December 19, 2025 | News | GT Winter Series
The team from Drees, Germany will be making numerous GT Winter Series appearances, adding the spectacle of the 5.4-litre naturally-aspirated V8 to the grid. In preparation for the team’s ADAC GT Masters campaign, Alain Valente, Kiano Blum, Emil Gjerdrum and Max Cuccarese will share driving duties for Portimão.
Alain Valente returns to HRT in 2026, having previously driven a Mercedes from the team to vice-champion status in the 2023 ADAC GT Masters. The 29-year-old Swiss will use a wealth of experience across multiple GT3 platforms to quickly find the best from the Mustang. He will share a car with Max Cuccarese, who joins the Haupt fold after forging a unique path in motorsport so far, having spent the previous two years racing Formula 2 machinery in BOSS GP. Moving into GTs marks a significant change for Cuccarese, who aims to learn an entirely new discipline of racing while fighting for GT Winter Series results.
Kiano Blum will make his first race appearances in a GT3 car during the GT Winter Series. The 18-year-old Austrian graduated from karting into Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland at the start of 2024, and now makes the step up to premier-spec GT machinery. In what will be his first races in any front-engined machine, the Winter Series will prove to be a valuable experience.
Alongside Blum at Portimão will be Emil Gjerdrum. The 2024 GT4 Winter Series PRO-AM champion spent the 2025 season in ADAC GT Masters, and returns to the GEDLICH Racing paddock for his first taste of wheel-to-wheel action in the thunderous Ford.
Haupt Racing Team’s return to the grid marks the GT Winter Series debut of the Mustang GT3, as well as the iconic Ford blue oval itself. 2025 saw HRT secure the ADAC GT Masters overall teams and drivers’ titles, as well as the Silver Cup classification. Additional successes included an SP9 PRO-AM victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours and an overall NLS victory. As the Ford Mustang continues to hit its stride in GT3 trim, fans can expect to see HRT running at the front during the 2026 GT Winter Series.
The fans trackside will be in for an auditory treat from the Ford Coyote V8, while those at home will see all of the action live on the Winter Series YouTube channel. The 2026 GEDLICH Racing Winter Series calendar begins from 15-18 January at Portimão.
15 JAN – 18 JAN PORTIMAO /P
22 JAN – 25 JAN ESTORIL /P
12 FEB – 15 FEB VALENCIA /E
5 MAR – 8 MAR ARAGÓN /E
12 MAR – 15 MAR BARCELONA /E
