DTM star Gary Paffett poised to make GT debut in Spa 24 Hours
DTM star and Williams Formula 1 simulator driver Gary Paffett is set to make his sportscar debut in the Spa 24 Hours next month
The 35-year-old Briton, DTM champion in 2005, is looking certain to race an additional Mercedes-AMG GT3 fielded by the factory-supported HTP Motorsport squad in the blue-riband round of the Blancpain GT Series on July 30-31.
No confirmation of the move has been forthcoming from Mercedes or HTP, but Autosport has learned that Paffett is being lined up to share the car with fellow DTM racer and 2013 Spa winner Maximilian Gotz and marque stalwart Thomas Jager.
Paffett was also unable to confirm the Spa drive, but spoke openly to Autosport about his interest in taking part in some sportscar races.
"The new management of the DTM programme is much more open to us doing some GT racing and we were asked if we interested," Paffett said.
"A couple of us did an endurance test with the new GT3 at the Algarve circuit last year and I enjoyed my first taste of the car and endurance running.
"After that, I said, 'let's do some races'; the DTM is only nine race weekends, so there's time to do other things."
Paffett admitted that the Spa 24 Hours is on his radar.
"Spa is one of the highlights of the GT calendar and is obviously one I want to do," he stated.
He also stressed that the DTM will remain his "100% focus for the future".
Confirmation of the drivers in the extra HTP entry is likely to come ahead of the official launch and pre-race test day for the 24 Hours next week.
The additional entry for the German team, entered under the AMG - HTP Motorsport banner like the lead BGTS car driven by Maximilian Buhk, Jazeman Jaafar and Dominik Baumann, raced for the first time in last weekend's Paul Ricard 1000km.
Jager led a line-up completed by Jules Szymkowiak and Christian Hohenadel.
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