The fight for championship honours in this year’s 24H SERIES powered by Hankook continues this coming weekend at the Hankook 12H MISANO (5-6 July).
The event, round four of this year’s 24H SERIES, marks the first time since 2017 that an official CREVENTIC event will be held at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. With just one European event left to run after this weekend, a strong points-scoring weekend for all 91 drivers (representing 20 different nations) will prove crucial for our
title contenders.
GT3
2017 Overall GT Drivers’ ‘Continents’ champion Ralf Bohn and Herberth Motorsport teammates Jason Hart and Scott Noble head into this weekend’s Hankook 12H MISANO at the top of both the overall GT3 Drivers’ and GT3-AM Drivers’ standings. The trio took their second class win of the season at Portimão (Bohn, on double duty, also secured the overall win in Portugal), and will be looking to continue their winning momentum in Misano with the #91 Porsche 992 GT3 R.
Antonio Sainero and Pablo Burguera continue their full-season program alongside 2016 Bathurst 12 Hours winner Álvaro Parente on 5-6 July. The trio secured E2P Racing’s first category win at Spa-Francorchamps aboard the #90 Porsche 991.2 GT3 R, and, as well as leading the GT3-PRO/AM Drivers’ standings, have now moved into 2nd place in the overall GT3 Drivers’ standings.
Runners-up in-class at both Spa and Portimão, 2022 GT3 Drivers’ ‘Europe’ champions Michael Doppelmayr, Pierre Kaffer and Elia Erhart are comfortably in the GT3-PRO/AM title fight heading into Misano. The trio will be joined aboard the Saintéloc Junior Team Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II (#18) by Ernst Inderbitzin and the experienced Swen Herberger.
Juta Racing (#71), currently 3rd in the GT3-PRO/AM standings following class podiums at Mugello and Spa, brings a new driver line-up to Misano. Arunas Geciauskas and Leonardas Dirzys, who previously competed together with the Lithuanian team at last year’s Hankook 24H BARCELONA, will team with series debutant Simas Juodvirsis and Justas Jonušis on the latter’s first series start since Dubai in 2021.
Hankook 12H MUGELLO polesitter Boem by Kessel Racing (#8) makes its series return at Misano, and has confirmed its traditional driver line-up – Alessandro Cutrera, Marco Talarico, Marco Frezza, ‘L.M.D.V.,’ and David Fumanelli – will pilot the Ferrari 296 GT3.
Reigning GTX Drivers’ champions Audrius Butkevicius, Paulius Paskevicius and Nicola Michelon will be back aboard the RD Signs – Siauliai racing team Lamborghini Huracán GT3 (#69). They will be joined for the first time by 24H SERIES mainstay Tim Müller.
2017 Overall GT Drivers’ ‘Europe’ champions Michael Kroll, Chantal Prinz and Kenneth Heyer continue their full European season with Alexander Prinz and Maximilian Partl driving the Hofor Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 (#10). The Swiss family team will be eying its first GT3-AM podium of the season in Italy.
2009 24H DUBAI winner Land-Motorsport (#34) makes its series return in Misano, and has confirmed that 24H SERIES staples Dr Johannes Kirchhoff, Elmar Grimm and Stefan Wieninger will pilot the German team’s Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II. This marks the first series start for Grimm and Wieninger since Monza and Spa last year respectively.
Haas RT (#1), outright winner of last year’s Hankook 12H MUGELLO, has similarly registered an all-new line-up. Australian compatriots Marcel Zalloua, Sergio Pires and Theo Koundouris, all three of whom teamed together for the Hankook 6H ABU DHABI in 2022, make their 24H SERIES returns with the Antiguan team.
