Up to 131 drivers are expected to compete at the 10th edition of the Hankook 12H MUGELLO this coming weekend, one of the strongest fields to-date at the 24H SERIES powered by Hankook’s traditional European season opener.
First held in 2014, the Hankook 12H MUGELLO will be hosted for a 10th time at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello on 22-23-24 March. Close to 40 cars, encompassing 21 different nationalities, have already been entered for the 12-hour event, and are set to be raced by several former and/or reigning overall drivers’ champions, and even two FIA world champions.
GT3 and GT3-Pro/Am
Could the Hankook 12H MUGELLO produce another first-time winner?
All-Italian line-up aboard Kessel Racing Ferrari 296; ‘Racer Mom’ Lisa Clark
joins Pellin.
To-date, six different teams have taken outright victory at Hankook 12H MUGELLO, five of which did so for the first time in the 24H SERIES. A record that could conceivably extend to seven (and six) on 22-23-24 March.
Car Collection Motorsport (#12), already an overall event winner this year at Abu Dhabi, continues its 24H SERIES campaign in 2024 with a new Porsche 992 GT3 R. The 2019 Hankook 24H DUBAI winner has registered 2019 Overall TCE Drivers’ champion Yannick Mettler alongside Switzerland’s Ivan Jacoma and Alex Fontana, and America’s ‘Hash.’
GP Elite’s (#32) Porsche 992 GT3 R is also expected to be at the sharp end in Mugello. The Dutch team has confirmed that Lucas Groeneveld, Jesse and Daan van Kuijk, the same trio that came close to overall victory at the 2022 Hankook 12H KUWAIT, will drive alongside compatriot Max van Splunteren.
Following its maiden GT3 campaign in 2023, Spain’s E2P Racing (#90) makes the step up to GT3-Pro/Am for 2024. The Porsche 991.2 GT3 R will be headlined by former Bathurst 12 Hours winner Álvaro Parente, who joins the Spanish team as PRO to the returning Antonio Sainero and 2022 991 Drivers’ champion Pablo Burguera.
Lithuania’s Juta Racing (#71) returns for another campaign in the 24H SERIES with its EVO II generation Audi R8 LMS GT3, and enters a multi-national driver line-up with Sweden’s Lukas Sundahl, Britain’s Casper Stevenson, Australia’s John Corbett and Lithuania’s Arunas Geciauskas.
Italian debutant Pellin Racing (#29) brings a Ferrari 488 GT3 to Mugello, which will be driven by ‘Racer Mom’ – and Ferrari aficionado – Lisa Clark, reigning Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America champion Kyle Marcelli, and Nürburgring 24 Hours class winner Jeff Westphal.
The first of two Kessel Racing Ferraris rounds out the GT3-Pro/Am line-up thus far, with long-time Italian teammates Alessandro Cutrera, Marco Talarico, Marco Frezza, David Fumanelli (currently the Hankook 12H MUGELLO race lap record holder) and ‘L.M.D.V’ set to drive the ‘Boem by Kessel Racing’-entered Ferrari 296 GT3 (#8). The standalone sister Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 (#5) will be driven by series debutants Alexandre Bochez, Mikaël Bochez and Murat Cuhadaroglu, and the returning Felice Jelmini.
GT3-Am
Brand-new line-up for three-time overall event winner Herberth Motorsport.
Overall series champions CP Racing and Hofor-Racing in the GT3-Am hunt.
Three-time Hankook 12H MUGELLO winner Herberth Motorsport debuts a brand-new driver line-up for its #91 Porsche 992 GT3 R this coming weekend. Ralf Bohn, a three-time event winner together with team owner Alfred Renauer and the now-retired Daniel Allemann, will team for the first time with Scott Noble and Jason Hart, one race on from the American pair’s GT3 bow with Huber Motorsport.
This marks the first time that Herberth’s #91 Porsche will compete with neither Daniel Allemann nor either Renauer onboard since the Bavarian team’s debut in 2015.
Alongside 2017 Overall GT Teams’ ‘Continents’ champion Herberth Motorsport, two further outright title winners will headline the GT3-Am ranks in Mugello.
2022 GT Continents Trophy winner CP Racing (#85) has re-confirmed its traditional line-up for its Mercedes-AMG GT3: 2018 Overall GT Drivers’ champions Charles Putman, Charles Espenlaub and Joe Foster (also two-time event class winners), and 2022 GT Continents Trophy winner Shane Lewis. 2017 Overall GT Teams’ ‘Europe’ champion Hofor-Racing meanwhile (#11), also running a Mercedes-AMG, has registered 2017 Overall GT Drivers’ champions Michael Kroll, Chantal Prinz and Kenneth Heyer alongside Alexander Prinz and three-time event class winner Maximilian Partl.
