Aston Martin’s rumoured entry into the DTM in 2019 appears to have moved a step closer, with current Mercedes team HWA setting up a joint venture with AF Racing.
The brand has been linked with a DTM entry in recent months, with the series having tried extensively to court new manufacturers in the wake of Mercedes’ imminent departure.
HWA have run the factory Mercedes program for more than two decades, but are faced with having to look elsewhere to continue in the series from next year, with a Red Bull-backed Aston Martin program on the cards.
Both Germany-based HWA AG and Swiss-based AF Racing AG are equal partners in the new venture, which will be based in Germany. AF Racing’s pedigree has been in GT Racing, where it has run the R-Motorsport team and Aston Martin cars in the Blancpain GT series.
A statement from AF Racing says that “the aim of the joint venture is to establish a strategic innovation partnership for development projects in auto racing and in the automotive sector in general.
“AF Racing AG and HWA AG intend to pool their respective strengths in this new company. AF Racing AG, which is one of a group of companies owned by Dr Andreas Baenziger and Dr Florian Kamelger, has excellent access to the relevant market and to customers in motor racing.
“HWA AG specialises in the development and construction of racing cars and in small-scale series production as well as the provision of related support and aftersales services.
“The target markets are benchmark products in motorsport and small-scale series production.”
Dr Florian Kamelger, the co-owner of AF Racing AG, hopes the joint venture will lead to a more established presence in international motorsport, likely including the DTM.
“The founding of the joint venture with HWA AG opens up further scope for the strategic development of our company in terms of both motor racing and automotive production and sales.
“Our priority is to firmly establish ourselves in international motorsport and to achieve success, thereby demonstrating innovative strength and competitiveness in development and production for our various partners.”
Dr Andreas Baenziger, co-owner of AF Racing AG, added: “HWA AG has been extremely successful in the DTM and in GT racing for several decades now.
“The company has many years of experience in the construction of racing cars and also in the development of special models in the high-performance road vehicle segment.
“This is the ideal basis for our new joint venture to become a successful technology enterprise.”
Ulrich Fritz, CEO of HWA AG, acknowledged the changing landscape initiated by Mercedes’ withdrawal from the DTM, to which the company needs to respond.
“The market environment in which HWA AG operates – international motorsport in particular – is currently experiencing rapid development,” said Fritz.
“AF Racing is a company that is young and highly dynamic in equal measure; it is constantly looking for new directions and opportunities.
“Combined with the many years of experience acquired by HWA AG in international motorsport, this offers great potential which we want to tap into with the establishment of our joint venture enterprise.”
The statement did not allude to a potential DTM project, but the involvement of the British brand is strongly rumoured with a tie-in with sponsor Red Bull, especially as AF Racing are a strategic partner of the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar project together with Red Bull Technologies and Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd.