Maximilian Buhk to compete in Mercedes-AMG GT3 with new team-mate

Maximilian Buhk to compete in Mercedes-AMG GT3 with new team-mate

Ready for title defense at Blancpain GT Series openerin Misano

The long-awaited Blancpain GT Series will start into the new 2017 season this coming weekend. Following a number of successful tests over the winter months, the Hamburg-based driver and 2016 Blancpain GT Champion Maximilian Buhk is heading for his title defense. The 24-year-old is aiming to set the first milestone together with his new team-mate, 33-year-old Frenchman Franck Perera and the Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.

Buhk already celebrated his race debut for this season last Saturday. At the first round of the VLN championship, he collected important test mileage as preparation for the 24h race at Nürburgring, which will take place in May. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 completed one lap after another without any issues and was running reliably during the four-hour race.

The AMG-driver attacked right from the beginning in last year’s season opener of the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup at the 4.2-km-long track located close to Rimini, by taking a second place in the Sprint race. Buhk is looking to achieve a similar strong result with the #84 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the highly competitive PRO-category.

“The gap between all competitors has shrunk during the winter”, says Buhk. “You could see the strengths of the others during the test days and whilst it was already a hard fight for the front positions last year, it will be even tougher this year.”

“There are 34 competitors in the race and there will be a lot of traffic on track, making it extra important to get a perfect lap in qualifying to secure a strong lap time. I am very excited ahead of the first race and look forward to start with my new team-mate Franck Perera.”

The first free practice session will go ahead on Friday. Qualifying will take place Saturday afternoon with the qualification race being held in total darkness just before 9pm on Saturday. The main race will start on Sunday at 12:30pm

NEXT RACE
01 / 02 April 2017 Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup - Misano (Italy)
the N°36 line-up – due to the championship regulations not permitting three ‘Gold’ status drivers in the same car – but Matt is a great addition to the team. I’ve raced against him in both WEC and FIA European F3, and I’m sure that with Nico, the three of us will form a really strong partnership.

“I get on extremely well with the Signatech-Alpine Matmut engineers and mechanics, too, and now that I have experience of all the circuits on the calendar – which was far from the case last year – I can focus purely on getting the maximum out of myself and the team and helping to develop the Alpine A470.

“Having a season under my belt will make a huge difference in that respect – for me, 2016 marked a massive shift from sprint racing and I had to get used to managing tyre wear and fuel consumption over long stints. That was a challenge that I really enjoyed but moving forward, there won’t be any more time wasted adapting to new situations – and that’s vital, because in a series as fiercely-contested as WEC, there is frankly no time to waste.

“I’m under no illusions that this will be the most critical season of my career to-date, and we will have to work tremendously hard to replicate last year’s outcome because the level in LMP2 has stepped up another gear over the winter and I genuinely believe the championship will be more competitive than ever. That said, I know what this team is capable of and that fills me with a lot of confidence. I think we have as potent a driver line-up and overall package as anybody else on the grid, and I can’t wait to get going.

“I approached last season quite humbly as a rookie, and I intend to adopt exactly the same approach as a sophomore in 2017 because I recognise that I still have plenty to learn. It goes without saying that the dream and the goal is to win both Le Mans and the world championship again. We are well aware of how tough that will be and to successfully defend even one of them would be fantastic, but the trouble is, having done the double last year, we know it’s attainable now...”

 


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