Nearly a dozen teams have already confirmed full season entries for the 24H Series powered by Hankook ahead of next month’s Hankook 12H Mugello, which has more than 50 provisional entries across all classes.
Longtime Audi entrants Sainteloc Racing and Car Collection Motorsport will start the European season with season-long efforts in the GT3 class, while Huber Racing has committed at least one Type-992 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car for the 992 class.
Fellow series stalwart Holmgaard Motorsport made its long-awaited return in last month’s Hankook 24H Dubai and has entered its Volkswagen Golf GTI for Magnus and Jonas Holmgaard, Roy Edland and Martin Vedel.
Holmgaard’s rivals in the hotly-contested TCR class will be BBR, which took outright TCE victory at the Dubai Autodrome in January and overall TCE Teams’ championship runner-up, AC Motorsport.
Britain’s CWS Engineering headlines a diverse TCX class, having entered its Ginetta G55 as well as the brand-new V8-powered G56 GT4.
The class will also feature a Cupra DSG for Sally Racing, a BMW M2 CS Racing for Munckhof Racing, a previous-gen Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport for Porsche Basel Racing Team and a Ligier JS2 R for SK Racing.
Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport will return to the TC class, meanwhile, with a three-car BMW M2 CS Racing effort while Vortex V8 has confirmed at least one of its eponymous lightweight sports cars for each of the remaining rounds of the year.
Up to three Vortex 1.0s could be on the grid in Mugello, which currently features more than 50 entries.
Reigning overall GT teams’ champions ST Racing will continue its title defense in Italy with one of its new BMW M4 GT3 cars that debuted in Dubai.
They’ll be joined in the GT3 class by series’ stalwarts Herberth Motorsport with a Porsche 911 GT3 R, along with a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo from Barwell Motorsport, which was forced into retirement in Dubai for undisclosed reasons.
Both MP Racing and CP Racing will enter Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evos while JR Motorsport will return to action with a BMW M6 GT3.
Earl Bamber Motorsport is also set for Mugello with a Porsche entry, meanwhile.
GTX will see a pair of Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evos entered by Leipert Motorsport and Lithuania’s RD Signs Racing Team, which will be joined by the full-season Vortex lineup.
9und11 Racing will enter a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup MR in GTX while GT4 currently features a six-car entry, headlined by ProSport Racing’s Aston Martin Vantage GT4 and a Car Collection Audi R8 LMS GT4.
“The Hankook 12H Mugello is one of the 24H Series’ most tenured and characterful European events, and it’s great to see how enthusiastic our competitors are once again for this year’s race,” said Creventic sporting coordinator Ole Dörlemann.
“Teams and drivers are traveling from all over the world to experience Tuscany with us.
“Our expanding live stream network will provide fuller coverage than ever before, and we have some very exciting support races in-place featuring some very hungry, up and coming young drivers.
“We’re confident fans of the 24H Series will not want to miss out European season opener.”
The 12H Mugello gets underway on Sat. March 26 with live coverage on the series’ YouTube page featuring commentary from Radio Show Ltd.