CREVENTIC celebrates 25th edition of the Hankook 24H BARCELONA on 13-14-15 September

The Saintéloc Junior Team has taken its first 24H SERIES win of the season at the Hankook 12H MISANO, an event that saw three class wins change hands in the dramatic closing stages.

First held as a touring car event dedicated to gentlemen drivers and national media alike in 1998, the ’24 Horas de Barcelona’ has become CREVENTIC’s biggest European event as well as one of its most popular races each season since being revived by the Dutch promoter for 2011. In that time, notable names like three-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo, 14-time Women’s Trial World Championship Laia Sanz, and even two-time F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso have contested the event. Fittingly, the 25th edition of the Hankook 24H BARCELONA is set to be similarly competitive, with 39 entries from 34 teams already signed up.

As well as celebrating one of the most tenured events on the 24H SERIES calendar, the 2024 Hankook 24H BARCELONA also closes the book on a 12-year partnership between Hankook Tires and CREVENTIC. The multinational tyre developer will officially support its final 24H SERIES event at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ahead of Michelin’s arrival for 2025.

GT3
Herberth Motorsport is in the pound seat to secure this year’s GT3 Teams’ championship at the Hankook 24H BARCELONA. The 2017 Overall GT Teams’ ‘Continents’ champion, winner of this year’s Hankook 24H PORTIMAO, took outright victory in Barcelona in 2016, 2018 and 2021, and has registered two Porsche 992 GT3 Rs (#91 and #92) in a bid to take a record-extending fourth outright win at the event.

Herberth’s nearest title rival Saintéloc Junior Team (#18), victorious last time out in Misano, will similarly hope to become the first repeat overall winner of 2024 with its Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II. The French team is also just 18 points behind GT3-PRO/AM Teams’ standings leader E2P Racing (#90), the latter of which will be looking to secure its first GT3 category title with a class win at home with its Porsche 991.2 GT3 R.

Also in contention for GT3-PRO/AM honours, Juta Racing has registered two Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO IIs (#71 and #72), and will hope to carry its overall podium-finishing form at Misano into Barcelona.

Brutal bad luck eliminated Hofor Racing (#11) from contention in Misano almost in sight of the flag. Something the 2017 Overall GT Teams’ ‘Europe’ champion will hope to remedy with its Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the Hankook 24H BARCELONA. An event, incidentally, that the Swiss team won overall in 2013.

Series newcomer PTT Racing (#74) will also represent Mercedes-AMG in Catalunya. In a collaborative effort with Schnitzelalm Racing, the Polish team took overall pole position on its debut in Misano, and returns for a standalone outing in Barcelona.

PTT Racing has also registered entries for January’s Michelin 24H DUBAI and Michelin 6H ABU DHABI, as well as the inaugural 992 Endurance Cup in 6-7 September.

Poulsen Motorsport (#14) finished an impressive 4th overall at the 2022 Hankook 24H BARCELONA, its first competitive outing with CREVENTIC in more than seven years. The Danish team will no doubt hope to break the overall top three in 2024.

Following a comeback GT3-AM win in Misano, 2009 24H DUBAI winner Land Motorsport (#34) will look to repeat this run of form in Barcelona with its Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, while reigning GT3 Teams’ champion Haas RT (#1), also representing the German brand in Catalunya, will look to replicate its overall runners-up spot at last year’s race.

RD Signs – Siauliai racing team (#69) rounds out the GT3 entrants so far with its Lamborghini Huracán GT3. The Lithuanian team took its first GT3 class podium last time out in Misano, and will hope for a similarly strong run at the season-closing Hankook 24H BARCELONA at which it secured last year’s GTX Teams’ championship.

992 and GTX
2022 992 Teams’ ‘Europe’ champion Red Ant Racing (#903 and #904) is on course to regain its title at the Hankook 24H BARCELONA. Despite a disastrous weekend in Misano, the Belgian team currently holds 1st and 2nd in the 992 standings, has taken three class wins already this season, and took a category win in Barcelona in 2022.

HRT Performance will similarly field two entries on 13-14-15 September: one a standalone Porsche (#967), the other reviving its collaboration with the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (#931). The Hankook 24H BARCELONA will also be QMMF by HRT’s first European event with CREVENTIC.

