Chilean racer Benjamin Hites will switch to Ferrari machinery for his second season in Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS.
The 21-year-old made his series debut last term driving a Mercedes-AMG for AKKA ASP in the Silver Cup class. Contesting the full campaign, he scored a maiden win in the Sprint event at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and picked up two more podiums in the short-format championship. Hites was also impressive at the Total 24 Hours of Spa where the #89 Mercedes-AMG was the only Silver Cup car to qualify for Super Pole.
This season he will once again run a full Sprint and Endurance campaign, moving to Michele Rinaldi's established Ferrari outfit. With Hites' sponsors including Fiat Chile and Ferrari Santiago, the switch to the Italian marque's 488 GT3 model was a natural choice for the coming year. It also represents a return to the brand, with Hites having finished as Ferrari Challenge North America runner-up in 2019.
“I'm very happy to return to GT World Challenge Europe in 2021," said Hites. "I have no words to thank the effort and the support I'm receiving from Fiat Chile, Ferrari Santiago, Rinaldi Racing and the people around me. I'm sure that with all the experience gained last season, we will be able to fight for big things this year."
While no further drivers have been confirmed for the car, the Rinaldi squad aims to have its line-up finalised in time for the official test days at Circuit Paul Ricard (11/12 March). The new season will launch at Monza on 16-18 April.