Max Hesse (born 23 July 2001) is a German racing driver driving for ROWE Racing in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.[1] The German has been part of the BMW M Motorsport works driver staple since 2023.[2]
Max Hesse | |
---|---|
Nationality | German |
Born | Wernau, Germany | 23 July 2001
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup career | |
Debut season | 2022 |
Current team | ROWE Racing |
Racing licence | FIA Gold |
Car number | 998 |
Starts | 11 (11 entries) |
Wins | 1 |
Podiums | 3 |
Poles | 0 |
Fastest laps | 1 |
Best finish | 10th in 2023 |
Previous series | |
2020–22 2017–19 | Nürburgring Endurance Series ADAC TCR Germany |
Championship titles | |
2019 | ADAC TCR Germany |
Hesse began his car racing career in the TCR touring car scene, making his ADAC TCR Germany debut in 2017 before embarking on a full season with PROsport Performance in 2018.[3] Following a sixth-place finish in the standings and the Rookie Trophy title, the German moved to Hyundai Team Engstler ahead of the 2019 season.[4] He took his first podiums in the opening three races before going on a run of four victories in the final eight races, narrowly winning the title against defending champion Harald Proczyk.[5] As a consequence of his title-winning season, Hesse was named the ADAC Junior Motorsportsman of the year.[6]
Hesse switched his focus to the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie from 2020 onward as a newly-minted BMW junior driver, racing in multiple events in the SP8T and Cup 5 classes.[7][8] The former would see Hesse attain success, with him winning the 24 Hours of Nürburgring for Walkenhorst Motorsport.[9] In 2021, he and N24-winning teammates Dan Harper and Neil Verhagen went on to drive in the NLS's SP9 category, the highest-placed GT class, under the Team RMG banner.[10] With two wins, the trio finished second in the standings, though they were forced to retire from the Nürburgring 24 Hours.[11]
The trio remained together for the next two years, competing with Rowe Racing in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.[12][13] Their highlight performance came with a second place at the 2023 season-opener at Monza, in the first year which Hesse, Harper, and Verhagen contested as full BMW factory drivers.[14][15] Further successes included an overall race win in the NLS and a personal success for Hesse, who won the second race of the Road to Le Mans event alongside Valentino Rossi.[16][17][18]
Hesse and Harper both returned to the Endurance Cup and Rowe Racing in 2024, this time partnering Augusto Farfus.[19] At the first race in Le Castellet, an impressive performance by both Hesse and Harper enabled the team to come out victorious.[20] Hesse added to his accolades at the end of May by taking pole position for the Nürburgring 24 Hours, making him the youngest polesitter in the history of the race.[21][22] In a rain-shortened event, Hesse, Harper, and Charles Weerts ended up third.[23]
Racing record
editRacing career summary
edit† As Hesse was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.* Season still in progress.
Complete ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | DC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Aust Motorsport | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | OSC 1 |
OSC 2 |
LAU 1 |
LAU 2 |
RBR 1 |
RBR 2 |
ZAN 1 |
ZAN 2 |
NÜR 1 |
NÜR 2 |
SAC 1 24 |
SAC 2 28 |
HOC 1 23 |
HOC 2 25 |
43rd | 0 |
2018 | PROsport Performance | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | OSC 1 25† |
OSC 2 12 |
MST 1 73 |
MST 2 6 |
RBR 1 83 |
RBR 2 7 |
NÜR 1 42 |
NÜR 2 7 |
ZAN 1 85 |
ZAN 2 21 |
SAC 1 8 |
SAC 2 8 |
HOC 1 94 |
HOC 2 8 |
6th | 247 |
2019 | Hyundai Team Engstler | Hyundai i30 N TCR | OSC 1 21 |
OSC 2 3 |
MST 1 23 |
MST 2 5 |
RBR 1 11 |
RBR 2 5 |
ZAN 1 1 |
ZAN 2 9 |
NÜR 1 21 |
NÜR 2 1 |
HOC 1 23 |
HOC 2 1 |
SAC 1 85 |
SAC 2 1 |
1st | 438 |
Complete 24 Hours of Nürburgring results
editYear | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Ovr. Pos. |
Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Walkenhorst Motorsport | Dan Harper Neil Verhagen |
BMW M4 GT4 | SP8T | 78 | 19th | 1st |
