Following increasing demands from teams and drivers, Dutch agency Creventic, promoter and organiser of the 24H Series powered by Hankook and the TCE Series powered by Hankook, has announced a new series for 2017. The 24H Proto Series will be open to LMP3 cars, Group CN machinery and special prototypes with a similar performance.
A trial event will be held at Dubai Autodrome on January 10-11, 2017: the 3x3H Dubai, an official support event of the Hankook 24H Dubai (January 12-14, 2017), the flagship event of the 24H Series powered by Hankook. A calendar for the series with three twelve-hour races in Europe will be announced in due course.
“The idea to explore the opportunities with prototypes was the result of the many requests we got from teams and drivers who wanted to run a prototype in the Hankook 24H Dubai”, explained Creventic’s Ole Dörlemann. “We want to keep our race in Dubai for GTs and touring cars, but we decided to look for other opportunities and that led to the 3x3H Dubai as a prototype event, plus our planned 24H Proto Series for which we envisage three events in 2017. We always say that ‘everybody is welcome at Creventic’, and this is another example. We mainly aim at gentlemen drivers who can enjoy the performance of their prototypes in a genuine endurance racing atmosphere. We are delighted with the feedback we are getting. For the event in Dubai, we already have over 30 teams on the provisional entry list. Moreover, several race car manufacturers have already ensured their support with technical assistance and a spare part service for the event.”
Introduced in competition last year, the LMP3 class is getting more and more popular all over the world. An increasing number of cars from specialist manufacturers is becoming available. Group CN cars, on the other hand, have been around for over two decades, not only in endurance races, but also in hillclimbs. While LMP3 cars have a closed cockpit, CN machines exist both as open-top and closed prototypes.
“Next to the LMP3 and CN cars, if somebody wants to race a prototype with similar performance in our races, this can be accommodated upon request,” added Dörlemann. “Registrations are now open at www.24hprotoseries.com. We will gladly help out teams with any questions they may have concerning participation, logistics and regulations.”
Creventic’s first prototype event will be a triple-header of three-hour races on two days at Dubai Autodrome, preceded by two hours of free practice, one hour of qualifying and 1.5 hours of night practice. There will be plenty of time between the three races. The entry fee for the 3x3H Dubai is €10,000 (US$11,242) per car, including standard transport of car and equipment from Rotterdam to Dubai Autodrome and back. Fuel for the entire event is also included in the entry fee.
