Registration for this year’s Hankook 12H HUNGARY, to be held at the Hungaroring near Budapest on 3 and 4 October, is now open. The event, organised by Dutch agency CREVENTIC in co-operation with DNRT (Dutch National Racing Team), is the final round of the 24H SERIES powered by Hankook. “This will be the sixth running of our race in Hungary, which has become a firmly established event in our portfolio,” says Gerrie Willems on behalf of CREVENTIC. “Teams who have raced there with us in the past are eager to come back. The Hungaroring is beautifully located and is considered as a challenging and technical circuit with plenty of undulation. Given the huge interest for the twelve-hour race at Zandvoort, we expect a competitive grid in Hungary, too. Pre-registration is now open, so that teams can submit their pre-entries.”
After the 24H DUBAI, the flagship event of the 24H SERIES powered by Hankook, the event in Hungary was the second race in CREVENTIC’s portfolio. From its inaugural edition in 2008 until this year, the race at the Hungaroring was the only twelve-hour race in Europe for GTs, touring cars and 24H Specials. While the Hankook 12H ITALY-MUGELLO and the Hankook 12H ZANDVOORT have been added to the calendar of the 24H SERIES powered by Hankook for the first time, the Hankook 12H HUNGARY still keeps its original format of a once-around-the-clock race. “Racing from the early morning until the evening is quite a challenge for drivers and teams. While we got very positive feedback on our format in Italy and Zandvoort, with three hours of racing on Friday and the remainder of the race on Saturday, we have chosen to maintain the regular twelve-hour format for the race in Hungary as this has become a tradition,” Gerrie Willems
explains.
Opened in 1985, the Hungaroring has been the venue of the Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix every year since 1986, with legendary drivers as Nelson Piquet, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher on the winners’ list, together with current stars like Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso. This year, the track also hosts rounds of the FIA World Touring Car Championship, the FIA Formula 3 European Championship and the DTM. The nearby Hungarian capital of Budapest provides great possibilities for sightseeing, shopping and cultural entertainment plus a great variety of restaurants to enjoy Hungarian and international cuisine. With an average temperature of 17 degrees for the month of October, chances of nice weather at the time of the race are good.
Last year’s 12H HUNGARY saw the Blancpain Racing team score a dominant win with their Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, driven by Dutchmen Peter Kox and Nico Pronk and Swiss Marc Hayek. In a closely-fought battle for second place overall, Australians Malcolm Niall, Mark Pilatti and Brett Niall prevailed with their Porsche 997 Cup car, also winning the 997 class. French drivers Lionel Amrouche, Franck Leone Provost and Jean-Charles Perrin came third overall with their GC Automobile GC10-V8 and won the SP3 class.
The event schedule for this year’s Hankook 12H HUNGARY starts with an optional private test on Friday, 3 October, from 9.00 till 14.00 hrs, followed by free practice from 15.00 till 16.30 hrs and qualifying from 16.45 till 18.00 hrs. Night practice is scheduled from 19.00 till 20.00 hrs. The race starts on Saturday, 4 October, at 8.00 hrs and ends at 20.00 hrs, followed by the prize-giving ceremony. More information about the Hankook 12H HUNGARY and the other rounds of the 24H SERIES powered by Hankook can be found at: www.24hseries.com.
ENTRY FEE
Regular Entry Fee for the Hankook 12H HUNGARY 2014 for all cars | 3.500 EUR*
* VAT is not applicable for teams with a valid VAT-ID-number (with exception of Dutch companies with a VAT number). Otherwise entry fee is exclusive 27% Hungarian VAT.