The Mühlner Motorsport Team, which has been internationally very successful for decades, with its headquarters in the Belgian Ardennes in the immediate vicinity of the Formula 1 Circuit Spa-Francorchamps, has set the course for the new decade and will considerably expand its already extensive activities.
In addition to participating in Cayman Trophy and the Carrera Cup in the Nürburgring Endurance Series and the ADAC 6- and 24-hour races at the Green Hell, as the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring is also respectfully called, Mühlner Motorsport will also compete in other classes this year. For example, a Porsche 911 GT3 (Model 991 Gen2) will race in the SP7 for improved cars up to 4,000ccm, after a sovereign class win in this class at the ADAC 24-hour race 2019. Intensive negotiations are underway with interested drivers regarding the use of additional vehicles in other classes.
“As a motorsport team, we respond to the demands of our customers and check whether a project makes sense primarily from a sporting point of view but of course also from an economic point of view. If this is the case, we are happy to expand our range. Interested drivers can contact us at any time and discuss their ideas with us,” explains Bernhard Mühlner.
In addition to the activities on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, which in 2020 will also include appearances in the Rundstrecken Challenge Nürburgring RCN, Mühlner Motorsport also participates in the Porsche Sports Cup PSC and is also expanding its Clubsport activities with its presence at Track Days, where driver coaching is also offered. The Clubsport department “M-Service” also looks after customer owned race cars.
“Participation in the RCN and the PSC rounds off our range of services at the lower end, so that we can also offer programs to newcomers, e.g. from our Clubsport clientele,” Bernhard Mühlner explains.
Furthermore, Mühlner Motorsport is also planning guest starts in the ADAC GT4 Germany and the SRO GT4 European series. At a guest start in Spa-Francorchamps in 2018, Moritz Kranz was able to drive to the podium. Also in North America, the Muehlner Motorsports America Team, located in Florida in the immediate vicinity of the Daytona International Speedway, has successfully participated in GT4 series of the IMSA and SRO World Challenge since 2016.
Also based on the experience that Mühlner gained in North America, when two Norma M30 LMP3 cars were run very successfully in the IMSA Prototype Challenge in 2019 (3 x pole position / 2 x overall victory / runner-up in the drivers’ championship), Mühlner Motorsport now plans to race with LeMans Prototype cars in Europe, the direct successor of the Norma M30, which is now called Duqueine D08.
“We are in negotiations with interested drivers to participate in the ELMS, the Michelin LeMans Cup and / or the Ultimate Cup with LMP3 vehicles around 2020. After our successes in North America it was a logical step to enter the LMP sector in Europe as well”, Bernhard Mühlner explains the background.
Not only are extensive programs planned for 2020 on both sides of the Atlantic, but the course has already been set for 2021 and beyond: Mühlner is already preparing the re-entry into the Porsche one-make series.
“Our last appearance in the Porsche Supercup so far was the 2014 season finale at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin / Texas. For 2021, Porsche will change models to the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup based on the 992 and this is the ideal time for us to re-enter the Porsche one-make series. Besides our other programs we will enter two new 911s each in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland (PCCD) and in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (PMSC) in 2021. Muehlner Motorsports America will most likely also participate in the new Porsche Carrera Cup organized by IMSA in the USA”, Bernhard Mühlner already gives an insight into the 2021 season and beyond.
Of course Mühlner Motorsport and Muehlner Motorsports America also have their eyes on the still booming GT3 market. From 2004 to 2015, the Mühlner Team was very successful in international GT3 races (4 x GT3 overall victory at the 24 hours of Spa-Francorchamps). In the ADAC GT Masters in 2008 Tim Bergmeister won the drivers’ championship and also the races in the FIA GT3 European Championship, the Grand-Am, IMSA, World Challenge and the FIA GT World Championship, where Mühlner Motorsport won the home race in Zolder, Belgium, in 2012, were very successful.
“Certainly we are watching the GT3 scene in Europe and North America as well as worldwide (SRO Intercontinental Challenge) very closely and would like to participate there again. But it must not only be sportive but also economical. You can only be successful with a sufficient budget and success is of course the highest priority for us as a professional racing team”, Bernhard Mühlner puts on record.
