There is a long motorsport tradition at the Brands Hatch Circuit in the county of Kent just outside London, as the first racing events were held there on a grass track back in 1926. The current race track was opened in 1950. Almost 100 years after the first events, the British circuit will host the season opener of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup. The track is popular with drivers and fans alike and is characterised in particular by its ultra-fast sections in the forest. As run-off areas are scarce there, mistakes can be severely penalised.

Rutronik Racing will be on the grid with two Porsche 911 GT3 R. Sven Müller and Patric Niederhauser will line up in the Pro class for the team from Remchingen. Eshan Pieris from Sri Lanka and Loek Hartog from the Netherlands will compete in the Silver Cup for the team led by former racing driver Klaus Graf.

After a strong start to the season in the Endurance Cup at Le Castellet, where the team finished second in the overall standings, the Porsche team wants to take its good form to the traditional British circuit. However, due to local restrictions, practice time and the race weekend have been shortened, meaning that the teams and drivers have less time to adapt to the difficult track. The first practice sessions only take place on Saturday, which are also shortened compared to normal Sprint Cup events.

Another special feature is that the two one-hour sprint races will be held on Sunday. There are less than four hours between the end of the first race and the start of the second! It is therefore important that the cars do not suffer any major damage in the first race, as there is not much time for major repairs.

The two races start on Sunday at 12:00 and 16:45 German time. Both races can be followed on the official live stream of the racing series on YouTube. The SRO offers broadcasts in several languages, including German and English. Qualifying will take place on Saturday at 17:35 and, like the two practice sessions, can also be watched on the stream. Both races can also be followed live on SKY Sport F1.

Klaus Graf, Team Principal Rutronik Racing: ‘The sprint races on the very demanding circuit at Brands Hatch offer a special atmosphere for Rutronik Racing. The fans in England have a close connection to motorsport and we are looking forward to this together with Rutronik's guests. In sporting terms, we want to build on the start of the season and be right at the front with the #96. Due to the limited practice times, it will certainly not be easy for our car in the Silver Cup with Eshan and Loek to get into the rhythm quickly. The aim for the #97 is therefore to finish in the points in both races.’

Sven Müller, driver Porsche 911 GT3 R #96: ‘The first sprint weekend of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS is coming up and I'm really looking forward to it! Brands Hatch suited me very well last year and it worked out well there. It's a mega track and the local fans are also very cool. It's going to be a cool event! We obviously want to build on our good result from the first race weekend in Le Castellet. Over the winter, we have made an extreme leap in terms of vehicle development, driveability, team organisation and team development. We should therefore achieve a good result. However, we have to work hard as there is not much driving time. So everything has to be well coordinated and fine-tuned, but I'm sure we'll manage that and achieve a top result!’

Loek Hartog, driver Porsche 911 GT3 R #97: ‘I'm really looking forward to the start of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup season! I've had a great start to the season with some successful endurance races, so I'm ready for the challenge. I am confident about the package that we have put together with Rutronik Racing and Eshan.’