ABT to race Bentleys in 2016 ADAC GT Masters

• Bentley Team ABT set to field three Bentley Continentals in ADAC GT Masters
• ABT Sportsline and C.Abt Racing join forces
• Experienced team members from C.Abt Racing in line-up

Munich: Bentley will have a new team in the 2016 ADAC GT Masters. ABT Sportsline and C.Abt Racing will join forces as Bentley Team ABT to race three Bentley Continentals in the Super Sports Car League. The three Bentleys will be deployed by the well-proven C.Abt Racing team, managed by former DTM driver and ADAC GT Masters champion Christian Abt. The new ADAC GT Masters season starts on the weekend of April 15th-17th in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben.

"We're delighted to welcome ABT Sportsline to the Bentley fold," said Bentley Motorsport Director Brian Gush. "Just like our company, ABT can look back on a long and successful motor racing history. We have set ourselves ambitious goals in GT motor racing."

ABT CEO Hans-Jürgen Abt said: "Our connections with the various marques belonging to the Volkswagen Group, both in motor racing and in our day-to-day business, go back a long way and are deep-rooted. It's terrific that we can now expand that cooperation with the Bentley brand. The Continental GT3 has already shown its power on the track. I just can't wait to tackle the challenges ahead together."

While ABT Sportsline are responsible for project marketing, Christian Abt will be responsible for technical management. The former DTM driver and 2009 ADAC GT Masters champion will prepare the sportscars along with his team, C.Abt Racing, and will also compete in all races. Preparations for the start of the season will now move up a gear with the official launch of the joint project. One of the next steps is to decide on a squad of drivers that can sweep all before them. The brothers Hans-Jürgen and Christian Abt have been committed in the ADAC GT Masters since 2009, running Audis until now. Their teams have so far won 16 races together, securing six title wins in the drivers', team, and Gentlemen standings.

In addition to racing in the ADAC GT Masters, Bentley Team ABT will also line up in the ADAC Zurich 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. Apart from having a visible presence at the racetrack, the work with Bentley will also become apparent at ABT's premises in Kempten, where ABT Sportsline will have a dealership for Bentley cars and accessories.

All ADAC GT Masters races will once again be broadcast live and in full during 2016 by SPORT1 on free-to-air TV. Germany's leading sports broadcaster has already extended the TV contract up to and including 2017 well before the renewal deadline. The 2016 ADAC GT Masters season opens on the weekend of April 15th-17th, 2016, in the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. Advance tickets are available online at www.adac.de/motorsport.