Maximilian Buhk (born 9 December 1992 in Reinbek) is a retired German racing driver. He experienced considerable success racing for Mercedes-AMG in the GT3 scene, winning the 2012 FIA GT3 European Championship and 2013 Blancpain Endurance Series, before taking the 2015 Blancpain GT Sprint Series title as part of the Bentley factory lineup.[1][2][3]
| Maximilian Buhk | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nationality |  German |
| Born | 9 December 1992 Reinbek, Germany |
| Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup career | |
| Debut season | 2013 |
| Current team | Strakka Racing |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
| Car number | 43 |
| Former teams | HTP Motorsport |
| Starts | 23 |
| Wins | 3 |
| Poles | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 1st in 2013 |
| Previous series | |
| 2017-18 2014-18 2017 2012-15 2013 2012 2010–11 | ADAC GT Masters Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup Blancpain GT Series Asia ADAC GT Masters FIA GT Series FIA GT3 European Championship ADAC Formel Masters |
| Championship titles | |
| 2016 2015 2013 2012 | Blancpain GT Series Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup FIA GT3 European Championship |
In 2016, Buhk returned to the Mercedes-AMG factory stable to win the overall Blancpain GT Series alongside Dominik Baumann that year.[4] Following six further years with the German brand, Buhk retired from racing in 2022 after two seasons in the DTM.[5]
Career
editKarting
editBuhk began karting in 2004 and raced only in his native Germany for the majority of his career, working his way up from the junior ranks to progress through to the KF2 category by 2009, when he finished on fifth position in ADAC Kart Masters.[6][7]
ADAC Formel Masters
edit2010 saw his debut in the ADAC Formel Masters championship with KUG Motorsport.[8] Buhk finished twelfth in the championship with 12 point-scoring finishes.[9] He remained in series for 2011 but switched to ma-con after five rounds with KUG Motorsport. The switch open road to the podium step at Lausitz and Assen and progress to ninth in the championship.[10]
Sports car racing
editFor 2012 Buhk moved into the Sports car racing, competing in both 2012 ADAC GT Masters and 2012 FIA GT3 European Championship.[11] Andreas Simonsen was Buhk's teammate in the ADAC series, where they finished eleventh. With Dominik Baumann they dominated the main category of the FIA GT3 European Championship, winning half of the races and the drivers' title on their Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.[12]
In 2013, FIA GT3 European Championship was merged with FIA GT1 World Championship to form FIA GT Series, where Buhk continued to race. He was paired with Alon Day in HTP Motorsport, they were victorious at Zandvoort, but were only seventh in the championship.[13] He remained in the ADAC GT Masters where he participated with Maximilian Götz. They won race at Nürburgring and ended third in the standings.[14] Also he expanded his programme to compete in the Blancpain Endurance Series. Despite missing two opening rounds, he won 2013 24 Hours of Spa as well as the season finale at Nürburgring, which brought him title in the series.[15][16]
In 2014, the Buhk kept his three-championship programme with HTP. FIA GT Series was renamed into the Blancpain Sprint Series. He again shared Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG with Götz and was set to claim another championship title after three wins but was forced to miss Slovakia Ring round and the remainder of the 2014 ADAC GT Masters season due to his suspension for non-compliance with safety car regulations in the same circuit in the ADAC GT Masters event.[17] But later his racing license was restored, allowing him return to racing.[18] In the Blancpain Endurance Series he had just one podium an ended the season fourth. Also for the first time Sprint and Endurance series formed Blancpain GT Series in which Buhk finished as runner-up to Laurens Vanthoor.
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For 2015, Buhk concentrated on Blancpain GT Series programme, where he was again runner-up, this time to Robin Frijns. His team HTP decided to use Bentley Continental GT3 car and make Vincent Abril as his teammate in the Sprint Series.[19] They won three races and clinched the championship title.[20] But in the Endurance Series, Buhk raced with M-Sport team with Andy Soucek and Maxime Soulet as his teammates. They finished the season tenth finishing in point all races but 2015 24 Hours of Spa.
In 2016, Baumann returned as Buhk's teammate (Jazeman Jaafar was the third driver in the Endurance Cup), while HTP Motorsport bought new-for Mercedes-AMG GT3 car.[21] Their pair overscored Rob Bell by ten points in the GT Series to take the title. While in the Endurance Cup and Sprint Cup they were second and third, respectively, with one race win in the two championships. Also he made his debut in the 2016 24 Hours of Nürburgring race, but his squad was not able to finish the race.
For 2017, Buhk got Franck Perera as a teammate for GT Series campaign while Jimmy Eriksson was the third driver in the Endurance Cup. Buhk got his third runner-up spot in the GT Series. He and his teammates were third in both the Endurance Cup and Sprint Cup. In the Sprint cup Buhk with Perera was more successful as they won main Misano race.[22] He repeated 24 Hours of Nürburgring race, but once again his car haven't seen a checkered flag.
