Bernd Schneider to contest full Blancpain GT Sprint season
Touring car legend Bernd Schneider will contest a full championship for the first time since retiring from the DTM in 2008 in this year's Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup
The 51-year-old driver, who claimed the DTM title on five occasions with Mercedes, will drive in the five BGTS Sprint Cup races for the HTP Motorsport Mercedes squad alongside team regular Jules Szymkowiak.
Schneider remains on the books of Mercedes as a member of its pool of GT drivers and an ambassador.
"I already did a lot of races last year and should do a similar number this season," he told Autosport.
"The difference is that I will be doing a full championship, and I'm looking forward to that."
Schneider has been paired with Szymkowiak in one of three Mercedes-AMG GT3 to help the 20-year-old Dutchman develop in his second year of GT racing.
HTP team boss Norbert Bruckner said: "We felt this is a good way for Jules to learn; he couldn't have a better team-mate and a nicer guy to race with."
Schneider is not part of HTP's two-car line-up for the BGTS Endurance Cup, but the team has not ruled out trying to put together a deal for an additional entry for the German to drive in the Spa 24 Hours in July.
The other two HTP Mercedes will be raced in the Sprint Cup by team regular Maximilian Buhk and Dominik Baumann, and Clemens Schmid and single-seater convert Jazeman Jafaar, who is joining the team for a full season after finishing fifth on a one-off in the Spa 24 Hours in 2014.
Bruckner described the line-up as "the best HTP has ever had".
"This is going to be a tough championship in 2016, but we feel good about our chances," he said.
A total of 40 cars have been entered for the season opener at Misano on April 9/10.
This is up from the 38 cars announced on the launch of the BGTS at Paul Ricard earlier this month, courtesy of of the addition of one pro-am class Audi R8 LMS from Czech team ISR and one amateur class entry from the X-Bionic Racing Team Lamborghini squad.
Franck Perera and former GP2 racer Marlon Stockinger will share the additional ISR car.
The McLaren Garage 59 squad has still to confirm the drivers for its second 650 GT3.
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