Jazeman Jaafar joins HTP Mercedes for Spa 24 Hours

The Malaysian driver, who is backed by Mercedes Formula 1 sponsor Petronas, has taken the vacant drive in HTP's additional Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG entered for the Blancpain Endurance Series event on July 26/27 after an impressive run at the official test day earlier this month.

Team boss Norbert Bruckner said: "We have had Jazeman for a long time in our mind; it was only natural for us to invite him to the official tests at Spa.

"He convinced our engineers immediately by his enormous base speed and we agreed that Jazeman is a good choice for our team."

Jaafar, who will be making is sportscar debut at Spa, said that he was "looking forward to the great opportunity that is offered to me by HTP".

Dutchman Xavier Maassen, a race winner in the defunct FIA GT1 World Championship, has taken the place of Lucas Wolf alongside Stef Dusseldorp and Sergei Afanasiev in the team's #85 Mercedes.

The line-up of Bernd Schneider, who partnered Buhk and Gotz to victory last year, Harold Primat and Nico Verdonck in the #84 HTP Mercedes remains unchanged.

Audi driver Marc Basseng, who is racing with the WRT in the other four rounds of the BES, has been placed with the Czech ISR team for Spa.

The German will race alongside Filip Salaquarda and Fabian Hamprecht, regulars in the Blancpain Sprint Series and ADAC GT Masters respectively, aboard the BES debutant's Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Touring car and sportscar stalwart Vincent Radermecker has joined WRT's entry in the Gentlemen Trophy class, while European Le Mans Series driver Leo Machitski has been added to the line-up in Team Parker Racing's Audi entered in the same class.

British GT Championship frontrunner Tom Onslow-Cole will race the Aston Martin Racing-run PFG Kinfaun V12 Vantage in a line-up including AMR boss John Gaw.