In mid-September, I went to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the 25th edition of the Hankook 24 Hours of Barcelona.
In addition to the 24 hours, we had the Renault Clio Cup Series and Alpine Elf Europa Cup, each comprising two Free test sessions, two Qualifying sessions and two races.
For the main event.
The meeting was made up of a Private Test lasting 90 minutes, a Free Practice also lasting 90 minutes, three Qualifying Sessions lasting a quarter of an hour each for the TCE and GT4 classes and the same for the GT3, GTX and 992 classes, a Night Practice on Friday from 8:48 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. and of course the race itself with a start on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.
36 competitors were present on the entry list, distributed as follows:
11 GT3 ; 4 Audi - R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, 1 Mercedes-AMG - GT3, 1 Mc Laren - 720S GT3 EVO, 1 Porsche - 911 GT3 R (992) and 1 Porsche - 911 GT3 R (991 I I), 1 BMW - M4 GT3, 2 Lamborghini - Huracán GT3 EVO.
11 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992)
3 GTX : 1 KTM - X-BOW GTX and 2 Vortex V8
7 GT4 : 1 BMW - M4 GT 4 (G82), 2 Mercedes-AMG - GT4, 1 Porsche - 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, 1 KTM - X-BOW GT4 (2018), 2 Ginetta - G55 GT4.
4 TCE : 1 Ginetta - G55, 1 BMW - M3 E46, 1 Seat - Leon Cup Racer and 1 Porsche - 718 Cayman GT 4 CS (Type 982).
Now let's get to the heart of the matter.
The private tests
The private tests were dominated by Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO #69 from the RD Signs – Siauliai racing team driver by Butkevicius / Michelon / Paskevicius / Capkauskas / Ruskys.
In 992 class is the Red Ant Racing #903 team that achieves the best time.
#702 Vortex V8 will be at the top of the GTX class.
The KTM - X-BOW GT4 (2018) #404 will take over the GT4 class.
The TCE class will be owned, for this session, by Ginetta - G55 #178.
Free Practice
Sainteloc Junior Team #18 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II will win the overall of the Free Practice session.
In 992 class Misbach / Garzon / Brodard / Mottet / Leclerc #917 Orchid Racing Team we will take the best time in 1:47.209
In the GTX class, this time it was KTM - X-BOW GTX #714 that achieved the reference time.
GT4 will be dominated by ST Racing's BMW - M4 GT 4 (G82) #428.
The Ginetta - G55 will #178 renew the results of private tests.
Qualifying Session
We will start with the qualifications of the GT3, GTX and 992 classes.
Having logged the third quickest time in Q1, the Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 EVO (#4, Todd Coleman / Aaron Telitz / Robert Megennis / Frederik Schandorf) went on to bank the fastest overall times in Q2 and Q3 to achieve a cumulative average, for the British team, over the three 15-minute sessions of 1m 42.506s.
Three tenths of a second behind the Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II the Saintéloc Junior Team #18 at the wheel of which we find Michael Doppelmayr / Pierre Kaffer / Elia Erhart / Stephane Tribaudini / Christer Jöns.
Behind the top two, Poulsen Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 (#14, Kristian Poulsen / Roland Poulsen / Alfred Nilsson / Jens Klingmann) fell just over a tenth of a second shy of the front row, and will start 3rd overall.
Overall and GT3 top 3 in Qualifying.
1. Optimum Motorsport (#4, McLaren 720S GT3 EVO) – 1m 42.506s
2. Saintéloc Junior Team (#18, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II) – 1m 42.803s
3. Poulsen Motorsport (#14, BMW M4 GT3) – 1m 42.948s
With an average of 1m 46.730s over the 3 qualifying sessions, Red Ant Racing places its #903 on pole in the 992 category.
992-AM class polesitter, RPM Racing (#907, Tracy Krohn / Niclas Jönsson / Philip Hamprecht / Patrick Huisman) will instead start alongside the #903 Porsche after a late surge.
Spain’s Road to Le Mans (#949, Agustin Sanabria Crespo / Pablo Bras Silvero / Fernando Gonzalez Gonzalez / Pedro Miguel Lourinho Bras / Francesc Gutierrez Agüi) impressed with a strong run to 3rd overall in 992 qualifying (2nd in 992-AM).
992 top 3 in qualifying.
1. Red Ant Racing (#903, Porsche 992 GT3 Cup) – 1m 46.730s
2. RPM Racing (#907, Porsche 992 GT3 Cup) – 1m 47.543s
3. Road to Le Mans (#949, Porsche 992 GT3 Cup) – 1m 47.621s
Razoon – More Than Racing (#714, Artur Chwist / Christian Loimayr / Daniel Drexel / Simon Birch), will start comfortably on GTX pole.
Vortex V8 (#701, Philippe Bonnel / Solenn Amrouche / Gilles Courtois / Lionel Amrouche) took a conservative approach to qualifying, and will thus start behind its sister #702 Vortex 2.0 (Lucas Sugliano / Cyril Calmon / Miguel Moiola / Pierre Fontaine).
GTX top 3 in qualifying.
