Aidan Read will make the important step into top line European competition in 2019 when he joins Schuetz Motorsport for an assault on the ADAC GT Masters championship, widely considered to be the most competitive GT racing series in the world.
The young Australian driver will race a Mercedes AMG GT3 alongside teammate Marvin Dienst, a highly regarded young German driver who already has the ADAC German F4 title under his belt. He will also be reunited with team owner Christian Schuetz, who having engineered Aidan in the Blancpain GT Series Asia least season, was keen to secure his services in his own team for the European transition.
After two seasons racing in the Blancpain Asia championship in GT3 machinery, Aidan decided now was the time to progress onto a bigger platform and challenge in an arena where most of the GT3 manufacturers field full factory line-ups, with the top names in GT racing as competitors.
Aidan and Marvin will be looking for overall results but at just 20 and 23 years old respectively they will be hoping to be strong competitors in the ADAC GT junior trophy which forms part of the ADAC GT Masters classification.
The ADAC GT Masters Championship is largely contested in Germany on tracks such as Hockenheim and Nurburgring but also has forays away from Germany with races at Most in the Czech Republic, the famous Zandvoort Circuit in Holland and the F1 venue of the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
As well as the seven-round (14 races) ADAC GT Masters championship, Aidan will also compete alongside Marvin in selected DMV GTC championship races to get better acquainted with some of the circuits.
Aidan will take part in the pre-season test at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, which will host the opening round of the Championship on 27-28 April 2019.
“This season presents a great opportunity to challenge in a fiercely competitive European GT3 field,” Aidan said. “I am confident that Schuetz Motorsport will have a strong package to contend overall and in the Junior Trophy class.
“The AMG GT3 has had great success worldwide in GT3,” he continued. “I have a strong relationship with Christian Schuetz from 2018 and we work together very well. His team Schuetz Motorsport has a history of competing at the top of the table in ADAC GT Masters. My teammate Marvin Dienst has proven to be fast and experienced in ADAC and GT3, so I am excited to push really hard with him to perform at our best.
“I will be learning a new car, new tracks and a new championship this year. This will be a test of my ability to learn and apply myself quickly in different situations. I have confidence in my ability and feel supported by the team.
“We will be up against the factory teams and drivers, which I see as an important benchmark. Our goal is to show our best amongst a classy field of GT3s. I think that a great team environment and strong surprise package is coming together at Schuetz Motorsport.”