Centri Porsche Ticino goes into this weekend’s Hankook 12H MUGELLO hoping to keep its undefeated streak at the event intact. 

The Swiss team, which represents Porsche’s Lugano and Locarno dealerships on-track, has taken class victory on each of its three previous outings at the Hankook 12H MUGELLO, and will hope to secure a fourth with its second successive run in the 992-Am category this weekend. 

After a disastrous 24H SERIES debut in Dubai in 2019, when gearbox failure shortly before qualifying eliminated the team from the event altogether, Porsche Centri Ticino bounced back to take SP3 and GT4 class victories in 2019 and 2021 – both with a Porsche Cayman CS, and, bizarrely, with 289 laps completed on both occasions – and 992-Am victory in 2023. 

That the team will run an unchanged driver line-up is a further confidence boost to director Ivan Jacoma.

“In the past, we have always won our class, from SP3, through GT4 and 992-Am,” Jacoma explained to CREVENTIC. “This year too, me, Valerio, Max and Francesco confirmed our strong legacy. For sure we're going to have fun, but we also have a good chance to achieve good results again together.

“This race is also a perfect chance to appreciate the fantastic features and the reliability of our 992 car. The grid is very rich and, for sure, we're going to enjoy some epic battles between cars of our beloved brand.”

As he did in 2023, Jacoma, who was also on-board for the team’s 2019 Mugello win, will race alongside Italian teammates Francesco Fenici and Max Busnelli, and Valerio Presezzi, the latter of whom has been on the line-up for each of Centri Porsche Ticino’s 24H SERIES outings. Like Jacoma, Presezzi feels that a repeat win, or a class podium at the very least, is achievable if the team can complete a clean run. 

“Maybe I'm nostalgic, but one of the sweetest memories in my mind is the victory at the 2023 edition,” Presezzi continues. “In the last edition, everything worked beautifully. It was fantastic to lift the trophy, all together. We were able to confirm the same drivers line-up and the same renowned technical staff from Centri Porsche Ticino [for this year’s race].

“We're pretty confident about being able to repeat last year's achievement, or the podium at least. It's a 12-hour race, so anything could happen and our target is very ambitious, but we can really do it again, especially if no adverse circumstances hinder us… We're going to do everything possible to achieve the highest target again!”

As in 2023, Centri Porsche Ticino will compete for 992-Am honours in Tuscany this weekend with multi-time event class winner Ebimotors, reigning 992-AM Teams’ champion RPM Racing (the pair finished 2nd and 3rd in 992-Am in 2023), 24H SERIES stalwart HRT Performance, and Porsche Baltic. In a nod to the class’ increased competitiveness for 2024 though, they will be joined by 992 frontrunner Neuhofer Rennsport, former event class winner NKPP Racing, TCR class champion Bas Koeten Racing, reigning Overall GT Teams’ champion Atlas BX Motorsport (which will this year run as ‘Hankook Competition’), and the Orchid Racing Team, which has confirmed that nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastian Loeb and 2016 FIA World Endurance Champion Romain Dumas will make their series debuts in its sister ‘992’ entry. 

Despite the competition, both Busnelli and Fenici – the latter back for his first race since last year’s Porsche Carrera Cup Italia season finale in Imola – repeat their teammates’ confidence that Centri Porsche Ticino can walk away victorious. 

“It's a pleasure to be back competing in such an amazing championship like the 24H SERIES.” – Busnelli. – “And especially racing with the Centri Porsche Ticino team, and with my mates Valerio, Ivan and Francesco. We want to perform a strong race, trying to repeat the great achievement that we had last season in Mugello.”

"I'm very proud to be back again with the Centri Porsche Ticino team, with my mates Valerio, Ivan and Max.” – Fenici. – “To be back on-track during a weekend of the amazing 24H SERIES makes everything even more fantastic! 

“I haven't been racing since last October, so I can't wait to be seated again in the cockpit of a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Full gas!”

While its driver line-up remains unchanged from 2023, the #912 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup, as is common practice for the Swiss team, will don an updated livery for this weekend’s Hankook 12H MUGELLO, last year’s orange and black having given way for a more psychedelic red and green design.