Buggyra ZM Racing is the new GT4 Teams’ champion in the 24H SERIES powered by Hankook after taking its fourth consecutive class win of the season at this past weekend’s Hankook 12H MISANO. 

The 40 points secured at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli moves the Czech-based team out of reach of nearest rival Lionspeed GP with one round this year’s 24H SERIES left to run. Having taken a fourth class win on the bounce following similar wins in Mugello, Spa-Francorchamps and Portimão, Aliyyah Koloc, Adam Lacko and David Vršecký were also crowned this year’s GT4 Drivers’ champions. 

Alongside its title victory, Buggyra ZM Racing, last year’s GT4 Teams’ runner-up, simultaneously celebrated “the best result in the GT history of the team” in Italy, as the #416 Mercedes-AMG GT4 took the chequered flag 7th overall at the attrition-hit Hankook 12H MUGELLO. 

“I have no words to say how very proud I am of this team,” team principal and CEO Martin Koloc explained post-race. “Every single member of this team – engineers, mechanics, drivers, the media team – has been working hand-in-hand over the season. 

“For Misano, we were able to get P7 overall, which is the result of all our hard work and the best GT result in the team’s history. We prepared well for this race and the high temperatures here and it paid off as we finally have became class champions with one race to go. That shows our consistency throughout the season, despite the fact that other cars in our category have more top speed. 

“The fact that we won the class championship with one race to go and, on top of that, got P7 overall really is an outstanding result that will be hard to repeat in the future.”

As well as the team’s championship success, Koloc was full of praise for the team’s junior engineers. The collective spearheaded Buggyra’s strategy across the event for the first time. 

“I was a little nervous before the race as it felt like a big responsibility to run the race from the engineering side and prepare and adapt the strategy throughout those 12 hours,” Yasmeen Koloc continues. “Together with Jakub and Matej Hadascok, who are the other two junior engineers of the team, I think we managed well. We did ask the senior engineers from time to time when we weren’t sure about our call as the championship was at stake, and they were a big help and reassured our choices. 

“I am looking forward to Barcelona where hopefully I will be able to put into practice the experience I have gained at Misano.”

Alongside a clean and quick run for the #416 Mercedes-AMG GT4, a succession of heat-related technical issues and on-track misadventures proved beneficial to Buggyra’s victory. Class polesitter StreetArt Racing for example suffered several punctures and significant brake issues, the latter a direct result of the soaring temperatures. Despite its efforts, the Belgian team was eventually forced to retire its Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 from the event. 

Compatriot Hamofa Motorsport, also a category front runner early on, ended its race shortly before half-distance in an on-track collision with the Orchid Racing Team Porsche 992 GT3 Cup. Lionspeed GP meanwhile suffered multiple punctures and was eventually forced to pull its Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport due to race-long handling issues. 

This left the way clear for Buggyra ZM Racing to take a commanding class win: after eight hours, the #416 Mercedes-AMG GT4 was already 34 laps ahead!

“It was a long 12 hours but I feel really good,” Aliyyah Koloc explains. “The team did well and we finished in P7 overall, beating quite a few GT3s which are usually faster than us… We also came first in the class championship which is great as we only missed it by little last year. 

“Over the season, there was some close fighting in our class and sometimes we had to start from the back. We have been very consistent throughout the year, we have been delivering in every race. We form a great team with David and Adam, and also with Jarek Janiš who played a big part in our success in the [Hankook 24H PORTIMAO] in May. Congratulations to the whole team. We will be pushing for more!”

In a bold move, it was Aliyyah Koloc, engineered by her twin sister Yasmeen in Misano, rather than experienced teammate Vršecký that drove the opening stint of the Hankook 12H MISANO. While tumultuous, conservative driving meant the Dubai-born racer, who started 3rd in-class, retained her position through to the first round of pit stops. 

“The start was pretty chaotic as the car that was supposed to be next to me was in front of me, so in the wrong grid position,” Aliyyah continues. “Nevertheless, we managed to do a good stint. Our competitors, some of them GT3 cars, were really fast and it was hard to catch them, but overall it was a good stint.“

Buggyra ZM Racing will look to complete a clean sweep at the 25th edition of the Hankook 24H BARCELONA on 13-14-15 September. Aliyyah Koloc, Vršecký and Lacko are set to be joined for the 24H SERIES’ European season finale by Janiš.