April 19, 2023

Frank Bird To Debut New Mercedes At Nurburgring

Cumbrian racing driver Frank Bird and his German-based Haupt Racing Team will be in action this weekend when they contest the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers in the new Mercedes-AMG GT2.

In preparation for the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Race Nürburgring later in the year, and following an intensive development phase covering many test kilometres, HRT will bring the new car to the grid which boasts a power output of over 700bhp.

The event will see the #46 Mercedes-AMG GT2 contest the two qualifying races, over two and four hours respectively, in the SPX class under the Mercedes-AMG Team HRT entry. Penrith-born Frank Bird, German teammates Elia Erhart and Jörg Viebahn along with Mercedes-AMG test and development driver Thomas Jäger also from Germany will share the wheel for the Mercedes-AMG GT2's first official appearance on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
 
After the qualifying races, preparations for the HRT Mercedes-AMG GT2's next endurance test will begin as from 18/21 May, the GT2 team will also compete in the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h race at the Nürburgring..
 
Frank Bird, #46 Mercedes-AMG Team HRT: “I am super excited for this brand-new project with the GT2 machine. I have no expectations but it has huge potential so I’m just looking to gain as much valuable mileage and data for the car as I can. I’m really looking forward to seeing what it’s like round the challenging Nordschleife circuit. Thanks to AMG and HRT for this opportunity and to my own sponsors, and especially my dad Paul, for their support again this season.”
 
Ulrich Fritz, Chief Executing Officer Haupt Racing Team: "We are delighted with the trust placed in us by Mercedes-AMG to validate the final development of the new Mercedes-AMG GT2 together with the Haupt Racing Team at these important races on the world's most demanding racetrack at the Nürburgring. The whole team is highly motivated and looking forward to working with the drivers and the Mercedes-AMG development team at the two upcoming races."
 
Images: The Haupt Racing Team livery of Frank Bird’s Mercedes-AMG GT2 for the ADAC 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers

HAGER PBM DUCATI FIRED UP AHEAD OF OULTON PARK SEASON OPENER

May 1, 2025
HAGER PBM Ducati and rider Glenn Irwin are all set and ready for the start of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike season, as the championship roars into action this weekend at Oulton Park. The team will head to its local circuit in Cheshire for the May Bank Holiday weekend, keen to get a strong start to its 2025 campaign and looking to emulate its success from two visits there last year, when Irwin celebrated four victories from six race starts. The opening round follows a solid pre-season testing programme for the team, with Irwin topping the timesheets in two of the three R&G Official tests. Over the three events, the squad worked through a busy schedule, testing a host of new components for its Ducati Panigale V4R and while not specifically chasing lap times, were never far from the top the board. Now, as they prepare for the first round at one of their strongest tracks, the team and Irwin are feeling quietly confident they can hit the ground running and emerge from Oulton Park on Bank Holiday Monday with a strong haul of points to get their championship off to a flying start. Glenn Irwin: “It’s fantastic to be finally going into the opening round at Oulton Park – it’s almost seven months since the last season ended so it’s been a long wait. But now it’s time to go and put everything we’ve done, everything we’ve learnt over the off-season into practice. “We’ve had a great testing programme, there’s a new addition on my side with my rider spotter which has been a nice refresh and I’ve also made some small adjustments to my own riding style. “The team has brought some new items this year which have been nice, not performance parts but parts which can equate to performance…it’s not as simple as an extra 10 bhp or anything like that, but it’s nice to go racing with something new. “I can’t wait for the weekend and to get going. My motivation is high, so let’s go and kick-off the year with the best possible points haul for the Hager PBM Ducati team.” Frank Bird Jnr, Team Co-owner: “It’s finally time to get going. A lot of hard work has been put in over this winter, the team has had three solid tests so we should be right in the mix from the word go – that’s the plan, anyway. “It’s felt like a long wait so it’s mega that the first round is finally here. I’d like to thank all our sponsors for helping us get here and we’re all hoping we can put on a good show and bring back some trophies. “It’s fantastic to be starting the season at Oulton Park, particularly on a Bank Holiday weekend. A lot of our sponsors are north-based, it’s also our local round as a family too, so it’s obviously an important one for us. Here’s to a strong weekend and kicking-off the season with three great race results.” The 2025 Bennetts British Superbike action opens with free practice on Saturday, May 3 followed by Qualifying and Race One on Sunday, May 4. The weekend will draw to a close following two further races on Bank Holiday Monday, May 5.

IRWIN AND HAGER PBM DUCATI WRAP-UP SUCCESSFUL TESTING PROGRAMME

April 24, 2025
THE Hager PBM Ducati team and rider Glenn Irwin have completed another successful R&G Official test at Oulton Park, with the opening round of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike Championship now just over a week away. Irwin and the team have spent the last two days at the Cheshire track, grabbing as much track time as possible in the final days on track before the season begins. After ending last weekend’s Donington Park test on top, the team was keen to continue to push in the final two days, working through a busy schedule and trying a host of new components and ideas. Irwin ended the test second quickest overall after clocking the best lap of Thursday afternoon’s final session, banking a 1min 33.313s lap on his last run. He leaves feeling confident about next weekend’s opening round and can’t wait to get back out. Glenn Irwin: “That’s us finished pre-season testing and I’m feeling good. We’ve been working, working, working and the bike felt better today but we still have a bit of work to do. “It’s been really, really enjoyable, we’ve tried a number of different things and I think now we’re finding a bit of a balance. Today we unlocked something in that middle session, I did a good few 33s in that run so I think we’re strong. “It’s definitely been very productive. We haven’t gone for lap times, we’ve been focussed on getting the bike right and when that happens, the lap times come. That’s what we’re starting to see and I think we’re in a good place to come back next week and start the season.” Frank Bird Jnr, Team Co-owner: “It’s a mega way to finish, this puts us in really good stead for the season and we’ve got a lot of boxes ticked off with the bike. All the boys are working well, we’ve got everyone back into the swing of things and Glenn seems to be riding well, so we’re in a good window for the first round. “It’s been a long winter but all the hard work seems to be paying off and we’re right in the mix. It means we can come here for Round One and we’re in a great place to start from.” The opening round of the 2025 Bennetts British Superbike Championship roars into action at Oulton Park over the May Bank Holiday weekend, May 3-5.
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