Car Collection Motorsport’s #80 Porsche 992 GT3 R has been promoted to overall pole position for this weekend’s 2024 Hankook 12H SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, and will now start alongside ARC Bratislava’s Lamborghini Huracán on the front row of the grid following a number of post-qualifying grid penalties.

11 cars have been handed grid penalties for tomorrow’s Hankook 12H SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS owing to at least one driver, per team, failing to attend the mandatory drivers’ briefing. Among those 11 entries was Car Collection Motorsport’s #12 Porsche, which was originally awarded pole position, but, following a two-place grid penalty, will now start 3rd overall.

Ironically, Car Collection’s sister Porsche 992 GT3 R (#80), which was due to start alongside the #12 Porsche on the front row, is the beneficiary, and will start from pole.

Likewise, Haas RT (#1) was originally due to start 3rd, and will now start 4th after receiving its own one-place grid penalty.

The shuffle means that ARC Bratislava (#44) has been promoted to the front row of the grid and will start 2nd. This marks the Slovakian teams’ best overall starting position to-date in the 24H SERIES.

Four of the five remaining teams in the overall top 10 – Herberth Motorsport (#91), Kessel Racing (#5), Red Ant Racing (#903), Hofor-Racing (#11) and Land-Motorsport (#34) – are unaffected by the race stewards’ decision and retain their 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th place starting positions as before. Red Ant Racing also starts from 992 class pole, as before.

Saintéloc Junior Team meanwhile, which had originally qualified 10th overall, was deemed not to have respected the testing restrictions prior to the event, and as a consequence, has been sent to the very back of the grid. Juta Racing (#71) now rounds out the overall top 10.

Revised starting grid (Top 10)

Car Collection Motorsport (#80, Porsche 992 GT3 R)
ARC Bratislava (#44, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO)
Car Collection Motorsport (#12, Porsche 992 GT3 R
Haas RT (#1, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II)
Herberth Motorsport (#91, Porsche 992 GT3 R)
Kessel Racing (#5, Ferrari 296 GT3)
Red Ant Racing (#903, Porsche 992 GT3 Cup)
Hofor-Racing (#11, Mercedes-AMG GT3)
Land Motorsport (#34, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II)
Juta Racing (#71, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II)

Eight further teams in 992, GTX, GT4 and TCE have also been handed grid penalties for the drivers’ briefing infringement. Although this has affected their starting positions on the overall grid, it does not change their grid positions in-class.

Hans Weijs Motorsport (#972) and Bas Koeten Racing (#925) for example retain 3rd and 4th overall in 992 (the former also retains its 992-Am pole position), but one-place grid penalties apiece mean both have now been leapfrogged by Team CMR (#795). The Ginetta will thus start 14th alongside GTX polesitter Vortex V8 (#702).

Similarly, Simpson Motorsport (#438) and Lionspeed GP (#424) will still start 2nd and 3rd in GT4 behind the ALFAB Racing McLaren (#400). The #424 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport though has received a three-place penalty to its rival’s one, and so has dropped behind both RPM Racing (#907) and GDL Racing (#969) to 33rd.

Further back, SebLajoux Racing by DUWO Racing (#908) has been relegated from 37th overall to 39th on the grid behind the debuting Hamofa Motorsport (#419) and Mugello class winner 9und11 Racing (#719).

Ironically, penalties for the Saintéloc Junior Team (#18), SRS Team Sorg Rennsport (#127) and the debuting HY Racing (#169) means that EBM (#84), which did not take part in qualifying at all, has been promoted to 42nd from the very back row of the grid.

The green flag for the sixth edition of the Hankook 12H SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS is set to drop at 12.50 hrs, local time, tomorrow afternoon, Saturday 20 April. After the opening five hours have been completed, and following the event’s traditional overnight intervention, the final seven hours will be completed between 10.50 hrs and 17.50 hrs on Sunday 21 April.

The action will be live with commentary from radiolemans.com on the official 24H SERIES YouTube channel. Regular updates will also be published on X (@24HSeries), Facebook (24H Series) and Instagram (24H Series). Further information can be found at www.24hseries.com.