1. Razoon - More T han Racing (#714, KTM X-BOW GTX) - 1m 46.724s
2. Vortex V8 (#702, Vortex 2.0) - 1m 48.042s
3. Vortex V8 (#701, Vortex 2.0) - 1m 48.954s
Now comes the TCE & GT4 classes qualifications.
After a strong run in qualifying for its Ginetta G56 GT4, GSR Motorsport (#405, Mindaugas Liatukas / Rokas Kvedaras / Aras Kvedaras / Dovydas Ketvirtis / Egidijus Gelūnas) has secured the GT4 class pole position.
The Lithuanian team set the fastest overall lap of the GT4/TCE session in Q2 a 1m 51.304s, courtesy of Aras Kvedaras.
Second place will go to the Canadian team, ST Racing, with its BMW M4 GT4 #428 driven by Samantha Tan / Neil Verhagen / Jon Miller / Pippa Mann / Fabian Duffieux.
Thanks to an excellent last lap in Q3, the Lionspeed GP Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport (#424, José Garcia / Daniel Miller / Patrick Kolb / Dennis Bohn) will take third place in the GT4 qualifying.
GT4 top 3 in qualifying
1. GSR Motorsport (#405, Ginetta G55 GT4) – 1m 44.756s
2. ST Racing (#428, BMW M4 GT4) – 1m 52.502s
3. Lionspeed GP (#424, Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport) – 1m 51.989s
Although CWS Engineering (#178, Colin White / Daniel Morris / Paul Buccini / Alistair Mackinnon) ended Q1 with provisional TCE pole position, the Ginetta G55 was pipped for TCE class pole position by J-Mec Engineering BMW M3 E46 (#133, James Collins / Kevin Clarke / Nigel Greensall / Jimmy Broadbent), thanks to a strong showing for the latter in Q2 and an off into the gravel for the Ginetta during Q3.
TCE top 3 in qualifying
1. J-Mec Engineering (#133, BMW M3 E46) - 1m 54.170
2. CWS Engineering (#178, Ginetta G55) - 1m 54.547
3. SRS T eam Sorg Rennsport (#127, Pors che 718 C ayman GT4 CS (Type 982)) - 1m 57.774
Night Practice
Disputed Friday between 8:45 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. this session is the only one run at night.
top 3 overall in Night Practice
1. Optimum Motorsport (#4, Mc Laren 720S GT3 EVO) - 1m 42.286s
2. Poulsen Motorsport (#14, BMW M4 GT3) - 1m 44.521s
3. Sainteloc Junior Team (#18, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II) - 1m 45.422s
The race
As soon as the green light came on, at exactly noon, the pole-sitting Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 EVO #4 held its lead into turn one on the opening lap, and had pulled out almost a full minute lead prior to the opening round of pit stops.
The first hours of the race will see a constant fight between Optimum Motorsport, Poulsen Motorsport (BMW M4 GT3 #14), Sainteloc Junior Team (Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II 18) and Herberth Motorsport (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) #91).
Having swapped the lead repeatedly with the Saintéloc Junior Team throughout the night, the Herberth Motorsport managed to extend its advantage to just over two laps heading into Sunday morning.
A couple of on-track clashes aside, ran faultlessly en-route to the chequered flag, extending the event’s ‘GT era’ distance record (2011 to present) from 725 laps to 738 laps of the 4.657km Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
After a typically impeccable performance, the Saintéloc Junior Team came home 2nd overall.
The Poulsen Motorsport eventually emerged on top in a close fight with the Red Camel by Juta Racing (Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II #9), for 3rd overall.
The top five will be completed by Hofor Racing (#11, Michael Kroll / Chantal Prinz / Alexander Prinz / Maximilian Partl / Kenneth Heyer).
The pole-sitting Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 EVO (#4, Todd Coleman / Aaron Telitz / Robert Megennis / Frederik Schandorf) had headed the field by more than 50 seconds during the opening stint, and was still well in the hunt for overall victory at half-distance. Regrettably, the British team lost close to 20 minutes in the pits during the night when the McLaren’s throttle pedal went to the floor.
This dropped Optimum Motorsport into the fight for 3rd, from which it would be eliminated, less than 45 minutes from home, with fuel pressure problems. The McLaren was eventually classified 7th.
Hankook 24H Barcelona – Overall Top 5
1. Herberth Motorsport (#91, Porsche 992 GT3 R) – 738 laps
2. Saintéloc Junior Team (#18, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II) – 736 laps
3. Poulsen Motorsport (#14, BMW M4 GT3) – 732 laps
4. Red Camel by Juta Racing (#9, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II) - 731 laps
5. HOFOR Racing (#11, Mercedes-A MG GT3) - 719 laps
992 category
In category 992, Red Ant Racing secured its fourth class win of the season at Barcelona following a near race- long battle with eventual 992-AM class winner QMMF by HRT.
Though they were separated by four laps at the flag, the overall 992 lead swapped repeatedly between the pair during the night.
