Qualifying
The GRT Grasser Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 (#963, Rolf Ineichen/Adrian Amstutz/Andrea Caldarelli) scored the pole position for the Hankook 24H Epilog Brno, the 2016 finale of the 24H Series. Andrea Caldarelli lapped the 5.403 kilometre Automotodrom Brno in 2:00.035 fending off the challenge for Pole from the local heroes, the Scuderia Praha Ferrari 488 GT3 (#11, Jiri Pisarik/Josef Král/Peter Kox/Tom Onslow-Cole) shortly before the end of the session.
Last year’s winners missed the pole position by a margin of 0.808 seconds.
Robert Renauer tried to make up some ground in his Precote Herberth Motorsport Porsche 991 GT3 R (#911, Alfred Renauer/Robert Renauer/Daniel Allemann/Ralf Bohn) in the closing stages, but had to settle for third.
The field’s second Ferrari, the RPD Racing Ferrari 458 Challenge (#444, Lubomir Jakubil/Dusan Palcr/Luis Scarpaccio/Matteo Cressoni/Gregor Zsigo), led the SP2 class with fourth place overall. Second SP2 car was the True-Racing KTM X-BOW GT4 (#243, Reinhard Kofler/Tomas Enge/Klaus Angerhofer/Hubert Trunkenpolz), followed by the LMS Engineering Audi TTRS2 (#206, Stefan Wieninger/Constantin Kletzer/Martin Gøtsche/Nanna Gøtsche/Peter Terting).
Seventh place overall went to the quickest 991 car. The MRS GT-Racing Porsche 991 Cup (#78, Charles Putman/Charles Espenlaub/Joe Foster/Xavier Maassen) took the class pole position.
Local driver Erik Janis set a dominant best time in the SP3 class in his RTR Projects KTM X-BOW GT4 (#224, Tomas Miniberger/Tomas Kwolek/Daniel Skylický/Sergej Pavlovec/Erik Janis). The Czech team was followed by the two JR Motorsport cars. The BMW M3 F80 Endurance (#103, Bas Schouten/Daan Meijer/Mark van der Aa/Koen Bogaerts) was second and the BMW E90 (#102, Martin Lanting/Bob Herber/Ward Sluys/Francesco Castellacci) followed in third.
The A3 pole setter came from the Czech Republic as well. The Valek Autosport BMW M3 GTR E 36 (#113, Petr Válek/Dan Zelinský/Marek Fried) kept their rivals at bay with a 5.1 second gap. Second was the RKC/TGM Honda FK2-Civic Type-R (#99, Ricky Coomber/Thomas Gannon/William Gannon/David Drinkwater/James Kaye).
Race
The event had a unique format, the first 12 hours counting towards the Championship, the remaining 12 purely for the sport, and of course a 24 Hour race win!
Summary
The Scuderia Praha Ferrari 488 GT3 (#11, Jiri Pisarik/Josef Král/Peter Kox/Tom Onslow-Cole) won the Hankook 24H Epilog Brno.
After 646 laps, equalling a distance of 3,490.34 kilometres, Jiri Pisarik took the chequered flag to seal the Czech team’s second consecutive victory on home soil. The victory also marks a successful debut for the new Ferrari 488 GT3 in the 24H Series.
38 laps behind the winners, the Hofor-Racing Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 (#10, Christiaan Frankenhout/Kenneth Heyer/Roland Eggimann/Chantal Kroll/Michael Kroll) came home second to score a podium result in this car’s last race. Third place overall went to the SP2 class winner, the RPD Racing Ferrari 458 Challenge (#444, Lubomir Jakubik/Dusan Palcr/Luis Scarpaccio/Matteo Cressoni/Gregor Zsigo).
Both the GRT Grasser Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 (#963, Rolf Ineichen/Adrian Amstutz/Andrea Caldarelli) and the Precote Herberth Motorsport Porsche 991 GT3 R (#911, Alfred Renauer/Robert Renauer/Daniel Allemann/Ralf Bohn) challenged the Scuderia Praha Ferrari in the opening hours. The Precote Herberth Motorsport Porsche retired after midnight. The GRT Grasser Racing Lamborghini finished in 21st overall after long gearbox repairs.
