Strakka to run Mercedes factory duo Buhk, Gotz in Blancpain Endurance
Mercedes factory drivers Maximilian Buhk and Maximilian Gotz will contest this year's Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup with the Strakka Racing squad
Buhk and Gotz will be joined by Alvaro Parente, who raced a Strakka McLaren in last year's BGTS Sprint Cup, in four of the five enduros in the British team's pro class Mercedes-AMG GT3.
The trio have already teamed up for Strakka in the Bathurst 12 Hours in February, the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge for which the team is the Mercedes factory representative.
Former British Formula 3 champion Parente will miss the Silverstone round in May courtesy of a clashing commitment with the K-PAX/Flying Lizards Bentley team in the Pirelli World Challenge in North America.
He will be replaced by David Fumanelli, another veteran of Strakka's 2017 BGTS campaign with McLaren, for the British Endurance Cup race.
Fumanelli will also race Strakka's pro-am class entry at the Spa 24 Hours BGTS round in July.
The Italian will share with regular drivers Lewis Williamson, Chris Buncombe and team owner Nick Leventis.
Strakka director Jay Davenport said: "We are delighted to have secured such a formidable line-up of talented and successful drivers for Strakka's debut year with the Mercedes-AMG GT3s.
"I think we've got all the ingredients for a successful season in both the BGTS and IGTC."
Ratel insists shrunken Blancpain Sprint series not in danger
New Audi DTM driver Frijns to keep WRT Blancpain GT drives in 2018
How to get the best out of amateur racers
Pro-Am GT racing is booming. But how should drivers approach working with an amateur? Autosport sought out a panel of experts to explain the pitfalls amateur drivers should avoid and how professionals can help them to achieve their goals
The remarkable career of a 'classy' champion who rejected politics
Over two decades as a factory driver with Audi and BMW, Martin Tomczyk earned the respect of team-mates and rivals as a hard but fair racer. After calling time on his racing career, the 2011 DTM champion sat down with Autosport to look back
The ex-IndyCar racer in "uncharted territory" of British GT team ownership
This weekend’s British GT finale will be a tense title showdown for some but, for those not in the championship fight, it’s a chance to end a challenging year on a high. In the latter camp is Paddock Motorsport's team owner Martin Plowman, whose 2021 season has been a rollercoaster ride of non-stop learning
The unpopular BMW stalwart built for the big occasion
It has won most of the big prizes in endurance racing across its six years in service, but the BMW M6 GT3's key weaknesses meant only a devoted few teams persisted with running it. As it prepares to bow out at season's end, the teams and drivers involved in its story share the secrets of an unpopular winner
The unwanted GT car that changed sportscar racing forever
Had FIA GT boss Stephane Ratel had his way, the Maserati MC12 would never have been allowed to set foot in his series. It duly proved the class of the field that most had expected, but the Balance of Performance that its superiority spawned would keep GT1 battles tight and bring long-term benefits that sportscar racing enjoys today
Why Britain's greatest sportscar was eclipsed on the world stage
The E-Type may be the most famous of all road-going Jaguars, but that didn't always translate into success on the track. After winning on its competition debut in 1961, motorsport success seemed an inevitability, but things didn’t turn out to be quite that straightforward
Why the Jaguar E-type remains special at 60
It’s 60 years since the Jaguar E-type arrived and caused a sensation. As our resident racer Ben Anderson discovered when he got behind the wheel of two special racing versions at Brands Hatch, the thrill of driving them hasn't diminished over time
The rise of a GT squad responsible for a unique 24-hour racing feat
It's a significant achievement to win one 24-hour race in a year, let alone two, and with different manufacturers, but that's exactly what ROWE Racing did in 2020 at the Nurburgring and Spa. This weekend's German classic offers the DTM newcomer a chance of another unique double to add to its growing collection of accolades