for 2011 with Mercedes and HEICO Motorsport
2011 marks the beginning of yet another new chapter for Andreas Wirth as he joins HEICO Motorsport to put the all-new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 through its paces, showcasing it to the world. Thrilled to be working with a team steeped in motorsport history and a world-class manufacturer like Mercedes, he looks forward to an amazing season where he'll re-visit many now familiar tracks as he competes for his second full season in the ADAC GT Masters series that begins this coming Easter weekend.
After plenty of pre-season testing and some serious scrutinizing, HEICO Motorsport finally announced late last week the names of the eight talented young men who will pilot their four spectacular Mercedes SLS gullwing AMG GT3s this year. Selecting the right talent is of utmost importance this year as the ADAC GT Masters series sees some of its stiffest competition with a record-setting starting field of more than 40 closely matched machines. 2011 will undoubtedly produce some incredible racing!
Regarding the driver announcement, Wirth provided the following commentary, "I'm thrilled to be working with HEICO Motorsport this year. The team is very impressive in their approach and I appreciate the high level of professionalism.
While I've only just recently been confirmed as a driver with HEICO for the full season, I've already shared some amazing opportunities with the team. In January I was honoured to run for HEICO in the 24h of Dubai where Mercedes chose to showcase the SLS gullwing supercar. It's hard to explain what an amazing opportunity that was for me - it's an amazing machine, the team is awesome and everything was just very cool. My experience so far with HEICO and Mercedes has convinced me that I'm definitely in the right car, running with the right team - I'm very excited for the season to begin!
Since Dubai, we've done a lot of testing and everyone is working really hard together to make sure we're ready for our first event. Last week we did some pretty intense training and set up testing at Hockenheim. We were all pretty tired - but it was great - and I'll do whatever it takes - I'm out for at least a top three in the championship this year. After a solid 2010 season, a great team in HEICO and a great car - I'm confident that my co-driver (Christiaan Frankenhout) and I can make it happen! I know it won't be easy - there are a lot of serious competitors, the classes are tight, and there will be even more cars on track this year ... but I look forward to the competition ... I plan on watching most of it in my rear view mirrors!"
Clearly, Andreas is ready to get down to business as the season kicks off this weekend (April 23 - 25) at Oschersleben. Watch for Andreas in the white and navy #33 HEICO Motorsport Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 entry. The ADAC GT Masters Series will be broadcast live in 2011 on Cable 1 (Kabel1 - .kabeleins.de.kabeleins.de/> ) in Germany, and we will do our best to provide North American fans with updates throughout the race weekends via Facebook and Twitter.