Behind the RPD Racing Ferrari, the VDS Racing Adventures MARC Focus V8 (#95, Raphaël van der Straten/Thierry de Latre du Bosqueau/Grégory Paisse/José Close/Keith Kassulke) scored the second spot in the SP2 class. Third place went to the True-Racing KTM X-BOW GT4 (#243, Reinhard Kofler/Tomas Enge/Klaus Angerhofer/Hubert Trunkenpolz).
In the 991 class, the MSG Motorsport Porsche 991 Cup (#62, Nico Rindlisbacher/Hendrik Still/Paul Scheuschner/Joachim Bölting) held the MRS GT-Racing Porsche 991 Cup (#78, Charles Putman/Charles Espenlaub/Joe Foster/Xavier Maassen) at bay and won with a six lap margin. The Estonian Est 1 Racing Porsche 991 Cup (#96, Raimo Kulli/Toomas Annus/Thomas Padovani/Raivo Tamm/Raimo Niemi) arrived in third.
The NKPP Racing SEAT Leon Cup Racer (#125, Harry Hilders/Gijs Bessem/Rob Rappange) won the SP3 class with a consistent drive over 24 hours and a remarkable fifth place overall. Five laps down, the CCS Racing KTM X-BOW GT4 (#226, Charel Arendt/Tom Kieffer/Tommy Rollinger/Uwe Schmidt/Georg Silbermayr) finished second ahead of the JR Motorsport BMW E90 (#102, Martin Lanting/Bob Herber/Ward Sluys/Francesco Castellacci).
The RKC/TGM Honda FK2-Civic Type-R (#99, Ricky Coomber/Thomas Gannon/William Gannon/David Drinkwater/James Kaye) took the glory in the A3 class. Second place went to the Bonk Motorsport BMW M235i Racing Cup (#146, Herrmann Bock/Rainer Partl/Max Partl/Volker Piepmeyer/Axel Burghardt).
Race Report
The second edition of the Brno Epilog as part of the International Endurance Series and its first time as a 24 hour race began under clearing skies on a cool but very pleasant day. Precisely at noon Peter Kox and Rolf Ineichen put their feet to the floor on the front row cars and we were immediately into a real race. While Ineichen in the pole-sitting #963 Grasser Racing Lamborghini Huracan was first away, Kox soon caught him with the #11 Scuderia Praha Ferrari 488. Robert Renauer was immediately in their wake with the #911 Precote Herberth Motorsport Porsche 991 GT3 R and this trio immediately broke clear of the other 23 starters.
There was a six car peloton behind them consisting of Christiaan Frankenhout (#10 Hofor Racing Mercedes SLS), Elmar Grimm (#34 Car Collection Audi R8 LMS), Luis Scarpaccio (SP2 class leading #444 RPD Racing Ferrari 458 Challenge), Tomas Enge (#243 True Racing KTM X-Bow), and Peter Terting in the #206 LMS Engineering Audi TT. Further back Sergej Pavlovec led the SP3 class with the #224 RTR Projects KTM.
Several others had problems. Daniel Schilliger had contact with another car on the formation lap and the #131 TTC Racing Seat dropped to the very back of the field. Things were even grimmer with the Car Collection Audi when a big hole appeared in the side of the 5.2-liter V8 and Elmar Grimm pulled the smokey hulk off to the side. The incident left a sheen of oil at Turn 3 and required a clean up by the marshals. It brought about a 13 minute Code 60 interrupt, thus far the only neutralization. At the same time Nono Figueiredo brought the #63 MSG Motorsport Porsche into the pits with an inoperative alternator, losing about 40 minutes in making repairs. The Audi has not officially retired as the team is considering replacing the engine in order to go back out and salvage some points.
The Lamborghini took on a splash of fuel during the Code 60 which dropped it to fourth place. Kox pulled clear clear of Renauer with Frankenhout a short distance behind. Thomas Gannon spun the #99 RKC/TGM Honda in the remaining oil from the Audi but the others managed to make it through the still hazardous spot.
