6H Qualifying Race at Estoril Added to 2023 Calendar

The Hankook 24H Series will introduce a six-hour qualifying race for a new round at Estoril as part of its 2023 calendar.

The Portugal venue makes its first appearance on the series calendar, which encompasses seven rounds.

For the penultimate round at Estoril, the twelve-hour race on July 8 will be preceeded by a new, six-hour qualifying race.

Set to take place on the Friday before the main race, the contest will both set the grid for the main race but will also offer additional points to competitors.

The championship says that the introduction of the qualifying race was inspired by ‘Sprint Race Weekends currently hosted by Formula 1 and MotoGP’.

The 2023 season kicks off with the Hankook 24H Dubai on January 13-15, with a six-hour event in Abu Dhabi a week later.

The two events will form the newly introduced Middle East Trophy together with the Kuwait 2022 finale set to take place on December 1-2.

The European campaign then commences with the Hankook 12H Mugello on March 25-26, followed by rounds at Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Estoril and Barcelona.

Notably, the 24-hour race at Sebring that was first held last year and had its second edition canceled due to logistical concerns does not return to the schedule.

2023 24H Series powered by Hankook Schedule:
Jan. 13-15 — Hankook 24H Dubai
Jan. 21-22 — Hankook 6H Abu Dhabi
March 25-26 — Hankook 12H Mugello
May 6-7 — Hankook 12H Spa-Francorchamps
June 11-12 — Hankook 12H Monza
July 7-8 — Hankook 12H Estoril + 6H Qualifying
Sept. 15-17 — Hankook 24H Barcelona