Land Motorsport closed out its 24H SERIES powered by Hankook season 4th in-class at the Hankook 24H BARCELONA having lost 45 minutes in the pits less than an hour into the event.

The German team, winner of the 24H DUBAI outright in 2009, had already gained a place on its 9th place on the grid during the opening stages in Barcelona. Just 25 minutes after the green flag dropped however, Tim Vogler – who was racing with his brother Ingo, Dr. Johannes Kirchhoff, Wiggo Dalmo and Elmar Grimm in Catalunya – brought the #34 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II onto pit road with, what turned out to be, “a defect in the belt tensioner”. 

The extended pit stop dropped Land Motorsport from 8th overall to 36th and last, 15 laps behind its nearest GT3-AM rival and 25 laps behind the overall leader.  

Despite the early delay, Land Motorsport’s race ran smoothly thereafter and eventually finished 11th overall and 4th in GT3-AM, a performance team owner Christian Land was quick to praise. 

“We had set ourselves the clear goal of getting through the race without making any mistakes, so that we could have a shot at the top spots right up until the end,” Christian Land explains. “However, an early technical problem thwarted this plan, causing us to lose several laps and forcing us to shake up the field from the back. I am still proud of how the guys handled this and brought the car to the finish without making any mistakes over the remaining 23 hours. 

“Moments like this once again show the enormous ambition of everyone involved. The repair works were extremely demanding in the short time available and I would therefore like to thank all the mechanics for their tireless efforts.”

While he was unable to help Land Motorsport repeat its GT3-AM class win from the previous year’s Hankook 24H BARCELONA, nor indeed its shock class win at the Hankook 12H MISANO in July, team staple Dr. Kirchhoff was similarly quick to take positives from the event.

“As long as the wheels are turning, we want to give our best on the track and keep on racing. We proved that. The car was great to drive. We had great weather, so it was an awesome experience together with my teammates.”

Though Land Motorsport did not suffer any further technical issues, further misfortune did strike Land Motorsport once again during the 14th hour when the #34 Audi R8 collided with NKPP Racing by Bas Koeten Racing at turn three, sending the #992 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup. Cosmetic damage aside, the Audi survived intact, but was handed a 30-second penalty for causing the collision. 

Though it has not yet confirmed an entry for the Michelin 24H DUBAI on 10-11-12 January, Land Motorsport shown interest in returning to CREVENTIC’s flagship event and the 24H SERIES’ European program in 2025.