ST RACING SEALS 24H SERIES OVERALL GT TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP AT SEBRING
ST Racing capped off an incredibly successful 2021 campaign in the endurance-focused 24H SERIES this past weekend with its seventh consecutive podium finish of the season. A result that secured the Canadian outfit the Overall GT Teams’ championship as well as the Overall GT Drivers’ title for Samantha Tan, Chandler Hull and Jon Miller.
Heading into this weekend’s Hankook 24H SEBRING, the 2021 season finale for the 24H SERIES, ST Racing boasted an 11-point lead courtesy of three class wins in Dubai, Barcelona and Hungary, as well as three additional podium finishes in Mugello, Paul Ricard and Hockenheim. Consistency was thus the name of the championship-winning game for the Canadian team, an objective realized almost immediately with the team’s eighth consecutive pole position in the GT4-class, a run that also included the non-championship, six-hour event in Abu Dhabi.
At no point was ST Racing beaten in qualifying in the 24H SERIES in 2021.
This unwavering focus continued into the race proper. In the face of heavy rain, which fell shortly before the vaunted Sebring International Raceway’s 24-hour event got underway on Saturday evening, and in an effort to avoid a potential mid-pack melee in the poor visibility, Jon Miller opted for a run down pitroad rather than the main start-finish drag. It was a strategic call that ensured a clean start for the #438 BMW at the moderate expense of track position. Indeed, within one hour, the vastly experienced Jon Miller was already back on the tail of the GT4-class leader.
Throughout the night, metronomic stints from Samantha Tan, Chandler Hull, Nick Wittmer, and debutant Bryson Morris – during which the quartet continued to significantly improve their pace – kept the #438 BMW M4 well in contention for GT4-class victory.
By mid-afternoon the following day, Sebring’s notoriously challenging surface had taken its toll on several competitors. However, steady progress, fast lap times and smooth, efficient pit stops meant ST Racing had moved into 2nd place in-class by the following morning, a position ST Racing held all the way to the flag to secure its seventh 24H SERIES podium on the bounce.
The result not only secures the Overall GT Teams’ and Overall GT Drivers’ crowns, but also the GT Junior Cup and the GT Ladies Cup for Samantha Tan. These accolades join the GT4 Teams’ and GT4 Drivers’ championships ST Racing already put beyond its rivals’ reach at the previous round at the Hungaroring.
Samantha Tan, co-owner/driver: “What a year! This was our first year in endurance racing – and my first time at Sebring, actually – and we were coming into this race 11 points ahead in the championship, so we knew that we needed a clean race. On top of that, we were still gunning for the win, and I think the whole team put in a major effort to make sure we were fighting to the very last minute. It just goes to show that this is a team sport: the whole crew and all the drivers put in so much work to make sure we came out on top successfully during a year in which we were looking to learn as much as we could about endurance racing. Ultimately my goal is Le Mans and this year was a major steppingstone towards that. I also can’t thank BMW Motorsport enough for their support during the whole season, and to come out of this weekend with six championship titles, I couldn’t be happier!”
Kenneth Tan, team principal: “We came to Sebring with the greatest respect for this track and prepared our #438 BMW M4 GT4 with what we felt would make it the most durable and reliable for what was expected to be an excruciating 24-hour race. Many have told us that it’s very challenging to finish just 12 hours at Sebring, let alone 24! Thus, our goal was to preserve the car at all costs and ensure that we finished at least P5 in order to clinch the Overall GT Teams’ championship. Goals we comfortably exceeded. Our car was very well prepared and ran without a single mechanical issue throughout the event, which I believe allowed us to be in P2 after 21 hours of the race. When we were confident we had done enough to secure the Overall GT crown, that is when we turned up the heat and went after P1. Unfortunately, our earlier conservative strategy, during which we ran at just 90 per cent of the car’s potential, made it a Herculean task to gain two laps on the class leader with only five hours left. But we gave it our most valiant effort and got very close with 20 minutes to go in the race. I have to extend a BIG thank you to our partners Bas Koeten Racing for providing such amazing support during our races in Europe. This achievement was totally a team effort and every single person contributed in making this possible. I am so proud to be part of this team and we are looking forward to a new adventure with our new BMW M4 GT3 cars for 2022. See you in six weeks in Dubai!”
