Winward Racing Bio
Winward Racing is a German-American auto racing team founded in 2013 that competes primarily in GT3-based championships. The organization operates from Altendiez, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany and Houston, Texas, United States, and has campaigned cars for Mercedes-Benz and, briefly, Bentley.
Early Life and Background
The team traces its competitive roots to Heico Motorsport and the racing activities of founders Wim de Pundert and Reynier de Pundert. The de Pundert family entered motorsport activity with single-seater Formula Gloria cars and later ran entries in regional series before the reorganization that led to the present team structure.
HTP Investment BV acquired Heico Motorsport at the beginning of 2013 and retained leadership from the Heico operation, establishing HTP Motorsport as the successor organization. That consolidation and the de Punderts’ ongoing involvement set the foundation for the team’s German and American presence and its later partnership with Winward Racing of Houston.
Path to MotorSports
Heico Motorsport competed in GT3 programs beginning in 2011 and secured early continental success, including team-level results in the FIA GT3 European Championship. The takeover by HTP Investment BV in 2013 preserved much of that GT3 experience and provided a platform to expand into international GT racing such as the Blancpain GT Series and ADAC GT Masters.
Over the following years the organization worked closely with factory and customer programs, fielding Mercedes-Benz machinery and briefly running a factory-supported Bentley Continental GT3 program in 2015. The development pathway combined endurance racing expertise with sprint competition at national and international levels.
Winward Racing Career
Early Career (2007–2013)
The de Pundert racing activities began in regional single-seater and touring categories before moving into GT racing through Heico Motorsport. Heico ran Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 cars and achieved notable results in GT3 competition, including race wins and a team championship in the FIA GT3 European Championship era.
In 2013 HTP Investment BV completed the acquisition of Heico Motorsport, forming HTP Motorsport and preserving key personnel from the Heico era. That year marked a turning point with endurance success that established the organization as a serious contender in international GT endurance events.
HTP Motorsport Breakthrough (2013–2016)
The reconstituted team scored major endurance results in 2013, including victory at the 24 Hours of Spa and strong performances in long-distance GT competition that contributed to drivers’ and teams’ honors in the Blancpain Endurance context. Those results underscored the team’s strength in endurance racing and helped attract factory and professional driving talent.
For the 2015 season the organization ran a Bentley-supported GT3 program with multiple Bentley Continental GT3 cars. The cooperation with Bentley lasted a single season before the team returned to Mercedes-Benz factory and customer programs for 2016, further consolidating its expertise with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 platform.
Winward Partnership and HTP Winward Motorsport Era (2020–Present)
In 2020 the German HTP Motorsport organization joined with Bryce Ward’s Houston-based Winward Racing to form HTP Winward Motorsport, formalizing a transatlantic partnership that combined European GT heritage with American customer racing operations. The consolidated operation expanded campaigning across IMSA, GT World Challenge Europe, ADAC GT Masters, Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters and endurance series entries.
On its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD debut at the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 2021, the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 car won its class, providing a high-profile American endurance victory for the merged program. Since that milestone, the team has continued to build its presence across IMSA and European GT competition under Mercedes-AMG customer racing programs and manufacturer partnerships such as the MANN-FILTER collaboration in Europe.
Driving Style and Strengths
Winward Racing has developed a reputation for endurance race preparation, strategic pit execution and managing multi-driver lineups across long-distance events. The team’s strengths include customer program integration with Mercedes-AMG machinery, adaptability between sprint and endurance formats, and leveraging experienced professional and factory drivers in mixed-class events.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones include the 2013 24 Hours of Spa victory during the HTP/Heico era, the 2015 factory-supported Bentley campaign, the 2016 return to Mercedes-AMG GT3 competition, and the successful partnership formation with Winward Racing in 2020 that led to a class win at the 2021 Rolex 24 At Daytona. The team’s campaign record includes national and international GT championships and marquee endurance triumphs.
Winward Racing Career Wins
Across its various incarnations—Heico Motorsport, HTP Motorsport and HTP Winward Motorsport—the organization has collected multiple high-profile victories and titles in GT3 competition, including continental series championships and endurance race wins. Verified major successes include FIA GT3 European Championship team titles, a 24 Hours of Spa victory, Blancpain/Blancpain Endurance Series honors and national GT championships.
FIA GT3 and Blancpain Highlights
Heico and its successor operations won the FIA GT3 European Championship team-level titles in 2011 and 2012. The combined HTP-era effort captured significant endurance results in 2013 that contributed to drivers’ and teams’ standings in Blancpain GT competition, reinforcing the organization’s position in GT3 endurance racing.
Other Wins & Perfromances
Winward and its partners have recorded notable results in ADAC GT Masters and ADAC national competition, with a verified ADAC GT Masters title in 2018. The team has also extended its footprint to IMSA endurance success and regional GT entries across Asia and the Middle East in customer GT3 events and endurance series participation.
Winward Racing Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
The de Pundert family—Wim de Pundert and his son Reynier de Pundert—are central figures in the team’s history. Their motorsport involvement predates the HTP era, with the de Punderts campaigning in Formula Gloria and regional championships before moving into GT and endurance racing under Heico Motorsport and later HTP Motorsport.
Personal Life
The organization’s ownership and leadership have remained closely associated with Wim de Pundert and Reynier de Pundert, who helped steer the team through its transition from Heico Motorsport to HTP Motorsport and the later partnership with Winward Racing. Several team principals and managers, including Mickel Letter, Norbert Brückner and Christian Hohenadel, have played key operational roles.
2025 Season Performance
The team’s consolidated international program entered 2025 with a strong endurance and GT presence across IMSA, GT World Challenge Europe and other series. Verified performance highlights include continued IMSA GTD competitiveness and championship-level results for the organization’s No. 57 entry in endurance competition.
In Europe the team’s MANN-FILTER partnership and expanded GT World Challenge Europe programs produced sprint and overall championship success in recent seasons, while the organization maintains entries and testing programs in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, the Nürburgring endurance events and selected regional endurance series. The combined German-American operation remains focused on customer racing excellence with Mercedes-AMG GT3 machinery and endurance race specialization.