‘Primavera in Italia’: good racing expected in this week’s inaugural Dunlop 12H ITALY-MUGELLO
On Friday and Saturday this week (March 14 and 15), the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello will host the inaugural Dunlop 12H ITALY-MUGELLO. This international endurance race for GTs, touring cars and 24H Specials marks the start of the European endurance racing season and counts as the second round of the 24H SERIES powered by Dunlop. Dutch agency CREVENTIC is the organiser and promoter of the event, in good co-operation with staff and management of Mugello Circuit and, as usual, CREVENTIC’s valued partner, DNRT. “With an entry of 40 cars and teams and drivers from 24 countries, we are looking forward to a great race,” says Gerrie Willems on behalf of CREVENTIC.
Only one week before ‘La Primavera’, the classic cycle race from Milan to San Remo, the motor racing fraternity already starts the European season with the inaugural Dunlop 12H ITALY-MUGELLO. The news of the first international twelve-hour race to be held in Italy was met with plenty of enthusiasm from teams and drivers from all over the world. “The Mugello circuit is a challenging track, beautifully located in the rolling hills of Tuscany. A lot of people want to race there,” Gerrie Willems explains. “On top of that, the weather forecast is very good, with temperatures around 18 degrees, bright sunshine and no rain forecast for Friday and Saturday. Add to that the benefits of Italy like its fantastic cuisine and the great opportunities for shopping and sightseeing in the nearby city of Florence, and it is clear why everybody is looking forward to the event!”
With 14 different car brands on the grid, there is plenty of variety in the field. The A6 class includes Swiss teams Hofor Racing with a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 and Stadler Motorsport with a Porsche 997 GT3 R, the most recent winners of the 24H BARCELONA and the Dunlop 24H DUBAI respectively, while Italy’s sports car culture is represented by works-supported team AF Corse with a Ferrari 458 Italia GT3. Czech team, Scuderia Praha, are running a similar car, while other entries in the A6 class include two further Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3s, one additional Porsche 997 GT3 R and a pair of Chevrolet Corvettes. There are four entries in the Porsche 997 Cup class. The SP classes consist of Renault Mégane and GC Automobiles silhouette cars, various GT4 cars, among others three Ginettas from Italian team, NOVA RACE, and one Audis. The touring car classes A5 and A2 provide plenty of variety with BMW, Mazda, Mini, Peugeot, Renault, Peugeot and SEAT while teams with BMW, SEAT and Volkswagen are racing in the D1 class for diesel-powered cars.
Track action starts on Friday, March 14, with free practice from 9.30 till 10.45 hrs, followed by qualifying from 11.00 till 12.30 hrs. The first three hours of the race will be run from 14.00 till 17.00 hrs, after which parc fermé rules will apply. The race resumes on Saturday, March 15, at 9.30 hrs and continues until 18.30 hrs, immediately followed by the prize-giving ceremony. Live timing, latest news, photos, videos and results will be available throughout the race at live.24hseries.com. Regular updates about the on-track action can also be found on Twitter (@24HSERIES) and Facebook (24H Series). More information about the 24H SERIES powered by Dunlop can be found at: www.24hseries.com.