In 2018, HTP Motorsport left Blancpain GT Series in the favour of 2018 ADAC GT Masters, where Buhk is a teammate of the Indy Dontje.[23] While in 2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup he joined Götz and Álvaro Parente at Strakka Racing.[24]
After the 2022 DTM season, Buhk announced his retirement from racing, citing "shifting priorities".[25]
Racing record
editCareer summary
edit* Season still in progress.
Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | P1 Motorsports | GTD | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | DAY |
SEB |
MOH |
BEL |
WGL |
MOS |
LIM |
ELK |
VIR |
LGA |
PET 7 |
59th | 24 | |
| 2019 | P1 Motorsports | GTD | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | DAY 19 |
SEB 11 |
MDO |
DET |
WGL |
MOS |
LIM |
ELK |
VIR |
LGA |
PET |
46th | 32 | |
| 2021 | Alegra Motorsports | GTD | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | DAY 9 |
SEB |
MDO |
DET |
WGL |
WGL |
LIM |
ELK |
LGA |
LBH |
VIR |
PET |
57th | 237 |
| 2022 | WeatherTech Racing | GTD Pro | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | DAY |
SEB |
LBH |
LGA |
WGL |
MOS |
LIM |
ELK |
VIR |
PET 6 |
29th | 275 |
Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters 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 | 15 | 16 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | MNZ 1 6 |
MNZ 2 12 |
LAU 1 10 |
LAU 2 18 |
ZOL 1 Ret |
ZOL 2 11 |
NÜR 1 Ret |
NÜR 2 Ret |
RBR 1 12 |
RBR 2 9 |
ASS 1 Ret |
ASS 2 15 |
HOC 1 |
HOC 2 |
NOR 1 9 |
NOR 2 3 |
15th | 28 |
| 2022 | Mercedes-AMG Team Mücke Motorsport | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | ALG 1 19 |
ALG 2 17 |
LAU 1 11 |
LAU 2 22 |
IMO 1 18 |
IMO 2 Ret |
NOR 1 Ret |
NOR 2 Ret |
NÜR 1 11 |
NÜR 2 13 |
SPA 1 16 |
SPA 2 21 |
RBR 1 17 |
RBR 2 14 |
HOC 1 10 |
HOC 2 Ret |
25th | 1 |
References
edit- ^ Gt, Amigosracing/mrs (22 September 2012). "Racing with Professionals/MRS GT Racing: FIA GT3: Baumann and Buhk crowned 2012 drivers' champions (Nurburgring)". Racing with Professionals/MRS GT Racing. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Buhk Blancpain champion as HTP Mercedes wins". RACER. 22 September 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Blancpain Sprint Series: Zandvoort, Main Race, Buhk & Abril Win The Race & Title". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ Hudson, Joe (12 December 2016). "2016 Blancpain GT Series Season Review". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ Euwema, Davey (9 October 2022). "Buhk Announces Retirement from Racing – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "About Maxi Buhk". maximilian-buhk.de. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ "ADAC Kart Masters — KF2 2009". Driver Database. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ^ "Starterfeld des ADAC Formel Masters nimmt Form an". ADAC Formel Masters (in German). ADAC. 18 March 2010. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
- ^ "ADAC Formel Masters 2010 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ "ADAC Formel Masters 2011 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ "Round 1 (Nogaro) Entry List" (PDF). FIA.com. FIA. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
- ^ "2012 FIA CHAMPIONS". fia.com. FIA. 8 December 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ Watkins, Gary (7 July 2013). "Zandvoort FIA GT: Mercedes gets first win of 2013 with Buhk and Day". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ "Mercedes-Benz victory for Buhk & Götz". adac-gt-masters.de. ADAC. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ "Buhk, Schneider, Götz claim overall win in 24 Hours of Spa". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. 28 July 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ Simmons, Marcus (22 September 2013). "Nurburgring Blancpain: HTP Mercedes wins to crown Buhk champion". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ ten Caat, Marcel (21 August 2014). "Buhk Suspended for Slovakia Ring After GT Masters Incident". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ Watkins, Gary (3 September 2014). "Blancpain Sprint Series frontrunner Buhk to return after case dropped". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ "Double programme pour Vincent Abril" [Double programme for Vincent Abril]. AUTOhebdo.fr (in French). Grouppe Hommel. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- ^ Wouters, Vincent (11 October 2015). "Buhk, Abril Claim Blancpain Sprint Title in Zandvoort Thriller". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ Wouters, Vincent (6 April 2016). "Monza Entry List Update: 4.6". sportscar365.com. Sportscar 365. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
- ^ Morson, Lucy (2 April 2017). "Buhk and Perera complete Misano Blancpain sweep". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ "HTP Motorsport with two mambas and strong drivers". adac-gt-masters.de. ADAC. 28 February 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- ^ Goodwin, Graham (16 March 2018). "Strakka Reveal Blancpain Endurance Cup Driver Squads". dailysportscar.com. Dailysportscar. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
- ^ Euwema, Davey (9 October 2022). "Buhk Announces Retirement from Racing". sportscar365.com. Sportscar365. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
External links
edit- Official website (in German and English)
- Maximilian Buhk career summary at DriverDB.com