Max Hesse

Last updated

Max Hesse
2023 24 Hours of Le Mans (53272226330).jpg
Nationality Flag of Germany.svg German
Born (2001-07-23) 23 July 2001 (age 22)
Wernau, Germany
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup career
Debut season 2022
Current team ROWE Racing
Racing licence FIA Gold Driver.png FIA Gold
Car number998
Starts11 (11 entries)
Wins1
Podiums3
Poles0
Fastest laps1
Best finish10th in 2023
Previous series
202022
201719
Nürburgring Endurance Series
ADAC TCR Germany
Championship titles
2019 ADAC TCR Germany

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]

Contents

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

Racing career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
2017 ADAC TCR Germany Aust Motorsport40000043rd
2018 ADAC TCR Germany PROsport Performance1400002476th
GT4 International Cup Phoenix Racing 10000N/A8th
2019 ADAC TCR Germany Hyundai Team Engstler 1442294381st
2020 Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP8T FK Performance Motorsport1000011.254th
Walkenhorst Motorsport20001
Nürburgring Endurance Series - Cup 5 FK Performance Motorsport1000011.6728th
Walkenhorst Motorsport10000
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP8T 11001N/A1st
2021 Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 BMW Team RMG 7200439.222nd
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 BMW Junior Team Shell 10000N/ADNF
24H GT Series - P4 BMW M Motorsport [24] 110010NC†
2022 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup BMW Junior Team with ROWE Racing 500003611th
Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 BMW Junior Team [25] 100000NC†
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 BMW Junior Team Shell 10000N/ADNF
2022-23 Middle East Trophy - GT3 KFC VR46 Team WRT 100010NC†
2023 24H GT Series - GT3 Team WRT 100010NC†
Le Mans Cup - GT3 211120NC†
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup ROWE Racing 500013310th
Nürburgring Endurance Series - SP9 Pro BMW Junior Team 310020NC†
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 10000N/ADNF
2024 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup ROWE Racing 1101125*1st*
Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - SP9 BMW M Team RMG 20000**
Intercontinental GT Challenge 1010118*8th*
24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 0101N/A3rd
Italian GT Sprint Championship - GT3 BMW Italia Ceccato Racing 2100020*5th*

As Hesse was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.* Season still in progress.

Complete ADAC TCR Germany Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamCar1234567891011121314DCPoints
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
43rd0
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
6th247
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
1st438

Complete 24 Hours of Nürburgring results

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLapsOvr.
Pos.
Class
Pos.
2020 Flag of Germany.svg Walkenhorst Motorsport Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dan Harper
Flag of the United States.svg Neil Verhagen
BMW M4 GT4 SP8T7819th1st
2021 Flag of Germany.svg BMW Junior Team Shell Flag of Brazil.svg Augusto Farfus
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dan Harper
Flag of the United States.svg Neil Verhagen
BMW M6 GT3 SP954DNFDNF
2022 Flag of Germany.svg BMW Junior Team Shell Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dan Harper
Flag of the United States.svg Neil Verhagen
BMW M4 GT3 SP986DNFDNF
2023 Flag of Germany.svg BMW Junior Team Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dan Harper
Flag of the United States.svg Neil Verhagen
BMW M4 GT3 SP996DNFDNF

Complete GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup results

YearTeamCarClass1234567Pos.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
11th36
2023 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 Pro MNZ
2
LEC
6
SPA
6H

4
SPA
12H

53†
SPA
24H

Ret
NÜR
11
CAT
12
10th33
2024 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 Pro LEC
1
SPA
6H

SPA
12H

SPA
24H

NÜR
MNZ
JED
1st*25*

*Season still in progress.

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References

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  2. "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.
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  4. "Max Hesse joins Théo Coicaud at Team Engstler". TouringCarTimes. 9 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
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