2021 | BMW Junior Team Shell | Augusto Farfus Dan Harper Neil Verhagen |
BMW M6 GT3 | SP9 | 54 | DNF | DNF |
2022 | BMW Junior Team Shell | Dan Harper Neil Verhagen |
BMW M4 GT3 | SP9 | 86 | DNF | DNF |
2023 | BMW Junior Team | Dan Harper Neil Verhagen |
BMW M4 GT3 | SP9 | 96 | DNF | DNF |
Complete GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup results
editYear | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Pos. | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | ROWE Racing | BMW M4 GT3 | Pro | IMO 15 |
LEC 4 |
SPA 6H 11 |
SPA 12H 2 |
SPA 24H 5 |
HOC 9 |
CAT 13 |
11th | 36 |
2023 | ROWE Racing | BMW M4 GT3 | Pro | MNZ 2 |
LEC 6 |
SPA 6H 4 |
SPA 12H 53† |
SPA 24H Ret |
NÜR 11 |
CAT 12 |
10th | 33 |
2024 | ROWE Racing | BMW M4 GT3 | Pro | LEC 1 |
SPA 6H 7 |
SPA 12H 17 |
SPA 24H 6 |
NÜR 11 |
MNZ |
JED |
4th* | 36* |
*Season still in progress.
References
edit- ^ "ROWE Racing Confirms World Challenge Europe & N24 Plans | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ "Nach drei Jahren als BMW Junior Team: Dan Harper, Max Hesse und Neil Verhagen sind BMW M Werksfahrer". www.press.bmwgroup.com (in German). Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ^ "Sandro Kaibach and Max Hesse at PROsport Performance in 2018". TouringCars.Net. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ^ "Max Hesse joins Théo Coicaud at Team Engstler". TouringCarTimes. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ TouringCarTimes (29 September 2019). "Newly crowned champion Max Hesse: "It was absolute madness"". TouringCarTimes. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ fabior (8 November 2019). "Max Hesse named ADAC Junior Motorsportsman of the year". TCR World Ranking. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Max Hesse wird Fahrer im BMW Junior Team – Max Hesse – powered by Fast-Media" (in German). Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ Dagys, John (9 January 2020). "BMW Revives Junior Team; Names Drivers for 2020 – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "BMW Junior Team 2020: An extraordinary year with extraordinary performances". www.press.bmwgroup.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "GT News Notebook: ADAC GT Masters, N24 & NLS". Dailysportscar. 25 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (5 May 2021). "Defending Winner BMW Names N24 Driver Lineups". sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (16 February 2022). "BMW Junior Team Enters Endurance Cup with ROWE". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (2 March 2023). "ROWE Sets Lineups for Two-Car Efforts in Endurance Cup, N24". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ "BMW Confirm 20 Factory Drivers For 2023 Season". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "1-2 For ROWE Racing In Endurance Cup Opener At Monza". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "BMW Junior Team Wins NLS3". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Rossi Win Headlines 2023 Road To Le Mans Races". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ Pettit, Vince (14 June 2023). "Rossi and BMW M Team WRT Triumph at Road to Le Mans". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "ROWE Racing to compete in GT World Challenge Europe and the 24h Nürburgring again in 2024". Endurance-Info. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ Euwema, Davey (7 April 2024). "ROWE BMW Wins Endurance Cup Opener at Paul Ricard – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Hesse Beats Vanthoor To Nürburgring 24 Hours Pole". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ Euwema, Davey (31 May 2024). "Nürburgring Friday Notebook – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ Euwema, Davey (2 June 2024). "Scherer Sport PHX Wins Shortest-Ever, Red-Flagged N24 – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (21 October 2021). "IMSA Pair, Junior Team Members in M4 GT3 for 24H Sebring". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ Goodwin, Graham (12 April 2022). "Seven BMW M4 GT3s For Nürburgring 24 Hours". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
External links
edit- Max Hesse career summary at DriverDB.com