The Heart of Racing by SPS (#27) is also expected to be among the frontrunners in Tuscany. The American team, which once again collaborates with SPS automotive performance, took its first outright series podium at the 2023 Hankook 12H MUGELLO, and will be looking to emulate, if not better, that result with an unchanged driver line-up – Ian James, Gray Newell and Roman de Angelis – aboard the Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Italy’s MP Racing (#58) is set to make its first series start since last year’s Hankook 12H SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS in Tuscany, and has confirmed Gostner father-son-daughters quartet Thomas, David, Manuela and Corinna will drive the Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Reigning GTX Teams’ champion RD Signs – Siauliai racing team (#69) makes the jump to GT3 in 2024 with a Lamborghini Huracán GT3, and does so with its GTX Drivers’ title-winning line-up. Team patriarch Audrius Butkevicius will compete alongside Lithuanian compatriot Paulius Paskevicius and Italy’s Nicola Michelon.
The returning Poulsen Motorsport (#14) rounds out the GT3-AM entrants thus far. Team namesakes – and brothers – Roland and Kristian Poulsen will drive the BMW M4 GT3 alongside Danish countryman Christoffer Nygaard.
992
Orchid Racing Team, HRT Performance starts full European campaign in Mugello.
2022 992 Drivers’ champions Yannick and Aryton Redant back with Red Ant Racing; 24H DUBAI winner Stéphane Perrin moves to 992 with SebLajoux Racing.
The 2024 Hankook 12H MUGELLO is set to feature its largest ‘992’ field yet, with 16 cars already confirmed in-class.
Nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb will start his maiden 24H SERIES race at the Hankook 12H MUGELLO, and will do so alongside fellow series debutant – and 2016 FIA World Endurance Champion – Romain Dumas.
The pair will team up with the Orchid Racing Team (#963) and will drive alongside Laurent Misbach and Alexandre Mottet – class winners on the Swiss team’s debut at Barcelona in 2019 – and Loic Villiger.
Orchid Racing Team has also registered a second, Porsche 992 GT3 Cup (#917) for the full European season, which will compete in 992-Am with Alexandre Mottet – pulling double duty in Mugello – alongside Laurène Godey, Antonio Garzon, Daniel Gillioz and Frank Villiger.
2022 992 Teams’ champion Red Ant Racing has extended its entry from one to two Porsche 992 GT3 Cups for Mugello. 2022 992 Drivers’ ‘Europe’ champions Yannick and Aryton Redant will drive alongside Belgian compatriot Kobe de Breucker once again in 2024 (#903), while Peter Guelinckx, and the returning Brent Verheyen and Michiel Haverans will drive the sister car (#904) in its step across from 992-Am.
Last year’s outright Hankook 12H MUGELLO winner Stéphane Perrin moves across to the 992 class this year with SebLajoux Racing by DUWO (#908). The two-time Hankook 24H DUBAI TCR class winner joins French compatriots Jean-François Demorge, Philippe Polette (class winner at Mugello in 2019), and Gilles Blasco in Tuscany.
992-Am
RPM Racing confirms 2023 992-Am Drivers’ champions Krohn, Jönsson and Hamprecht.
Centri Porsche Ticino looking to continue undefeated streak at Hankook 12H MUGELLO.
Defending 992-AM Teams’ champion RPM Racing (#907) starts its latest European campaign with CREVENTIC in Mugello, and does so with reigning 992-Am Drivers’ champions Tracy Krohn, Niclas Jönsson and Philip Hamprecht.
Last year’s Overall GT Teams’ champion Atlas BX Motorsport returns to the 24H SERIES in 2024, albeit now running as ‘Hankook Competition’ (#911) in deference to its principal backer. In the South Korean team’s first campaign with a Porsche 992 GT3 Cup, it has confirmed that reigning GT4 Drivers’ champions Steven Cho and Jongkyum Kim will drive alongside Recardo Bruins and the thought-provoking ‘Dr Ma.’
Series staple Bas Koeten Racing (#925) returns to the 24H SERIES’ dedicated Porsche category in Mugello, and will compete with Bob Herber and Marcel van Berlo. This collaboration last competed together at Mugello in 2022, doing so with a Bentley Continental GT3 on the luxury British brand’s 24H SERIES debut.
