Defending ADAC GT Masters champion Haupt Racing Team has confirmed its return to the series for 2026, with a planned entry of three Ford Mustang GT3 Evos.
HRT will again enter the German-based series with the intention of developing young talents, with the first four of its 2026 drivers having been announced.
Kiana Blum, Max Cuccarese, Emil Gjerdrum are all new to the team, whilst Alain Valente returns after two seasons away.
Both Blum and Cuccarese are ADAC GT Masters rookies, having spent the last two years competing in Porsche Carrera Cup Germany and BOSS GP respectively.
18-year-old Gjerdum raced against HRT in ADAC GT Masters this year, finishing on the podium at Zandvoort in a Grasser Racing Team-fielded Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 alongside Jonas Karklys.
Valente, meanwhile, serves as the veteran in the team’s line-up. The 29-year-old finished runner-up in ADAC GT Masters in 2023 alongside Ralf Aron with HRT, and has stayed in the series ever-since with seasons spent at Emil Frey Racing and Land-Motorsport respectively.
In 2025, Haupt Racing Team gave the Mustang GT3 its ADAC GT Masters debut with a three-car effort. The team won three races with the pairing of Salman Owega and Finn Wiebelhaus, and scored four titles: Driver, Team, Silver Cup and, courtesy of Wiebelhaus, ‘Road to DTM’.
Ulrich Fritz, Chief Executive Officer Haupt Racing Team, commented: “Following an extremely successful 2025, we will continue our junior program in the ADAC GT Masters next season. We have once again secured promising talents for the coming season who will be able to develop further in the ADAC GT Masters. We also want to fill our other Ford Mustang GT3 with equally strong and young drivers in order to finish well ahead in the championship once again.”
The 2026 ADAC GT Masters begins at the Red Bull Ring from 24th to 26th April 2026. In preparation for the upcoming season, HRT is set to contest multiple rounds of the GT Winter Series with Blum, Cuccarese, and Valente.
Image courtesy of Haupt Racing Team
