2021 Overall GT Teams’ champion ST Racing is set to make a one-off return to the 24H SERIES’ GT4 class at next month’s Hankook 24H BARCELONA, doing so with former series champions Samantha Tan and Jon Miller, and Indy 500 favourite, Pippa Mann. 

ST Racing last competed with CREVENTIC at the Hankook 24H BARCEONA in 2022, and is due to make its first start in the 24H SERIES’ GT4 class – a category in which the Canadian team also took Teams’ title honours in 2021 – since the Hankook 24H SEBRING just under three years ago. The former series champion has entered a ‘G82’ generation BMW M4 GT4.

Team co-owner and namesake Samantha Tan and Jon Miller, both of whom won the Overall GT Drivers’ champions in 2021 alongside Chandler Hull, are set to lead the driver line-up alongside BMW works driver Neil Verhagen. Fabian Duffieux and seven-time Indy 500 entrant Pippa Mann are set to round out the five-driver line-up. 

“We’re very excited to return to the [Hankook] 24H BARCELONA with such a strong and diverse driver lineup,” team co-owner and namesake Samantha Tan explains. “It’s always a thrill to compete at such a historic event, and having Pippa and Fabian join our team brings an exciting new dynamic.

“We will be racing with the new ‘G82’ BMW M4 GT4, and we’re eager to build on the successes we’ve had here in the past. The 24-hour race is one of the most challenging formats in motorsport, but I’m confident in our team’s ability to rise to the occasion and fight for a strong result.”

“The [Hankook] 24H BARCELONA is one of our team’s favorite events,” Jon Miller continues. “We’ve had success there in the past and are looking forward to returning with a strong group of drivers with our GT4 entry in 2024. Adding Pippa and Fabian to our lineup positions us with an experienced and formidable crew who all know how to win races.”

Fabian Duffieux is set to start his first 24H SERIES event in Europe in Barcelona. The Dubai-based Belgian, a competitor in the UAE’s Pro Car Championship, took TCR class victory on his 24H SERIES debut at the 2023 Hankook 12H KUWAIT with AGMC Racing Team by Simpson Motorsport. Following two further podium finishes in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Duffieux went on to finish a close second in the GT4 class standings in the 2023-2024 24H SERIES Middle East Trophy to Andrey Solukovtsev and Vasily Vladykin.

Neil Verhagen meanwhile is set to make only his third start in the 24H SERIES at Barcelona. The young American, a race winner in the NLS and GT World Challenge America, completed the first ‘development’ 24-hour race for BMW’s ‘G82’ M4 GT3 at the Hankook 24H SEBRING in 2021 together with James Clay, Robby Foley, Max Hesse, and BMW M Motorsport legend Bill Auberlen. Aptly, Verhagen’s second series start came at the Hankook 24H PORTIMAO in 2022, at which he ran a development race for the second-gen M4 GT4.

“I'm thrilled and excited to join ST Racing for the [Hankook] 24H BARCELONA” – Fabian Duffieux – “It's an incredible opportunity to be part of such a dedicated and talented team, and I'm looking forward to giving my all on the track. Together, I believe we have the potential to achieve great things in this iconic endurance race.”

After a podium-contesting debut at the Hankook 24H COTA USA in 2019, ST Racing began its first full endurance racing campaign with CREVENTIC the following season in Dubai. The Canadian team ultimately three class wins (plus ‘TG’ category honours at the inaugural Hankook 6H ABU DHABI) to secure both the GT4 Teams’ and Overall GT Teams’ titles first time out. Tan, Miller and Hull similarly walked away with the GT4 Drivers’ and Overall GT4 Drivers’ titles

The reigning champions stepped up to the GT3 category for 2022, ending an “encouraging” debut with its two M4 GT3s 5th and 9th in-class at the Hankook 24H DUBAI. In a remarkable turnaround, ST Racing went on to win the 2022 Hankook 12H MUGELLO overall just two months later – marking the first outright win for BMW in the series since 2011 – and would likely have repeated the win later that same year Barcelona had engine issues not struck. 

ST Racing is one of 11 teams registered to compete at this year’s Hankook 24H BARCELONA, one of the largest grid sizes yet for the GT4 field since its introduction to the 24H SERIES for 2018.