get behind the wheel of the team’s number 63 entry.
GRT looks back on a long history in the ADAC GT Masters. For the squad of team principal Gottfried Grasser, it is above all a return to the scene of past victories. In seven seasons with the Lamborghini Huracán GT3, the outfit scored a total of 12 wins, 19 podiums, 16 pole positions and 21 fastest laps. The last time GRT competed in the super sports car league was in 2021, when they stayed in contention for the championship until the final round. In the team standings, they ultimately fell just six points short of winning the title.
With Benjamin Hites and Marco Mapelli, Grasser Racing is relying on a strong driver duo for their comeback. The 24-year-old Chilean is competing in the ADAC GT Masters for the first time, but can already look back on extensive experience in GT3 racing. Three years ago, after successes in North America, his career took off on the European continent. In the Italian GT Championship as well as in the International GT Open he already celebrated victories as well as a title behind the wheel of the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO. This season he also competes for GRT in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.
Lamborghini factory driver Marco Mapelli is an old acquaintance. The 35-year-old has been part of the Italian manufacturer’s line-up since 2016 and has raced for GRT several times in the past, including in the ADAC GT Masters. There he scored two victories for the team, most recently at Hockenheim in 2021 alongside Lamborghini factory driver Mirko Bortolotti. The Italian was also successful on the international stage. In 2020, he finished second with Grasser Racing in the GTD class at the legendary 24 Hours of Daytona.
The calendar of the ADAC GT Masters 2023 includes six stops. Four events will be held in conjunction with the DTM, which has also been run under the auspices of the ADAC since this year. The season kicks off with the Festival of Dreams at the Hockenheimring from June 9 to 11. The big highlight of the year already awaits at the following event. At the beginning of July, the series will make a guest appearance at the iconic Norisring, returning to the street circuit in Nuremberg for the first time in 15 years. For Grasser Racing, the home race at the Red Bull Ring at the end of September is the personal highlight. This year’s ADAC GT Masters race weekend once again includes two rounds over a distance of 60 minutes each. All races can be seen live on TV on SPORT1. In addition, the sports channel also offers a livestream online.
Benjamin Hites: “I’m very happy to be competing in another series with GRT this year. Ever since I started racing in Europe, I had the goal of competing in the ADAC GT Masters one day. It is one of the most prestigious GT3 racing series in the world and the sprint format is very attractive. The championship is highly professional and the level of teams and drivers is extremely high. I’m very much looking forward to this new challenge. It’s going to be exciting and we’ll give everything to achieve strong results.”
Marco Mapelli: “I’m really looking forward to the season with GRT and working with Benjamin. Gottfried and the team did a mega job with the new Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 over the winter. We saw at the opening round of the GT World Challenge in Monza how well prepared the team was. The cars were very fast there, which makes me confident. I think we have a good package to fight at the front in the ADAC GT Masters.”
Gottfried Grasser, Team Principal of GRT: “Returning to the ADAC GT Masters means a lot to us. We took our first steps in GT racing here as a team and have been through all the ups and downs. After focusing fully on the DTM last year, we’re delighted to be back in three of the world’s best GT3 series. As the organizer of the DTM and the ADAC GT Masters, positive synergies have been created by the ADAC, which make it very efficient to be involved in both series. In order to ensure maximum performance in both championships, an additional crew will be assigned for our involvement in the ADAC GT Masters. Our line-up offers the perfect combination of youth and experience. Benjamin was very fast in the past years with the Lamborghini and showed his enormous potential also during the pre-season with us. With Marco, he has an experienced professional at his side. I’m sure that the two of them will be a force to be reckoned with this season.”
Source. GRT Grasser Racing/Photo. Axel Weichert
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