The best racing during the opening hour was between three BMWs in the SP3 class. Daan Meijer (#103 JR Motorsport M3) was regular swapping spots with teammate Bob Herber in #102. The two are locked in a tight fight for the class championship. Although not a championship contender, Marek Fried was mixing it up with the JR pair as the #113 Valek Motorsport entry (an older M3 running in A3) proved just as quick and his local knowledge allowed him to sometimes sweep past the Dutch drivers.
At about the 45 minute mark Robert Renauer began to challenge Peter Kox for the overall lead with the #10 Mercedes and #963 Lamborghini about 30 seconds behind them. On lap 19 the #911 Porsche moved past the Ferrari to take the overall lead. From then until the first round of stops Renauer was able to build a lead that increased at about one to two laps per second.
Scarpaccio was the first to make a scheduled stop, coming in at about 1:10 into the race. He would be the only leader to remain aboard for a second stint which would become problematic later on. Drivers are limited to two hours at a time which meant that the #444 Ferrari would need to make its second stop rather early, relinquishing its new found lead in SP2 and hand the car over to Gregor Zsigo.
Two KTMs, #224 (Pavlovec handing over to Erik Janis) and #226 (CCS Racing, Tom Kieffer handing over to Charel Arendt) were the next to make a regular pit call. Kox then took the lead with the Ferrari when the leading Porsche stopped and was given over to Daniel Allemann. Kox was one of the last to stop, giving the Ferrari to Jiri Pisarik and the lead back to the Lamborghini. There were issues with the Ferrari as Kox was adjudged to have jumped the start requiring a visit to penalty box a bit later. Charles Espenlaub relinquished the 991 class lead and the #78 MRS GT Racing Porsche to Charles Putman.
Ineichen was the next to stop (handing the Lamborghini over to Andrea Caldarelli). This elevated Frankenhout very briefly into the lead before the #10 Mercedes was given over to Chantal Kroll. The stops of the A6 class cars allowed Tomas Enge to climb all the way to second overall with the #243 SP2 class True Racing KTM. He soon stopped but not before the driveshaft gave out and it took a 25 minute stop until Hubert Trunkenpotz could continue with the car.
Caldarelli was on a tear, setting fast lap while hunting down Pisarik’s Ferrari. Allemann strung together the best set of laps overall which allowed the #911 Porsche back to the front on lap 42. It was nearly the two hour mark before the more frugal SP3 and A3 cars stopped. The #125 NKPP Racing Seat was the last to call, Harry Hilders being relieved by Rob Rappange. These last stops also broke up the JR Motorsport and Valek Motorsport contest a bit. About an hour later the #103 (now with Mark van der Aa driving) would come to a halt on the circuit.
Allemann made a mistake with the #911 Porsche and ran wide at one turn. It was enough to let Caldarelli into the lead with the Lamborghini. Two of the 991 class cars hit troubles, Stepehen Borness having to make an extra stop with the #73 HRT Performance Porsche while the #78 MRS GT Racing entry made a very long call to cure a nasty vibration. It required replaced of an upright and a half-shaft.
Two cars took off-course excursions but both were able to continue with no real delay—the #206 Audi and Ivo Breukers in the #303 Red Camel Racing Seat. The #911 Porsche, now with Robert Renauer aboard, lost the lead when it had to make a penalty stop, leading Adrian Amstutz in front with the #963 Huracan. Josef Kral was on a charge from third place, setting the race’s fast lap in the #11 Ferrari. Keith Kassulke worked to the front of the SP2 class with the #95 VDS Racing Adventures MARC-Ford, a fine showing by the Papuan driver who is recovering from severe burns in a racing accident in Australia.
At the end of the opening period Hendrik Still held the top spot in the 991 class with the #62 MSG Motorsport Porsche. Uwe Schmidt, followed in the car by Tommy Rollinger, held top spot in SP3 with the #226 CCS Racing KTM. The #146 Bonk Motorsport BMW M235 was started by Max Partl, then driven by Rainer Partl, Hermann Bock, and Volker Piepmeyer. Their steady run left them in the A3 lead as we moved to the late afternoon.