Fellow series mainstay MRS GT-Racing has also registered two entries (#988 and #989). In a busy month of competition with CREVENTIC, the German team, a two-time podium finisher already at the Hankook 24H BARCELONA, has also registered four Porsches for the inaugural 992 Endurance Cup. Mühlner Motorsport (#918) – like MRS GT-Racing, a frontrunner in Prototype Cup Germany – will pull similar double duty with CREVENTIC at both the Hankook 24H BARCELONA and the 992 Endurance Cup.

Reigning 992-AM Teams’ champion RPM Racing (#907) is hoping to successfully defend its title at the Hankook 24H BARCELONA. The German team finished 2nd overall in 992 last time out in Misano, and, tellingly, took class victory at CREVENTIC’s most recent 24-hour race in Portimão. Nearest rival Orchid Racing Team (#917), which finished just behind RPM Racing in Misano incidentally, will be similarly hot on the German team’s heels, and will be keen to replicate its GT4 class win in Barcelona in 2019.

2018 Overall GT Teams’ champion PROsport Racing (#901), reigning TCR Teams’ champion Holmgaard Motorsport (#902), and series mainstay NKPP Racing by Bas Koeten Racing (#992) all make their 24H SERIES returns in Barcelona. PROsport Racing and Holmgaard in particular will be eying a maiden podium in their first respective seasons of CREVENTIC competition with Porsche’s 992-generation GT3 Cup.

Porsche Carrera Cup GB race winner Eden Race Drive (#916) rounds out the 992 entrants at the moment, and is set to make its 24H SERIES debut in Catalunya.

Vortex V8 (#701 and #702) is the sole GTX entrant confirmed so far. The French independent has a rich history at the Hankook 24H BARCELONA, having secured the GTX Teams’ championship at the event in 2021, a class win as ‘GC Automobile Factory’ in 2013, and unveiled its brand-new Vortex ‘2.0’ ahead of last year’s race.

GT4
The 24H SERIES is gearing up for one of its strongest GT4 fields of the season in Barcelona, with 11 entries representing six different manufacturers, already signed up.

Newly-crowned GT4 Teams’ champion Buggyra ZM Racing (#416) will hope to complete a clean sweep of class wins at Barcelona with its Mercedes-AMG GT4, while season-long rival Lionspeed GP (#424) will be looking to finish a strong maiden campaign as a standalone entity with its fourth podium of 2024 – if not a first class win – for its Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.

ST Racing (#428), the Overall GT Teams’ champion of 2021, makes a one-off return to the GT4 category on 13-14-15 September with the latest generation BMW M4 GT4. Memorably, on its most recent 24H SERIES outing in 2022, the Canadian team led much of the opening half of that year’s Hankook 24H BARCELONA. Like ST Racing, Britain’s Simpson Motorsport (#438) returns to 24H SERIES action in Catalonia with its ‘G82’-gen BMW M4 GT4.

Spain’s NM Racing Team (#415), winner of the Hankook 24H BARCELONA overall in 2017 and in-class in 2018, will be gunning for a hattrick at the 25th edition. The Barcelona-based squad was also in contention for a GTX podium last year on the series debut of Mercedes’ AMG GT2.

Team Africa Le Mans (#455) makes a welcome return to the 24H SERIES in Barcelona. The South African team last competed in back-to-back CREVENTIC events at Imola and Misano in 2017, and brings a seven-year hiatus to a close with its Ginetta G55 GT4.

Series staple CWS Engineering (#478), a class winner at the Hankook 24H BARCELONA in 2021, and Lithuania’s GSR Motorsport (#405), a podium finisher earlier this year in Portimão, have similarly registered a Ginetta G55 apiece for the 25th edition.

Following its series debut in Portimão, W Autosport Garage (#491) takes on a second CREVENTIC event with its Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO in Catalunya. Apex MP Racing (#414) and Venture Engineering (#421) meanwhile are set to make their 24H SERIES debuts at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with a KTM X-BOW GT4 and a Mercedes-AMG GT4 respectively.

Vortex V8 (#701 and #702) is the sole GTX entrant confirmed thus far. The French independent has a rich history at the Hankook 24H BARCELONA, having secured the GTX Teams’ championship at the event in 2021, a class win as ‘GC Automobile Factory’ in 2013, and unveiled its brand-new Vortex ‘2.0’ at last year’s event.