The sister NKPP by Bas Koeten Racing Porsche 992 GT3 Cup meanwhile (#992) will once again be driven by series stalwarts Gijs Bessem and Harry Hilders.
HRT Performance (#967), the event’s GTX class winner in 2022, has confirmed long-time teammates Nicolas Stürzinger and Amedeo Pampanini will line-up alongside series newcomer Linus Diener for a full European campaign with CREVENTIC.
Italy’s Ebimotors, a former 991 Teams’ champion and the reigning GT3 24H SERIES Middle East Trophy winner with Willi Motorsport, has confirmed a dual line-up for its home endurance event. Compatriots Paolo Venerosi and Gianluigi Piccioli, who took 991-class victory at Tuscany in 2022, with drive the standalone #973 Porsche with Paolo Gnemmi.
Mantas Janavicius, Rusteika Aurelijus, Marius Bartkus and Valters Zviedris meanwhile will make their series debuts aboard the sister ‘Rimo Adero by Ebimotors’ Porsche (#974).
Porsche Baltic (#993), a top five finisher in 992-Am last year, returns to the Hankook 12H MUGELLO in 2024 with Robertas Kupcikas and Tautvydas Rudokas now running alongside Lithuanian compatriots Domas Raudonis and Eduardas Klepikas.
Father-son duo Markus and Felix Neuhofer ran among the frontrunners at last year’s Hankook 12H MUGELLO on the ‘992’ debut for Neuhofer Rennsport (#985). The pair, who also finished 2nd overall at the 2023 Hankook 6H ABU DHABI, return to competition in Tuscany alongside 24H SERIES newcomers Manuel Zlof and Alexey Denisov.
Centri Porsche Ticino (#912), a three-time class winner already at the Hankook 12H MUGELLO – and the event’s 992-Am class winner last year – rounds out the 992-Am entries thus far, and has confirmed Italian teammates Max Busnelli and Francesco Fenici for the event alongside Switzerland’s Valerio Presezzi and Ivan Jacoma. The pulls double duty this coming weekend with Centri Porsche Ticino and Car Collection Motorsport.
GTX and GT4
Former series champion Hofor Racing by Bonk back in GT4; registers multi-time class winners Kroll and Partl for Mugello.
2023 GT4 runner-up Buggyra ZM Racing confirms Koloc, Vršecký and Lacko for 2024.
Vortex V8 and 9und11 Racing look set to go head-to-head for GTX honours in Mugello.
The French independent has registered two of its brand-new Vortex 2.0 lightweight sports cars for Tuscany, with team founders Arnaud and Olivier Gomez set to race alongside the returning Lucas Sugliano in the #702 entry. Team staples Lionel Amrouche (who already has 50-plus starts in the 24H SERIES to his name), Philippe Bonnel (the 2021 GTX Drivers’ champion), and Gilles Courtois will drive the sister #701 Vortex.
9und11 Racing meanwhile (#719) has retained its traditional driver line-up, with Georg Goder, Ralf Oehme, Tim Scheerbarth and Martin Schlüter – two-time class winners already in the 24H SERIES – aboard its Porsche 991.2 GT3 Cup ‘MR.’
Following an exploratory run last year in Barcelona, 2018 Overall TCE Teams’ champion Hofor Racing by Bonk (#431) returns to the GT4 fold in Mugello – a category it also won in 2019 – with its ‘G82’-gen BMW M4 GT4. Team co-owner (and three-time class winner) Michael Kroll, Michael Mayer and Rainer Partl took TC class victory together at last year’s race, and will race together once again in 2024.
Last year’s GT4 Teams’ championship runner-up Buggyra ZM Racing (#416) begins its second consecutive European campaign with CREVENTIC in Mugello, and will race once again with Aliyyah Koloc, David Vršecký and Adam Lacko. Jaromír Jiřík, who joined the team at last year’s Hankook 24H BARCELONA, has also been registered to compete.
Spain’s PCR Sport (#418) begins its latest GT4 campaign with Mercedes-AMG, and will race in Mugello with Vicente Dasi, Josep Parera and Harriet Arruabarrena. Tellingly, Arruabarrena already has one TCR class win to his name at Mugello, also with PCR Sport, in 2016.
Lionspeed GP (#424) rounds out the event entries thus far. For its first racing program as a standalone entity, the German team has registered a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS for team founders José Garcia and Patrick Kolb, Daniel Miller, and the debuting Dennis Bohn, son of Herberth Motorsport’s Ralf Bohn.