Hofor-Racing has registered a full European season entry for the 24H SERIES powered by Hankook in 2024 – its biggest campaign with CREVENTIC since 2019 – and has confirmed that former Overall GT Drivers’ champions Michael Kroll and Chantal Prinz will compete once again with Alexander Prinz, Maximilian Partl, and the returning Kenneth Heyer. 

24H SERIES, 2017 Overall GT Teams’ ‘Europe’ champion Hofor-Racing last completed a full(ish) campaign with CREVENTIC in 2018 and 2019, when the Mercedes-AMG GT3 raced at all but three of the 15 24H GT SERIES events held across both seasons. After a three-year hiatus, the Swiss team made a much-anticipated return at the 2022 Hankook 24H BARCELONA, and followed that up with three ‘exploratory’ events in 2023 at Mugello, Spa-Francorchamps and Barcelona as it considered a full season return. 

The Swiss team has now confirmed that the #11 Mercedes-AMG GT3 will race at each European round of this year’s 24H SERIES.

“We are happy to be back!” 2017 Overall GT Drivers’ ‘Europe’ champion Chantal explains to CREVENTIC. “Last year, my father, Alex, and especially me after my baby break, realized again how much we enjoyed racing the Mercedes-AMG GT3, and in the three races we entered last year, it was nice to see we could still race at a consistent level. That was important when we started thinking about a full season in 2024.

“Plus, our children are still young and don't go to school yet, and we want to take advantage of that time. And in the 24H SERIES, we get a lot of driving time at so many great race tracks!”

“Last year we did the three test races to see if we still had fun, and to see if we were still fast enough,” Michael Kroll continues. “That proved to be true and that’s why we decided to start again, this time with the full season.”

Buoyed by Hofor’s recent class podiums at Mugello and Barcelona, as well as its title-winning experience, both Chantal and her father Michael – also an Overall GT Drivers’ ‘Europe’ champion in 2017 – hope that, despite time away and all things being well, the family team could be in the title mix once again in 2024.  

“Our main goal is to have fun, and, hopefully, to win!” – Michael – “It’s getting more difficult every year, but realistically, with the team we have this year, we think we can at least be in the top three [in GT3-Am] and survive without any major accidents. Our target is to get as many points as possible at each race.”

Michael, Chantal, and Chantal’s husband Alexander Prinz are confirmed on driver line-up once again, and will be joined by VLN and 2023 Nürburgring 24 Hours class winner Maximilian Partl for the full season. The German driver competed in the team’s Mercedes at Spa, and the Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 at Barcelona.

The returning Kenneth Heyer completes the line-up. Also a 2017 Overall GT Drivers’ ‘Europe’ champion, Heyer last competed with Hofor-Racing at the 2019 Hankook 24H BARCELONA, and is set to make his first 24H SERIES start in four years at Mugello. Applauding Heyer’s return, both Michael and Chantal believe the German’s proven speed, as well as a consistent driver line-up, could prove vital to Hofor Racing’s championship aspirations in 2024.

“We are happy to have Kenneth back in the Hofor family.” – Chantal – “Last year we raced with a changing line-up. All of the drivers who raced for us in 2023 [Partl, Manuel Rubow, and Carsten Tilke] performed really well, but we also recognized that a consistent line-up across a full season would make it easier for our team to prepare in the best way possible. We were looking for drivers who can really support us across a whole year, and we’ve definitely found that with Max and Kenneth.” 

“It’s certainly not bad to have [Kenneth] back, let’s put it that way!” – Michael laughs. – “He’s one of the most consistent drivers out there: his lap time on the second lap will be the same as is it on the 24th lap, and that’s a big advantage.

“Last year we worked with different drivers – all of them very fast, very competitive – but when you have the same line-up, race-after-race, you speak ‘the same language.’ You get to know each other really well, you all have the same goals, and you all earn the same points at the end. That will, hopefully, make a big difference.”

Hofor-Racing is expected to compete with long-time series rival – and reigning GT3-AM Teams’ champion – CP Racing in GT3 this season, and is also one of seven teams to have confirmed a full European season entry with CREVENTIC in 2024. These include Lionspeed GP, which begins its first racing campaign as a standalone entity in the 24H SERIES this year; last year’s GT4 Teams’ runner-up Buggyra ZM Racing; reigning 992-AM Teams’ champion RPM Racing; the defending GTX Teams’ champion RD Signs - Siauliai Racing Team; Porsche affiliate Orchid Racing Team; and 2022 991 Teams' 'Europe' champion E2P Racing, which returns for its second successive season in GT3 with its Porsche 991.2 GT3 R. 

CREVENTIC’s European season is scheduled to begin on 22-23-24 March at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello for the 10th edition of the Hankook 12H MUGELLO. This will be followed one month later on 19-20-21 April with the Hankook 12H SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS at the vaunted Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Tickets for both events are on-sale now.