Competing for the 24H SERIES’ GT4 Teams’ title, if not the Overall GT Teams’ crown, in 2024 is the goal for Buggyra ZM Racing, after confirming a second successive European campaign with CREVENTIC. 

Speaking with CREVENTIC, Buggyra’s Aliyyah Koloc, who will race the #416 Mercedes-AMG GT4 again this season, confirmed that, after falling just short in both the overall GT teams’ and GT4 teams’ standings in 2023, winning the title was now goal number one this season for the Czech-based outfit. 

“Winning the championship is our goal for this year. 

“We came very close last year so we know it is possible. It’s not going to be easy of course but we’re gonna have to fight and be consistent.”

As in 2023, Aliyyah will contest the season alongside long-time teammates – and former European Truck Racing champions – Adam Lacko and David Vršecký. Following their series debut at Spa-Francorchamps in 2022 – a race that, sadly, ended in retirement after an on-track collision – Aliyyah, Lacko and Vršecký made a victorious 24H SERIES return at the 2023 Hankook 6H ABU DHABI before embarking on the full European campaign. Fittingly, the trio took a second GT4 class win later that year at Spa, and thanks to podium finishes at Mugello, Monza and Estoril, went into the Barcelona season finale just two points behind eventual champion Atlas BX Motorsport in the Overall GT and GT4 Teams’ standings. 

With a full 24H SERIES season already behind them, plus their respective team tenures – David joined the team in 1998, Adam in 2005 – Aliyyah is confident the consistent driver line-up, and its collective experience, will be important across the coming season.

“I’m very happy to be partnered with David and Adam again,” Aliyyah continues. “Throughout the years they’ve been teaching me a lot. We have a lot of experience together and I think we work well together. So for sure that’s very important.”

Interestingly, Buggyra ZM Racing has also registered entries for Jaroslav Janiš and Téo Calvet, with the pair expected to join the #416 Mercedes’ line-up for CREVENTIC’s 24-hour events at Portimão (10-11-12 May) and Barcelona (13-14-15 September). 

Janiš, another long-time affiliate of Buggyra ZM Racing, contested last year’s Hankook 24H BARCELONA with the team, marking the former F3000 and FIA GT Championship race winner’s first start with CREVENTIC since the 2017 Hankook 24H DUBAI.  

Calvet meanwhile is set to make both his 24H SERIES and GT racing debut in 2024. The 23-year-old, a Buggyra team member since 2020, has focused hitherto on national and European truck racing, and secured his second French Truck Racing Championship in 2023, but has only two cars races – a couple of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series starts in 2022 – to his name heading into this year’s 24H SERIES.

“Jaroslav was with us for the [Hankook] 24H BARCELONA last year, and it went pretty well. It’s always nice to have someone with as much experience as he has in our car.

“Téo is a great driver, and also very young, but he’s already won a few truck racing championships and has proved he has the speed. So I think he will have no problem adapting to GT racing. Especially in the 24H SERIES: it’s a well-organized endurance series with good competition, and there’s not a lot of that available. It is a great platform for a driver’s development.”

Alongside her full 24H SERIES campaign in 2024, Aliyyah Koloc is also gearing up for a season in the FIA World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) and, later this year, the  FIA Middle East Baja Championship. This, by the way, is on top of the Dakar Rally and the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge she’s already contest this year. Despite being polarizing disciplines, Aliyyah believes  her off-road rally racing can only help her transition to endurance racing on-track. 

“Circuit and rally are, of course, very different disciplines, but I think I’ve been learning a lot from both to help me improve overall as a driver. Since almost the beginning of my racing career, I’ve been driving both, so going back and forth has become easier. 

“Racing is my life, but, yes, it can get overwhelming with such a busy schedule. That makes the downtime a lot more important! I just like to enjoy my time off and reset while preparing for the next race.”

Buggyra ZM Racing is one of eight outfits to have already confirmed a full European season with CREVENTIC. Lionspeed begins its first full campaign as a stand-alone entry; defending GTX Teams’ champion RD Signs - Siauliai Racing Team makes the step across to GT3; reigning 992-AM Teams’ champion RPM Racing begins its title defense in Mugello; 2017 Overall GT Teams’ champion Hofor Racing makes its full-time return in 2024; HRT Performance has confirmed at least one Porsche 992 GT3 Cup; and E2P Racing begins its second successive year in GT3 with its Porsche 991.2 GT3 R.

CREVENTIC’s European season is scheduled to begin on 22-23-24 March at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello for the 10th edition of the Hankook 12H MUGELLO. This will be followed one month later on 19-20-21 April with the Hankook 12H SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS at the vaunted Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Tickets for both events are on-sale now.