The segment of the race ended with the Lamborghini in the lead. Behind Adrian Amstutz there was a spirited dice ongoing between the A6 Porsche and Ferrari.
The last half of this period, meaning hour 5, began with the Lamborghini stopping out of the lead, handing the top spot Josef Kral in the Czech entered Ferrari. The #911 Porsche also stopped about the same time, further consolidating the Scuderia Praha team’s hold on first place.
The Ferrari began to gradually pull away, setting up this part of the race with a distinct and recurring pattern. As it developed the day moved into the early night of the fine autumn weekend. Patterns began to be established. Among these patterns the #243 True Racing KTM was regularly devouring driveshafts. The race for the SP3 championship, once touted as the tightest fight left, largely dissolved. First, the #102 JR Motorsport BMW had a front axle failure which left team maters #103 poised to take over the title. However, its BMW motor failed spectacularly, stranding the car on track and bringing out the second Code 60 of the race.
The class contest in SP3 shifted to three cars in a close fight at this race, although not for championship positions. Depending upon the pattern of stops the #125 NKPP Seat Racer led the class, sometimes dropping as low as third. The two KTMs in the class, RTR Projects #224 and CCS Racing #226 circulating in close proximity, variously first and second or second and third.
In the overall contest the Ferrari maintained a lead varying between one minute to a full lap over the Lamborghini. The Porsche about another lap down. The #65 Porsche L’Orient Racing Porsche maintained a lap lead over the #444 Ferrari in the SP2 class with the #95 VDS MARC-Ford three laps further down in third place.
The MSG Motorsport team consistently led the all Porsche 991 class. The Est1 Racing team (#96) started the period in second but slipped behind the #73 HRT Performance squad. The latter team looking to finish first or second at the 12 hour mark in order to manufacture a tie between drivers Stephen Borness and Kim Andre Hauschild for the championship.
Down among the A3 touring cars the #99 Honda led apart from a brief period when the #146 Bonk BMW took over the top spot before going down a lap. The only other car in the class, the #113 Valek BMW had suffered major brake failure out on the circuit.
The second half of the 24 Hours of Brno began with both excitement and a let down. All of the champions were officially crowned as of midnight. There was celebration and festivities in all the appropriate pit garages. Two of the key teams withdrew, Porsches #911 and #65.
Suddenly this left a bit of a hole. The third in A6 and overall car was suddenly gone as was a top SP2 runner. There was still 12 hours to go and things got a bit quiet. They became quieter still when the early leader and indeed the pole sitting Lamborghini came into the garage. It had faulty gearbox actuator. The problem proved acute and the Huracan was stalled for a very long time. It returned briefly an hour later but the problem was clearly terminal.
The Grasser team’s retirement left the #11 Scuderia Praha Ferrari 488 with a commanding lead. The #10 Hofor Racing Mercedes moved into the yawning gap that was now second place. While it was healthy, it was too far back to be a threat without some problems in the Ferrari cap.
The end of the championship did free up some time for some of the drivers who did not get turn while the points of the contenders were still at stake. For example, Rene Ogrocki waited until co-drivers Stephen Borness and Kim Andre Hauschild set up their manufactured draw in the 991 class before he at last took a turn in the #73 HRT Performance Porsche.
As to the others, those that had had problems earlier continued to have them, while those who ran cleanly continued to run cleanly. One of the best performances was by two of the class leaders. The other Ferrari, the #444 F458 Challenge, was metronomically dominating SP2, while the lone healthy KTM, RTR Projects #224 was smooth as silk heading SP3. Two other SP3 cars that had been delayed earlier were now mounting good recovery drives; the #125 NKPP Racing Seat and the #102 JR Motorsport BMW.
By contrast the wheels continued to fall off, quite literally, from the effort by Valek Motorsport to keep their troubled old #113 BMW going. A more stalwart effort was being mounted by the #303 Red Camel Seat. It was regularly being shunted off-course, typically by Russian driver Aronov, requiring ample repairs by Maxim’s silver hammer. There was also another brief Code 60 period, a three lap interruption to clear up debris and make track repairs.