Ben Distaulo, team manager: “I want to thank Ken Tan, my entire crew, Bas Koeten Racing, BMW Motorsport and each of our drivers for doing such a great job all season. None of this would have been possible without their hard work and dedication. Despite all of the hurdles of travel this year, ST Racing never gave up and kept pushing to achieve the goal we set at the beginning of the season of winning each championship for which we were eligible. Thank you to the 24H SERIES for the unparalleled degree of hospitality and support. We are already looking ahead to the start of the 2022 season in just under two months' time, which will provide us with a whole new set of challenges as we move up to the GT3 class.”
Jon Miller, Driver: “This has been a great performance. When we decided to commit to the full 24H SERIES this season, our goal was to win, not just the GT4-class championship, but also, once we really got into our stride and realized what there was to play for, the Overall GT Teams’ championship as well. To clinch the title and round out the season at Sebring – at home – is an incredible feeling. All credit to Samantha and Ken Tan, Ben Distaulo, and all my co-drivers who’ve executed their roles perfectly all year long. To come home with a 2nd place finish at Sebring on the same lap as the leader is a major accomplishment, and if a couple of things had gone differently, we probably could have won this race too. We’re all extremely proud. We’re already looking forward to the next challenge in Dubai in 2022 as we make the jump to GT3.”
Chandler, Driver: “Honestly it hasn’t sunk in yet – it usually takes a couple of days! To come into the ST Racing family as ‘the new guy’, to be welcomed so warmly and made to instantly feel like part of the family, is an amazing feeling. We knew coming into Sebring that ST Racing had a good shot at winning the Overall GT Teams’ title if we kept our noses clean, and did what we do best. It’s incredible what we have managed to achieve this year, and obviously I want to thank Ben Distaulo for all of his hard work, all my teammates for their efforts, and Samantha and Ken for creating this awesome team. I’m so glad I’ve had the opportunity to travel all over the world and drive these awesome machines. I’m at a loss for words!”
Alongside six championship trophies in 2021, ST Racing could also celebrate a successful maiden 24-hour endurance race for 17-year-old Bryson Morris at Sebring. A two-time SKUSA Pro Tour karting champion and, most recently, a frontrunner in the Mazda MX-5 Challenge Series, Bryson completed three stints and showed impressive guile at the wheel of a GT4 car that, prior to this weekend, the young American had never driven. Teammate Nick Wittmer, back in the #438 BMW for the first time since this year’s 24H BARCELONA, performed in typically ebullient fashion, providing both speed and professionalism behind the wheel as well as extensive racing wisdom to his teammates – new and established – in the garage.
Bryson Morris, Driver: “It was a lot of firsts for me at the 24H SEBRING: my first 24-hour race, my first race with ST Racing, and my first real professional race. It was a very exciting experience going from dry to damp and back to dry in my second stint making it very tough to hang on to the car. Overall the car and team were flawless all race helping us finish P2 in class. Congratulations to the team for the Overall GT Teams’ title as well!”
Nick Wittmer, Driver: “We had a great qualifying session, putting the car on pole for the final race of the season. The guys did an amazing job preparing the BMW M4 GT4 perfectly to run a full day. We couldn't have done it without them. My co-drivers all did a great job during the race, putting in consistent laps throughout. Our goal was to keep the car safe and finish in one piece, which is exactly what we did and what ended up clinching us the 2021 24H SERIES Overall GT Teams’ championship. I'm very proud to be a part of this incredible team and I’m looking forward to running the new BMW M4 GT3 next season!”
Fresh from a successful 24H SERIES debut in the GT4-category, ST Racing will return for another endurance racing program with CREVENTIC in 2022, set to kick off at the Dubai Autodrome in the United Arab Emirates on 13-14-15 January.