Red Ant Racing “fully intended” to secure its second 992 Teams’ title in the 24H SERIES powered by Hankook with class victory, according to team owner Bert Redant. 

The Belgian team, which also took the 992 Teams’ ‘Europe’ title in 2022, came into this past weekend’s Hankook 24H BARCELONA 1st and 2nd in the category standings, and hoped to put this year’s crown out of reach with its fourth win from five rounds, following similar triumphs in Mugello, at home at Spa, and Portimão. 

To do so however, Red Ant Racing had to overcome an incredibly close fight with eventual 992-AM class winner QMMF by HRT: Red Ant’s #903 Porsche swapped the lead repeatedly with the Qatari team from the fourth hour onwards, with an unfortunately-timed Code 60 caution period for QMMF eventually giving Red Ant Racing the cushion it needed four hours from home. In the end, Red Ant Racing collected the chequered flag four laps clear of QMMF by HRT to take its fourth win of 2024.

“We fully intended to become champions with a victory,” team owner Redant explained in an official statement. “The heavily occupied Porsche from QMMF by HRT made it quite difficult for us. We had to pedal hard all night and for a good part of Sunday morning. With two hours to go we had a reassuring lead and were able to celebrate the title in the best possible way.”

Coming into the weekend, the #903 Porsche, which qualified on class pole in Barcelona, headed the sister #904 (4th on the 992 grid) by 18 points. Newly-crowned 992-AM Teams’ champion RPM Racing also came in with a mathematical shot at the overall crown.

Though Ayrton Redant lost ground on the opening lap, the #903 Porsche was back in the category top three during the second hour, was regularly in the top two from quarter-distance onwards, and, crucially, was in the lead at half-distance. With points awarded after both 12 and 24 hours in Barcelona, this was already enough to secure Red Ant Racing the 992 Teams’ title and Ayrton and Yannick Redant their second 992 Drivers’ crowns as well (Kobe de Breucker ended up 2nd in the standings, having missed the Hankook 12H SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS).  

Sadly, though in the mix from the very beginning, and even taking the overall 992 lead during the second hour, the #904 Porsche – driven by Brent Verheyen and Peter Guelinckx, the returning Gavin Pickering, and new teammate Jef Machiels – initially lost time when the in-car radio worked itself loose and had to be re-located with zipties. A hole through the radiator cost more time in the garage during the night, dropping the Porsche to 6th in-class, 18 laps behind. 

Verheyen, Guelinckx, Pickering, and Machiels would eventually retire altogether when terminal electrical issues struck at two-thirds distance. 

“We still had a chance of winning the title with both cars,” Redant continues. “But when the #903 emerged as the leader halfway through and pocketed the corresponding 20 points, the spoils were won. Unfortunately, #904 dropped out a little later with technical problems, but the certainty of the title did give us the opportunity to take a shot at victory in the race.”

Alongside its title wins in Barcelona, Red Ant Racing took a double podium during the sprint race for Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux’s penultimate round in Austria. With the Belgian team losing a potential podium to brake failure at the 24 Hours of Zolder (the normally blue-and-white liveried #904 donned its Zolder colours in Barcelona), Redant added that both events had given Red Ant Racing “a source of motivation for the future.” A tellingly statement, given that Red Ant Racing has already registered entries for the Michelin 24H DUBAI on 10-11-12 January, and has also expressed an interest in the 24H SERIES’ European season in 2025. 

“This was the best weekend since Red Ant Racing was founded. Not only an ideal way to wash away recent setbacks, but also a source of motivation for the future.”