Pirelli and Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) announced a new multiyear partnership that will see the Italian tire manufacturer become the official presenting partner of the new HSR Mission GT Challenge racing series.
Announced in HSR’s inaugural “State of the Sport” address back in September 2025, the HSR Mission GT Challenge presented by Pirelli features GT1, GT2, GT3 and GT4 race cars. Pirelli is the perfect fit for the all-GT championship as many of the eligible race cars in the series were campaigned in their competition primes on Pirelli, company officials stated in a press release.
Mission GT Challenge presented by Pirelli aligns HSR’s existing Group 9 and Group 10 categories that are generally home to production-based and GT race cars that were making modern-day motorsports headlines in the past two decades. Everything from home- and factory-built Single Make Series cars up to top-level GT machines just past their competition primes are welcome in the Mission GT Challenge, noted the release.
Pirelli Becomes Exclusive Tire of HSR Mission GT Challenge in 2026
HSR Mission GT Challenge presented by Pirelli competitors will race exclusively on Pirelli tires commencing at the 48th HSR The Mitty presented by Hagerty, April 23-26, at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Starting in 2026, every HSR championship weekend features a full slate of Mission GT Challenge presented by Pirelli twin sprint races and a one-hour enduro, open to all eligible classes and cars in the series. Season-long points will be tabulated, including separate rankings for the enduro races, and Mission GT Challenge presented by Pirelli Champions will be crowned at the year-end awards celebration in 2026.
Pirelli’s History & Dedication in Motorsports
“The HSR Mission GT Challenge is a new, prestigious championship that further strengthens our already extensive portfolio, which includes the world’s leading GT series,” said Matteo Braga, Pirelli circuit activity manager. “In these programs, we see ourselves as full partners—more than a technical resource and far beyond a standard supplier. This is a new challenge, alongside highly professional organizers with very high expectations, and we will devote our full attention and effort to it. In the United States, we can rely on a close-knit, motivated team ready to provide first-class support and impeccable service, backed by a product that has already been extensively tested and widely appreciated.”
“Pirelli’s rich history in motorsports is worth celebrating, and we are looking forward to doing just that with them as a key part of our launch of the Mission GT Challenge presented by Pirelli,” added John Doonan, HSR president. “They have been Formula 1’s supplier since 2011, but Pirelli’s sports car achievements are storied and vast as well. Pirelli won the 24 Hours of Le Mans overall in 1954 with a Ferrari 375 Plus, and one year later the great Juan Manuel Fangio was victorious in the 12 Hours of Sebring in a Ferrari on Pirellis.
“Pirelli’s accomplishments in sports car racing history even have a place within our hearts and HSR family as our dear friend and former HSR co-owner, the late Jim Pace, won overall with Wayne Taylor and others at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring in a Riley & Scott on Pirellis in 1996. Now, Pirelli’s next chapter in motorsports will be written in the vintage and historic sector in HSR. We are so proud to have Pirelli join the HSR family and the Mission GT Challenge presented by Pirelli.”