Bleekemolen joins HTP Bentley project

Jeroen Bleekemolen is joining the HTP Motorsport Bentley squad for an attack on the Nurburgring 24 Hours and a program across the Blancpain GT Series and German ADAC GT Masters.

The Dutchman will put his longstanding relationship with the Black Falcon Mercedes team, with which he won the Nurburgring race in 2013, on hold for this year's edition to drive HTP's Bentley Continental GT3.

"At the moment, only the Nurburgring is fixed, but we are talking around a much bigger programme around my commitments in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship [with the Riley Motorsports Dodge Viper squad]," Bleekemolen told AUTOSPORT.

"Although I've had a lot of success with Black Falcon, this was an easy decision for me because I'll probably end up doing a lot of racing with HTP this season. The team has the same mentality as me: they just want to go out, do the job and win races."

The 33-year-old two-time Porsche Supercup champion is hopeful of a return to the Blancpain Sprint Series, in which he was a frontrunner last year with the Grasser Lamborghini team. The BSS only has one clash with his IMSA program.

A campaign in the BES looks unlikely courtesy of of two clashes, including the Spa 24 Hours round in July, with the TUDOR Championship. It is expected that Bleekemolen will return to Black Falcon for December's Gulf 12 Hours at the Yas Marina circuit, a race he won with the team in 2013.

Bleekemolen has been announced by HTP along with eight other names for its multi-series 2015 program with a fleet of five Bentleys following its switch from Mercedes. It has yet to confirm the lineups for individual campaigns across the BES, the BSS, the GT Masters and 24 Hours at the Nurburgring.

Sports car stalwart Harold Primat and Frenchman Vincent Abril, who raced for the WRT Audi team in the BSS last year, are set to drive a solo entry in the BES.

Team regular Maximilian Buhk (talking to Primat, RIGHT), who is also part of the factory M-Sport Bentley team's BES squad, will drive for HTP in the BSS and at the Nurburgring enduro. He will be joined by Abril on the BSS roster in what will be a two-car assault.

Fabian Hamprecht, Luca Stolz and Clemens Schmid has been announced as HTP's "Bentley Junior Team" and are set to race in GT Masters. Christian Menzel and Lance David Arnold, who were two of Bleekemolen's teammates at the Nurburgring last year, are expected to be part of HTP's assault on the 24 Hours.

Team boss Norbert Bruckner said that HTP would be heading into its first season with Bentley "with a good mix of young talents and experienced pros." Former HWA technical boss Gerhard Ungar has joined the team and will work together with technical director Renaud Dufour.

HTP has already taken delivery of all of its Bentleys and has undertaken five days of testing so far.

Originally on Autosport.com