RAM Racing will make its 24H SERIES return at the upcoming Hankook 24H PORTIMAO, doing so with its first-ever GT4 entry. 

The British team, which finished at the top of the overall GT standings in 2015, has registered a Mercedes-AMG GT4 for its first start in the 24H SERIES since the Hankook 24H BARCELONA in 2018. The Mercedes will boast a brand-new livery designed by London/Milanese artist Benedict Radcliffe, who took inspiration from “full-size wire-frame structures of iconic automotive designs.” The Portimão entry also marks the first time RAM Racing will compete in the 24H SERIES in anything other than the GT3 category. 

RAM Racing has also confirmed that prolific historic racer Katarina Kyvalova will team with British GT Championship Jon Minshaw and Phil Keen, as well as team staple Ian Loggie. Owned by Kyvalova, the AMG GT4 was recently rebuilt and technically upgraded by RAM Racing.

“I’m really pleased that we’ve brought this GT4 project together, and I don’t think we could wish for a better driver line-up for our debut in the class,” team manager Dan Shufflebottom explains. “We’ve been talking to Katarina for a while and it’s been a pleasure working on the Mercedes-AMG GT4, so we’re now all excited to be able to push the car’s limits together in Portimão. It will be great having both Jon and Phil with us instead of racing against us for once,” – Minshaw and Keen regularly competed in British GT with Barwell Motorsport – “and Ian is well known to the entire team already. Together I think they’ll make a super crew and we’ll definitely be ones to watch in the GT4 class.”

Slovakia’s Kyvalova, who has recent starts at the Monaco Historique and Goodwood Revival to her name, has twice previously competed at the Hankook 24H DUBAI, both times with Minshaw. Brutally, at the 2019 edition, Kyvalova and Minshaw were just 90 minutes from victory with ERC Sport in the GT4 class before terminal rear diff issues struck. 

Phil Keen meanwhile is another 24H SERIES alumnus, having taken GTX class victory in Dubai with Dragon Racing on his most recent outing in 2020. Prior to that, the Brit also finished on the category podium at the 2019 Hankook 12H MUGELLO and the 2018 Hankook 12H SILVERSTONE with Barwell Motorsport and the GRT Grasser Racing Team respectively. 

Scotland’s Ian Loggie meanwhile regularly competes in the British GT Championship with Ram Racing, and finished 2nd in-class earlier this year in Dubai aboard an SPS automotive performance-entered Mercedes-AMG GT3. 

Having made its 24H SERIES debut at the Hankook 24H DUBAI in 2013 with a chrome-liveried Ferrari 458, RAM Racing began its Mercedes-AMG tenure with its first full 24H SERIES season in 2015, picking up five podiums and outright victory at that year’s Hankook 24H CIRCUIT PAUL RICARD en-route to both Teams’ and Drivers’ championship glory. Part-campaigns followed in 2016, 2017 and 2018, during which the RAM Mercedes finished 3rd overall at an amazingly close Hankook 12H IMOLA in 2017 and took two outright pole positions at Imola and Barcelona in 2018. 

Following Free Practice, Qualifying and Night Practice on Friday 8 July, the green flag will fly for the Hankook 24H PORTIMAO at 14.00 hrs local time on Saturday 9 July. The race proper at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve will run uninterrupted thereafter until the chequered flag flies at 14.00 hrs on Sunday 10 July.