Newly-crowned 992-AM Teams’ champion RPM Racing (#907, Tracy Krohn / Niclas Jönsson / Philip Hamprecht / Patrick Huisman) bested HRT Performance (#967, David Holloway / Jonathan Kearney / Gary Terclavers / Bradley Ellis / Kim André Hauschild) for the final overall podium spot in 992, despite losing time to an early collision.
Top 5 992 / 992-AM
1. Red Ant Racing (#903, Porsche 992 GT3 Cup) – 714 laps
2. QMMF by HRT (#931, Porsche 992 GT3 Cup) – 710 laps
3. RPM Racing (#907, Porsche 992 GT3 Cup) – 706 laps
4. HRT Performance (#967, Porsche 992 GT3 Cup) – 696 laps
5. Orchid Racing Team (#917, Porsche 992 GT3 Cup) – 676 laps
GTX category
Vortex V8 (#701, Philippe Bonnel / Solenn Amrouche / Gilles Courtois / Lionel Amrouche) secured both its fourth class win of the season and the GTX Teams’ title at Barcelona.
Early GTX leader Razoon – More Than Racing (#714, Artur Chwist / Christian Loimayr / Daniel Drexel / Simon Birch) ended up nursing the after-effects of a heavy crash during the second hour – including significant bodywork repair on the KTM X-BOW GTX and a severe vibration.
Top 3 GTX
1. Vortex V8 (#701, Vortex 2.0) - 610 laps
2. Razoon - More T han Racing (#714, KTM X-BOW GTX) - 497 laps
3. (DNF) Vortex V8 (#702, Vortex 2.0) - 493 laps
GT4 category
In an incredible grandstand finish, series debutant Venture Engineering, (Mercedes-AMG GT4 - #421, Neville Jones / Christopher Jones / Matthew George / Owen Hizzey) led ST Racing (BMW M4 GT4 (G82) - #428, Samantha Tan / Neil Verhagen / Jon Miller / Pippa Mann / Fabian Duffieux) over the line by just one second after 24 hours of racing.
The ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 had bounced back from a punctured intercooler – the repairs of which dropped the Canadian team to 5th in-class, five laps down – to regain the GT4 top spot on Sunday morning.
Fuel pressure problems however struck the BMW with less than an hour remaining, eroding the BMW’s 90-second lead and handing the top spot to the Venture Engineering Mercedes-AMG GT4.
Incredibly, after 24 hours of uninterrupted racing, the British team crossed the line just 1.011 seconds clear to secure its maiden 24H SERIES win.
ST Racing would be penalized five seconds, post-race, for a Code 60 violation.
GT4 Top 3
1. Venture Engineering (#421, Mercedes-AMG GT4) – 675 laps
2. ST Racing (#428, BMW M4 GT4) – +6.011s
3. Lionspeed GP (#424, Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport) – 671 laps
4. NM Racing Team (#415, Mercedes-A MG GT4) - 670 laps
5. GSR Motorsport (#405, Ginetta G56 GT4) - 635 laps
TCE category
Minus one 28-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane, it was a fault-free run for the SRS Team Sorg Rennsport (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS (Type 982) - #127 Henning Eschweiler / Benito Tagle / Tommy Gråberg / Richard Jodexnis) in the TCE category.
The J-Mec Engineering BMW M3 E46 (#133, James Collins / Kevin Clarke / Nigel Greensall / Jimmy Broadbent) completed the race at 2nd place.
The asBest RACING SEAT León Cup Racer (#101, Peter Baumann / Thomas Ardelt / Junichi Umemoto / Kim Berwanger) completes the TCE podium, despite losing significant time in the garage to a turbo issue.
TCE Top 3
1. SRS Team Sorg Rennsport (#127, Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS (Type 982)) - 636 laps
2. J-Mec Engineering (#133, BMW M3 E46) - 576 laps
3. asBest RACING (#101, Seat Leon Cup Racer) - 532 laps
This concludes my report of this 24-hour race on the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit.
This 25th edition kept its promises, with a show, see the finale in GT4.
Looking forward to 2025 for the next edition.
Additional races
Alpine Elf Europa Cup
Top 4 race 1
1. #38 Cha#rles Roussanne VPS RACING
2. #8 Lukas Papin SCHUMACHER CLRT
3. #4 Léo Jousset RACE CARS CONSULTING
4. #136 Enzo Geraci CHAZEL TECHNOLOGIE COURSE
Top 4 race 2
1. #38 Cha#rles Roussanne VPS RACING
2. #4 Léo Jousset RACE CARS CONSULTING
3. #136 Enzo Geraci CHAZEL TECHNOLOGIE COURSE
4. #8 Lukas Papin SCHUMACHER CLRT
Renault Clio Cup Series
Top 4 race 1
1. #12 Gabriele Torelli RANGONI Corse
2. #48 Nicolas Milan MILAN Competition
3. #1 David Pouget GPA Racing
4. #11 Nikola Miljkovic TEMPO Racing
Top 4 race 2
1. #12 Gabriele Torelli RANGONI Corse
2. #5 Anthony Jurado RANGONI Corse
3. #48 Nicolas Milan MILAN Competition
4. #1 David Pouget GPA Racing
Based on Creventic press report.