AR: “It was always on our list to do more endurance racing because we’d been doing sprint racing for so long. We wanted to try something different, something where we could [create] more team spirit and work together with other drivers. 

“Since the beginning we’ve driven with Daniel and Ralf in the 24H SERIES. That’s a really long time and a long relationship, and we’re very happy with that. Hopefully we can do it for more years together.”

AR: “At that time, we didn’t know, exactly, what was possible, and to win it was definitely a great start for us. After that, we won a lot of races, with the Porsche…”

AR: “I think in the end, you need to have a lot of good luck: if you’re struggling at the beginning of a race, maybe with a Code 60 that comes out at the wrong time, that can give you a really bad rhythm for the rest of the race. You can lose one or two laps easily, especially in Dubai, where there is always a lot of good cars and it’s really hard to come back. But if you have two or three Code 60s early on, and you make the most of them, that really sets you up for a good race.”

AR: “I mean, for sure, we take a lot of care preparing the car, and we’ve all worked together for a long time. And it’s important to you have your strategy beforehand about what you do during the race. But you need to speak with your drivers too, because the engineers are good but they cannot see everything on the monitors. They may not know what’s happening when the yellow flags come out. As a driver, you can ‘feel’ if a Code 60 will come out or not. And this is just down to experience. We’ve been doing this for a long time.”

AR: “We are big friends. Really big friends, and they’ve been with us since we started in the 24H SERIES. We’ve done it together. There was just one moment last year when Daniel was not sure if he would stay with us anymore after his big accident. It was just one moment when he was thinking about retiring, but his wife told him he should carry on. And in the end, he decided he would. And, for sure this was good for us, because we spend a lot of time together outside of racing. I think it’s special. It’s a good partnership.”

Notable results (2015 and 2016)

2015

-   First series start and win

-   12H MUGELLO – 1st (with Herberth Motorsport)

2016

-   3 wins (Zandvoort / Paul Ricard / Barcelona)

AR: “This was a pretty cool weekend! We didn’t actually know Brendon before that weekend, but he was really easy to work with. There have been many drivers in the years after, thinking maybe they were more professional or they knew everything.” – Pro that he is, Alfred doesn’t name names. – “But with Brendon, it was just a case of getting in the car and driving fast.

“That was actually his first time in a GT car. Ever! When Porsche ended its LMP1 program, Brendon wasn’t sure where he would go. He thought maybe he needed to go to GT racing, so Dubai was a pretty good experience for Brendon too. The funny thing is, one or two months after Dubai, he got his contract with Toro Rosso in Formula 1.”

AR:[Laughs] “I’m not sure about that! But for him it was important to get that experience in a GT car, because at that point, it really looked like he was going to be racing an RSR. But everything turned around great!”

AR: “It was nice to have it, but honestly, during the season, we were always thinking about this race, or the next one. Because they’re such long distance, so many things can happen in 12 or 24 hours, so we never really look at the championship. For sure it’s very cool to win it, but for us, the focus is always on the races themselves and doing our best in them.”

Notable results (2017 and 2018)

2017

–   Overall GT Drivers’ champions – Continents

-   4 wins (Dubai / Red Bull Ring / Paul Ricard / COTA)

2018

-   2 overall wins (Imola / Barcelona) and 1 overall podium (COTA)

AR: “The Ferrari, actually, is not that big a difference. I also raced an Audi a couple of times, and the funny thing is, that was a bigger step from the Porsche rather than from the Porsche and the Ferrari. For me, it’s really similar the way you drive the car, even if one car is turbocharged and the other is not! But in the end, the feeling for both cars are quite similar.”

AR: “Oh for sure. I mean, every year has been special… or maybe, most years have been special!” – Yes, we will be coming back to that! – “We’ve competed with a lot of different guys: in the beginning it was mostly the Ram [Racing] Mercedes and Black Falcon, and after that, it was the Scuderia Praha Ferrari for a long time. And it’s been nice, for two years now I think, racing against the Phoenix Racing Audi. That’s what makes this series interesting. Even if you are 2nd, you’ve still worked hard to be on the podium at a 12 or 24-hour race against some really tough teams. So, for sure, 2019 was a good year for us.

“To be honest, every race starts at zero. And I think we have a strong enough line-up that we can fight for the win at every race. And this is what makes it nice for us, knowing, quite early on, whether a weekend will be good, or not so good, for us. Even this race [in Abu Dhabi], we can fight for victory with our ‘sister’ car.”

*After its runner-up spot in Dubai, Herberth Motorsport finished an incredibly close 2023 Hankook 6H ABU DHABI just 10 seconds behind its ‘sister’ Pure Rxcing Porsche, securing GT3 honours in CREVENTIC’s Middle East Trophy in the process. 

Notable results (2019)

-       5 A6-Pro / A6-Am podiums (Dubai / Mugello / Spa / Portimão / COTA) 

-       2 overall podiums (Mugello / COTA)

AR: “That’s usually how we go into each race weekend. During the Covid times, for sure, things felt very different in the paddock, but all our drivers and engineers, mechanics, etc, were so happy to be back to ‘normal’ life – I mean, it wasn’t normal… – and being able to focus on racing and not on what was happening in the world. That was the main reason the guys wanted to be back. So, in a lot of ways, it was a big relief.”

AR: “Well, for us, it’s a good race because we’ve won it three times! But we’ve also had races there where it was really not good. 2015, our first year at Barcelona, was a nightmare with three broken gearboxes and a broken seat. One of our mechanics broke his leg when he fell off the pitwall too. So, for sure, Barcelona has been one of our good tracks, but when we have a bad year there, it’s been really bad!”

AR: “It’s stranger than you think! Daniel, for example, had two moments at Arabiata when the engine went off and wouldn’t start again. Same corner. Same stint. One year after the other! And this was with different cars!”

AR:[Laughs] “No. But we will for sure put someone else in for the second stint!”

Notable results (2020 and 2021)

2020

–   GT3-Pro Drivers’ champion – Continents 

-   1 overall win (Monza) and 1 overall podium (Portimão)

2021

–   GT3-AM Drivers’ champion

-   4 overall wins (Mugello / Paul Ricard / Barcelona / Hungary) 

-   1 overall podium (Sebring)