Poland’s PTT – supported by Schnitzelalm Racing (#74) – and New Zealand’s Prime Speed Sport (#42) make their 24H SERIES debuts in Misano. The former has entered a Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, which will be driven by fellow series debutants Martin Kaczmarksi, Mateusz Lisowski, and Jay Mo Härtling. Prime Speed Sport meanwhile, which will be supported by Earl Bamber Motorsport, has entered the latest ‘EVO’ generation of Aston Martin’s Vantage AMR GT3. This will be driven by Heremana Malmezac, Liam Talbot, and two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner / 2017 FIA World Endurance Champion Earl Bamber.
992 and GTX
Red Ant Racing, currently at the head of the 992 Teams’ standings with three consecutive wins already banked in 2024, has entered an unchanged driver line-up for both of its Porsche 992 GT3 Cups. 2022 992 Drivers’ ‘Europe’ champions Yannick and Ayrton Redant, who also lead this year’s 992 Drivers’ standings, will once again team with Kobe de Breucker in the #903 Porsche, while Brent Verheyen, Peter Guelinckx and Michiel Haverans continue their season together in the sister #904.
Like Red Ant Racing, RPM Racing (#907) makes no changes to its line-up for the Hankook 12H MISANO having registered reigning 992-AM Drivers’ champions Tracy Krohn, Niclas Jönsson and Philip Hamprecht. Similarly, Nicolas Stürzinger, Amedeo Pampanini and Linus Diener will hope to replicate their 992-AM class win at Spa-Francorchamps as they continue their full season campaign together with HRT Performance (#967).
The Orchid Racing Team’s (#917) Alexandre Mottet and Antonio Garzon are the HRT trio’s closest rivals in the 992-AM standings. The pair will be joined in Italy by Laurent Misbach, who finished on the 992 podium earlier this year in Mugello, and Jeremy Brodard, who made his 24H SERIES debut in Portimão.
Motivated by its first 992-class podium last time out in Portugal, SebLajoux Racing by DUWO Racing (#908) has registered Philippe Polette, Gilles Blasco and Jean-François Demorge for Misano. Instrumental in helping Porsche Lorient Racing secure the 24H SERIES’ 991 Teams’ championship twice, the French trio will team with series newcomer Benjamin Roy in Italy.
The returning Fulgenzi Racing (#922) has confirmed Andrea Buratti, Corrado Costa and Eric Wagner will start their first 24H SERIES race in Misano. Series staple MRS GT-Racing (#988) rounds out the 992 entrants so far, and will field Rolando Saca, back for a second run following his debut at Spa, and series debutant Silvain Pastoris.
Lionel Amrouche, Philippe Bonnel and Gilles Courtois currently lead the GTX Drivers’ championship, and will be back in action with Vortex V8 (#701) in Misano. Ironically, the trio will team up with Lucas Sugliano, their closest rival in the title chase.
GT4 and TCX
Aliyyah Koloc, David Vršecký and Adam Lacko currently lead the GT4 Drivers’ standings, having secured three back-to-back wins with the Buggyra ZM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 (#416). They continue their full-season European program in Italy.
Closest rivals José Garcia and Patrick Kolb, co-founders of Lionspeed GP (#424), is eyeing its first class win of the season in Misano. The duo will once again drive the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport with Dennis Bohn.
Hamofa Motorsport (#419) returns to the 24H SERIES in Italy, and will field Rob, Kris and Mark Verhoeven aboard the BMW M4 GT4. Belgian compatriot StreetArt Racing (#407) make its first series outing on the Adriatic Coast, and has registered fellow debutants Jahid Fazal-Karim, Pascal Bachmann and Julien Dallas ahead of a planned entry for next year’s 24H DUBAI.
CWS Engineering (#178) and Schnitzelalm Racing (#111) are set to go one-on-one for TCX honours in Misano. CWS team owner, and former SP3 and TCX Drivers’ champion Colin White will drive the Ginetta G55 GT4 alongside his Hankook 12H SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS class-winning teammate Daniel Morris, while Michael Sander and Wilhelm Kühne will make their first start with CREVENTIC driving Schnitzelalm Racing’s ‘Type 982’ Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS.