Herberth Motorsport denies Scuderia Praha fifth consecutive pole position in the dying seconds of qualifying for the 2017 12H IMOLA

The Herberth Motorsport Porsche 991 GT3 R (#111 Daniel Allemann / Ralf Bohn / Robert Renauer / Alfred Renauer) has taken a last-grasp pole position for this weekend’s 2017 12H IMOLA. This marks the first time the German outfit has taken the top spot in qualifying in the 2017 24H Series thus far.

Despite two (brief) red flag periods during the one-hour session, Robert Renauer’s fastest lap of 1m 43.144s – recorded with just 30 seconds to go – was just 0.193s faster than the 1m 43.337s recorded by the Scuderia Praha Ferrari 488 GT3 (#11, Jiri Pisarik / Josef Král). Just one-tenth further back, the Ram Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 (#30, Tom Onslow-Cole / Remon Leonard Vos) completed the top three for the series-leading A6-Pro category on the opening day of the 2017 12H IMOLA.

The GP Extreme Renault RS01 FGT3 (#27, Frederic Fatien / Jordan Grogor / Bassam Kronfli) was fastest of the A6-Am cars, gapping the Leipert Motorsport

Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo (#10, Aleksander Schjerpen / Dimitri Deverikos / Harald Schlotter / Morgan Haber) and MDC-Sports Mercedes-AMG GT3 entries (#44, Manuel Zumstein / Adrian Zumstein / Philip Zumstein) by just over 1.4 seconds. The trio will start 6^th, 8^th and 9^th on the grid respectively.

The PROsport Performance Porsche 991 Cup meanwhile (#85, Charles Putman / Charles Espenlaub / Joe Foster) took a decisive pole position in the 911 class over the MSG Motorsport Porsche 991 Cup (#92, Petar Matic / Philipp Schlegel / Martin Gasser / Boris Miljevic), its sole class rival this weekend at Imola.

A close battle for the SP2-class top spot was ultimately decided when the APO Sport Porsche (#80, Alex Osborne / Paul May) pulled an almost 1.5-second gap out over the second-placed IDEC SPORT RACING Porsche 991 Cup (#75, David Abramczyk / Romain Vozniak / Stephane Adler) and a further two-tenths over the Porsche Lorient Racing Porsche 991 Cup (#64, Philippe Polette / Frédéric Lelievre / Frédéric Ancel).

Timings were similarly close in the SP3-GT4 category, the Optimum Motorsport

Ginetta G55 GT4 (#231, Adrian Barwick / Dan O'Brien / Julio Martini) claiming class pole position by an incredible 0.03s over its fellow class runners. The Brookspeed International Motorsport Porsche Cayman GT4 MR (#40, Rory Butcher / William Paul / Chase Owen) and the Team Africa Le Mans Ginetta G55 GT4 (#555, Jan Lammers / Sarel van der Merwe / Greg Mills / Graham Vos) will line up 2^nd and 3^rd in-class on the grid, despite the latter stopping on-track in the closing stages.

All seven TCR class entrants meanwhile will be line-astern on the grid for this afternoon’s 12H IMOLA race start, the Speed Factory Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR SEQ (#109, Jesus Fuster / Miguel Abello / Jaime Fuster / Mirko van Oostrum) heading the class just ahead of the Team Altran Peugeot 308 Racing Cup (#308, Guillaume Roman / Thierry Blaise / Kim Holmgaard) and the Cadspeed Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR SEQ (#108, Erik Holstein / Jason Coupal / James Kaye). Finally, the Team Cooksport Renault Clio Cup IV (#172, Alex Sedgwick / Oliver Cook / Josh Cook / Adam Hatfield) overhauled the Endurance Team Romania Toyota GT86 CS-V3 (#173, Sergiu Nicolae / Fabrizio Broggi / Viorel Nicolae) for A2 class pole position.

Herberth Motorsport Porsche 991 GT3 R (#911, Daniel Allemann/Ralf Bohn/Robert Renauer/Alfred Renauer) has won the 24H CIRCUIT PAUL RICARD.

After 595 laps on the 5.842 kilometre circuit, equaling a distance of 3,475.99 kilometres, Ralf Bohn crossed the finish line to take the team's third victory in the fourth round of the 2017 24H SERIES.

Herberth Motorsport also won the 24 hour encounter at the French Riviera for the second consecutive time. Outpaced by three laps, the Car Collection Motorsport Audi R8 LMS (#32, Adrian Amstutz/Patrick Kujala/Martin Kodric/Connor de Phillippi) took home the second place. One lap further down, the Scuderia Praha Ferrari 488 GT3 (#11, Jiri Pisarik/Josef Král/Matteo Malucelli/Edward Cheever), moved up from fifth to third to claim the last step on the podium.

In fifth position overall, the Hofor-Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 (#1, Michael Kroll/Chantal Kroll/Roland Eggimann/Kenneth Heyer/Christiaan Frankenhout) took the A6-Am class victory by a one lap margin from the Car Collection Motorsport Audi R8 LMS (#34, Johannes Dr. Kirchhoff/Gustav Edelhoff/Max Edelhoff/Elmar Grimm/Ingo Vogler). The GP Extreme Renault RS01 FGT3 (#27, Frederic Fatien/Jordan Grogor/Tiziano Carugati/Nicky Pastorelli/Bassam Kronfli) finished third in class and ninth overall.

The PROsport Performance Porsche 991 Cup (#85, Charles Putman/Charles Espenlaub/Joe Foster/Andy Pilgrim) was the only car in the 991 class and finished in seventh position overall, 27 laps behind the winners.

In the SP2 class, the Porsche Lorient Racing Porsche 991 Cup (#65, Jean-François Demorge/Alain Demorge/Gilles Blasco/Mathieu Pontais/Frédéric Ancel) took the glory by a 28.0 second margin from the IDEC SPORT RACING Porsche 991 Cup (#75, David Abramczyk/Stephane Adler/Romain Vozniak/Franck Leherpeur/Michael Blanchemain). Four laps down, the Speed Lover Porsche 991 Cup (#78, Pierre-Yves Paque/Jesus Diez/Grégory Paisse) finished in third.

The Modena Motorsports SEAT Leon TCR V3 DSG (#216, Wayne Shen/John Shen/Francis Tjia/Benny Simonsen) kept their lead in the TCR class and won by a three lap margin from the Car Collection Motorsport Audi RS3 LMS TCR DSG (#333, Monika Parhofer/Dirk Vorländer/Christian Kranenberg/JM Littman/Rik Breukers). The Cadspeed Racing with Atech Audi RS3 LMS TCR SEQ (#108, James Kaye/Ricky Coomber/Paul White/David Drinkwater/Thomas Gannon) settled for third.

The only CUP1 class car, the DUWO Racing BMW M235i Racing Cup (#235, Jean-Marie Dumont/Alexander W. Wetzlich/Nicolas Schmit/Adrian Watt/Chris Wilson), completed 477 laps to finish in 17th spot overall.

Despite a terminal engine failure at night, the track-club Lotus Evora GT4 (#111, Marcus Jewell/Simon Atkinson/Adam Knight/Stuart Ratcliff) covered enough laps to take the victory in the SP3-GT4 class. The FACH AUTO TECH Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport (#240, Marco Zolin/Michael Hirschmann/Marcel Wagner/Heinz Bruder) was classified in second place from the Optimum Motorsport Ginetta G55 GT4 (#231, Adrian Barwick/Dan O'Brien/Julio Martini/Philippe Salini).

The fifth round of the 24H SERIES, the 12H IMOLA, will take place from 30 June to 1 July.

For more and more drivers and teams from all over the world, it has become a good tradition to start the new motor racing season in Dubai. Next year will be no exception, with the 13^th running of the 24H DUBAI scheduled to be held at Dubai Autodrome from 11 till 13 January, 2018. Although the event is still almost eight months away, 70 entries have already been received.

“And by no means only GT3 cars, as the provisional entry list has a good mix of touring cars, GT cars and 24H Specials. Interest from TCR touring car teams is rising: already 15 TCR cars have been entered. CREVENTIC is still committed to attracting touring cars for Dubai and the other 24H SERIES events and therefore is delighted to see that half of the provisional entry list currently consists of touring cars and GT4s,” says Gerrie Willems on behalf of CREVENTIC. The Dutch agency is promoter and organiser of the 24H SERIES, in co-operation with the Dutch National Racing Team (DNRT).

The 24H DUBAI has firmly become established as one of the world’s major international endurance races. Held for the first time in 2006, the race is the flagship of the 24H SERIES. Gerrie Willems says: “The regulations will keep the focus on an open and sporting character for a wide variety of cars for the combination of amateurs, gentlemen drivers, semi-pro and pro drivers. Taking into account the valuable feedback from our teams and drivers we will carry out some significant improvements. For instance, we will no longer be working with minimum ‘reference’ lap times and go back to racing and we will try to create more transparency related to penalties.”

A separate GT4 class new for 2018

“In agreement with SRO, a separate GT4 class will be included in all our events from 2018, starting with the race in Dubai,” Willems continues. “With new GT4 cars from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-AMG expected to be available for next year, and the large number of McLaren and Porsche GT4 cars already competing, this category is becoming more and more important. GT4 cars have proven to be perfectly suited for endurance racing, so they fit very well into the 24H SERIES and 24H TCE SERIES. For the non-GT4 cars currently running in the SP3-GT4 class, we will maintain the SP3 category.”

