•    Sensational Q3 performance from Klaus Bachler delivers Rd3 pole by just 0.014s
•    Porsche third different GT3 pole marque of 2025 Michelin 24H SERIES European Series
•    Nail-biting battle in Misano between Proton Huber Competition and Red Ant Racing
•    Red Camel-Jordans.nl Porsche takes 992 class pole position after rescinded penalty
•    Venture Mercedes-AMG and Vortex 2.0 have class poles in GT4 and GTX

 PORSCHE MIT PROTON HUBER COMPETITION AUF DER POLE-POSITION FÜR DIE MICHELIN 12H MISANO 

Misano, Italy (23 May 2025):
Klaus Bachler produced an outstanding performance during the decisive third and final qualifying session for the weekend’s Michelin 12H MISANO this afternoon, sealing pole position for round three of the Michelin 24H SERIES European Series by an infinitesimal 0.014 seconds.

Reeling off a series of incredible laps in the Proton Huber Competition Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) during the closing stages of Q3, reducing the gap to Red Ant Racing’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO to almost nothing, in the final minutes a time of 1m32.548s ensured the Porsche just edged ahead.

“My team-mates did a great job, the car was really great also”, said a very happy Bachler, “It was not an easy session because it cooled down quite a lot, it rained this morning so the track conditions were different to what we had yesterday. But we made a good job out of this and we start tomorrow from pole position. Thanks to the team.”

Overcast skies were in evidence at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the duration of qualifying, and it did rain lightly in the preceding 992, GTX and GT4 class sessions in addition to the GT3 sessions.

As well as taking pole, Proton Huber Competition’s line-up of Bachler, Constantin Dressler, Jorg Dreisow and Manuel Lauck sealed the GT3 PRO-AM pole. Second on the grid is the Red Ant Racing Mercedes of Ayrton and Yannick Redant, Kobe de Breucker – impressive in Q3 – and Kenneth Heyer.

Row two of the GT3 grid is an all-Audi lock-out with Continental Racing by Simpson Motorsport’s Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II of David Pogosian, Vasily Vladykin and Andrey Solukovtsev also fastest in GT3 AM. It couldn’t have been much closer between them and the HAAS RT Audi R8 of Jef Machiels, Matisse Lismont and Peter Guelinckx, a mere six thousandths of a second the difference.

Qualifying for the 992, GTX and GT4 entries was red flagged before session one even properly got underway, as a result of the No.911 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) crawling to a halt. Ralf Oehme did manage to get the car fired back up moments later and three very tight sessions ensued.

Points leaders of 992 Red Camel-Jordans.nl took another pole with the No.909 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) of Fabian Danz and Luc, Rik and Ivo Breukers by 0.3 seconds from the Van Berlo Motorsport by Bas Koeten Racing entry of Glenn, Marcel and Kay van Berlo. Pole in 992 AM is SebLajoux Racing’s Paul Meijer, Stephane Perrin and Sebastian Lajoux, who are joined for the race by Jeremy Faligand.

With single car entries in GTX and GT4 this weekend in Italy, the No.701 Vortex 2.0 of Lionel Amrouche, Philippe Bonnel and Cyril Calmon has pole in the former and Venture’s Mercedes-AMG of Matthew George, Neville Jones and Christopher Jones has pole position in GT4. 

Oliver Campos set the early pace in qualifying one for the GT3 cars, a time of 1m33.779 seconds produced in the E2P Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO before red flags were shown when Era Motorsport’s Dwight Merriman became beached in the gravel in the No.81 Ferrari 296 GT3.

Ahead of the resumption, over just seven minutes, Campos was 0.5 seconds clear of Ayrton Redant in the Red Ant Racing Mercedes-AMG while third, 0.9 seconds shy, was Alexander Prinz in HOFOR Racing’s championship leading Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO. Prinz produced a great final lap of 1m34.056 seconds to get onto the provisional front row, closing to within 0.3 seconds of Campos.

Yannick Redant set out his intent early in Q2 at the wheel of the No.93 Mercedes-AMG with a series of strong laps, putting Red Ant Racing to within just 0.062s of E2P on average times. Several drivers then began to reel off laps in the 1m33 seconds bracket, Redant the best of the lot at that stage.

Into the final couple of minutes, Vladykin shot to the top with the fastest time of 1m32.602 seconds in the No.69 Audi R8 to take provisional pole by less than a hundredth of a second. E2P was second on average at the end of Q2, Antonio Sainero lapping in 1m33.755 seconds, with Red Ant third.

An almighty battle awaited for the third and final session of GT3 qualifying, just 0.033 seconds splitting the top three contenders and any of the top eight theoretically able to mount a bid. Bachler wasted no time for Proton Huber, moving the No.73 Porsche onto provisional pole in the first five minutes before de Breucker hit back for Red Ant Racing – although not able to match Bachler.

With fractions in it on average times, Bachler backed off for a couple of laps before mounting a final charge and his time of 1m32.548 seconds – the quickest of all three sessions – sealed the deal to take Proton Huber and Porsche’s first pole of the campaign. 

Following the early red flag in session one of qualifying for the 992, GTX and GT4 cars, the drivers had just 13 minutes to deliver their times and Fabian Duffieux set the early pace for Ajith Kumar Racing by Red Ant before Magnus Holmgaard went quicker by a fraction for Holmgaard Motorsport.

Escuderia Faraon’s Pablo Bras Silvero then rocketed to the top of the times and ultimately ended the session fastest of all, and top in 992 AM, with a best time of 1m37.342 seconds – some three tenths of a second clear of RPM Racing’s Niclas Jonsson. Holmgaard finished up third, Duffieux fourth. 

Session two was declared wet due to increasing rain in the air and Kay van Berlo was the fastest during the early going for Van Berlo Motorsport by BKR. Holmgaard returned to the top on average times thanks to Martin Vedel Mortensen, although he was slower in session than Rik Breukers.

Paul Meijer was very quick too, putting SebLajoux Racing’s Porsche second on average with a terrific lap of 1m36.820s as the track became increasingly damp. As the lead order chopped and changed towards the conclusion, Breukers punched in a couple of very rapid laps but both were annulled due to track limits and so Red Camel-Jordans.nl was fourth on aggregate at the end of Q2.

Holmgaard Motorsport finished the session fastest on average times, SebLajoux Racing was second and top of 992 AM and Martin Rump pulled Muhlner Motorsport into third place on average with a lap of 1m37.056 seconds.

Luc Breukers contested Q3 for Red Camel and was on it straight away, taking the team to the top of the average times. Glenn van Berlo, though, was the star of session three and after becoming the first driver to go beneath the 1m36 second bracket, he scorched to a time of 1m35.751 seconds with only three minutes to run to, it seemed, claim 992 pole position.

Patrick Steen Rasmussen’s late time of 1m36.881 seconds moved Holmgaard Motorsport into second on average, less than a tenth shy of the Van Berlo squad. Then the news arrived from race control – Rik Breukers’ fastest lap from session two had been reinstated so Red Camel-Jordans.nl secured 992 pole by 0.3 seconds from Van Berlo Motorsport by Bas Koeten Racing.

Holmgaard Motorsport, Magnus and Jonas Holmgaard, Mortensen and Rasmussen, concluded qualifying third in 992 while Muhlner Motorsport were fourth on average times, Valters Zviedris’ 1m36.995 seconds lap making sure for the car he shares with Rump and Rolando Saca. 

Race three of the Michelin 24H SERIES European Series, the Michelin 12H MISANO, will begin at 09.30 local time tomorrow, Saturday, 24 May. Watch all of the action live at Creventic Motorsports TV via YouTube or through www.24hseries.com