34 cars are ready for Hankook 24H SILVERSTONE

Many touring car teams already having participated in the first two rounds of the 24H SERIES powered by Hankook, they can now compete for outright honours for the first time this year as the 24H TOURING CAR ENDURANCE (TCE) SERIES powered by Hankook gets underway with the Hankook 24H SILVERSTONE (31 March-2 April). In total, 34 teams will be on the grid, two thirds of the field are potential contenders for the overall win. That promises some exciting racing at the famous Northamptonshire track. “Silverstone is a bit special for us because we had our first-ever touring car-only race there last year. It marked the start of our 24H TCE SERIES powered by Hankook and now, we are delighted to be back for season two of the series, and another great event at Silverstone,” CREVENTIC’s Natasha Mark says. The Dutch agency is the promoter and organiser of the 24H TCE SERIES powered by Hankook, in co-operation with the DNRT (Dutch National Racing Team).

Based on the experience acquired last year, the series’ organisers have slightly modified the regulations to allow cars from the SP3-GT4 class to compete in 24H TCE SERIES rounds as well. Based on the proven balance of performance, SP3-GT4 cars and cars from the TCR category as the series’ top touring car class are expected to perform at an equal level over the distance of a twelve- or 24-hour race. As a result, the overall winner at Silverstone is expected to come from either the TCR class that has an entry of 15 cars, or from the SP3-GT4 category, with six cars entered. With British Team ABBA with Rollcentre Racing, the winners of last year’s Hankook 24H SILVERSTONE will be back in an attempt to repeat this success. Once again, they will be racing their trusted BMW M3 V8, now running in the SP3-GT4 class. Other cars in this class are a BMW 1M, a Porsche Cayman GT4, a Lotus Exige with a two-litre turbocharged engine and two Ginettas, one G50 and one G55.

The TCR class has two Audi RS 3 LMSs, one Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR and twelve SEAT Leon Cup Racers on the grid. The Volkswagen, run by Swedish outfit Lestrup Racing Team, is competing in the CREVENTIC SERIES for the first time. Dutch team Red Camel-Jordans.nl that won the TCR class and came second overall at Silverstone last year, is running a brand-new SEAT Leon Cup Racer. After TCR class wins at Dubai and Mugello, the Audi RS 3 LMS is unbeaten in the CREVENTIC SERIES so far this year, but it will be interesting to see whether any of the other brands can come to the fore at Silverstone. The A3 class includes six cars: three BMWs, two Hondas, one Mini and one SEAT. Four BMW M235i Racing Cup cars have been entered in the CUP1 class while one Renault and one Honda from the A2 class round out the grid.

Free practice for the 24H TCE SERIES powered by Hankook is scheduled on Friday, 31 March, from 9.30 till 11.00 hrs, followed by qualifying from 14.00 till 15.00 hrs and night practice from 19.30 till 21.00 hrs. On Saturday, 1 April, there is a warm-up from 11.30 till 12.00 hrs, the race starts at 16.00 hrs (all times local in the UK). The Toyo Tires 7 Race Series has two races on Saturday. Hankook is the title sponsor and the exclusive tyre supplier of the event. Panta racing fuels is the official fuel partner, BRM is the official partner of the timekeeping and provides the trophies for the prize-giving ceremony. The following companies are present with sales and service booths in the paddock: DRD international for stickers, Global Crave for freshly-squeezed orange juice and Speedcom for radio equipment and support.

There will be live-streaming in HD quality on the series’ website with commentary by Radiolemans.com. Regular updates will also be published on Twitter (@24HSeries), Facebook (24H Series) and Instagram (24H Series). Further information can be found on the series’ website, www.24htceseries.com.