A trouble-free experience with various transport solutions

Having organised the race in Dubai so many times already, CREVENTIC has unparalleled experience when it comes to logistics and handling of cars and equipment related to the event. It has become a good tradition that standard sea freight transport to and from Dubai is included in the entry fee, ensuring a trouble-free experience for the teams. “We take care of the transport from the European Union to the United Arab Emirates and back, customs and delivery and pick-up to and from Dubai Autodrome. When teams arrive at the track, they can immediately start unloading the containers and setting up the pit box,” CREVENTIC’s logistics manager Daphne Gengler says. “Based on our experience with these affordable and convenient transport options, CREVENTIC is also offering various opportunities for teams wanting to take part in our inaugural 24H COTA in November of this year, allowing them to combine this with participation in Dubai.”

Prototypes again in action at Dubai

Following the very successful premiere at Dubai this year, another prototype race will take place at Dubai Autodrome in January, 2018. The race format is yet to be announced, but a total duration of twelve hours is scheduled. The prototypes will race on the weekend prior to the 24H DUBAI, so on 5 and 6 January, 2018.

Attractive entry fee with reduced fees for some classes

The entry fee remains attractive with the same prices as for this year’s race, with even a reduction for the 991, SP3 and GT4 classes. A discount of 1,000 Euros is in place for all teams, irrespective of the class, who submit their registration and payment before 15 August, 2017. CREVENTIC is offering affordable travel packages and catering facilities at the circuit as well. Live streaming with commentary by Radiolemans,com is planned for the 24H DUBAI.

The Scuderia Praha Ferrari 488 GT3 (#11, Jiri Pisarik/Josef Král/Matteo Malucelli/Eddie Cheever) has scored the pole position for 24H Circuit Paul Ricard, the fourth round of the 2017 24H SERIES.

Italian Matteo Malucelli lapped the 5.842 kilometre circuit in 2:06.326 minutes to score the third consecutive pole position for the Czech squad. Missing the top spot by a 0.695 second margin, the ROFGO Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 (#31, Roald Goethe/Stuart Hall/Jamie Campbell-Walter/Nicolas Minassian) will leave from second on the grid. Only 0.094 seconds down, the Car Collection Motorsport Audi R8 LMS (#32, Adrian Amstutz/Patrick Kujala/Martin Kodric/Connor de Phillippi) followed in third.

Six of the twelve A6 cars run in the A6-Am specification and therefore have to respect a minimum reference lap time. In fourth place overall, the GP Extreme
Renault RS01 FGT3 (#28, Jean-Pierre Valentini/Pierre Brice Mena/Anthony Beltoise/Axcil Jefferies/Bassam Kronfli) took the class lead from the SPS automotive performance Mercedes-AMG GT3 (#24, Alexandre Coigny/Iradj Alexander-David/Richard Feller/Tom Dyer) and the second GP Extreme Renault RS01 FGT3 (#27, Frederic Fatien/Jordan Grogor/Tiziano Carugati/Nicky Pastorelli/Bassam Kronfli).

The only car in the 991 class, the PROsport Performance Porsche 991 Cup (#85, Charles Putman/Charles Espenlaub/Joe Foster/Andy Pilgrim), will start from 13th place overall after Charles Espenlaub set a lap time of 2:13.428 minutes.

In 14th position overall, the Porsche Lorient Racing Porsche 991 Cup (#65, Jean-François Demorge/Alain Demorge/Gilles Blasco/Mathieu Pontais/Frédéric Ancel) scored the SP2 pole position. After an intense fight, the APO Sport Porsche 991 Cup (#80, Alex Osborne/James May/Paul May) followed in second place, only 0.072 seconds from the Vortex V8 GC Automobile GC 10 V8 (#203, Nanna Gøtsche/Martin Gøtsche/Jean Christophe Rey/Maxim Aronov/Lev Fridman).

The Car Collection Motorsport Audi RS3 LMS TCR DSG (#333, Monika Parhofer/Dirk Vorländer/Christian Kranenberg/JM Littman/Rik Breukers) kept the upper hand after several lead changes in the TCR class. Finally, Rik Breukers pulled a 0.995 second gap towards the Modena Motorsports SEAT Leon TCR V3 DSG (#216, Wayne Shen/John Shen/Francis Tjia/Benny Simonsen). Third place went to the Cadspeed Racing with Atech Audi RS3 LMS TCR SEQ (#108, James Kaye/Ricky Coomber/Paul White/David Drinkwater/Thomas Gannon).

The Optimum Motorsport Ginetta G55 GT4 (#231, Adrian Barwick/Dan O'Brien/Julio Martini/Philippe Salini) topped the timing sheets in the SP3-GT4 class. The FACH AUTO TECH Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport (#240, Marco Zolin/Michael Hirschmann/Marcel Wagner/Heinz Bruder) will start from second place. The track-club Lotus Evora GT4 (#111, Marcus Jewell/Simon Atkinson/Adam Knight/Stuart Ratcliff) settled for third.

The DUWO Racing BMW M235i Racing Cup (#235, Jean-Marie Dumont/Alexander W. Wetzlich/Nicolas Schmit/Adrian Watt/Chris Wilson) runs in the CUP1 class as a soloist. Jean-Marie Dumont qualified the car in 29th position overall with a 2:31.395 minute lap time.