The 2021 Hankook 12 Hours of Circuit Paul Ricard was the inaugural running of the 12 Hours of Circuit Paul Ricard which took place on 24 April 2021. It was also the third round of the 2021 24H GT and TCE Series and the fourth 24H Series event at the circuit, having held three 24-hour races from 2015 to 2017.
| Date | Time (local: CEST) | Event | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 23 April | 12:00 - 13:30 | Practice (Both classes) | 90 mins | |
| 15:00 - 15:30 | Qualifying - TCE | 30 Mins | ||
| 16:00 - 16:30 | Qualifying - GT | 30 Mins | ||
| 20:00 - 22:00 | Night practice | 2 Hours | ||
| Saturday, 24 April | 10:00 - 22:00 | Race | 12 Hours | |
| Source:[1] | ||||
25 cars were entered into the event; 17 GT cars and 8 TCEs. A new addition was SPS automotive performance with a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. After switching to TCX in the previous round at Mugello, Speed Lover entered two Porsches, the newest Porsche Cup car, the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup in GTX and a Porsche 991 GT3 Cup II in the 991 class. Another new car for the 2021 season was the Ligier JS2 R of French team Nordschleife Racing, competing in the TCX class.
| Team | Car | Engine | Drivers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GT3 (8 entries) | |||||
 Kessel Racing[2] | Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo (2020) | Ferrari 3.9 L Twin-Turbo V8 | 8 |  Nicola Cadei Alessandro Cutrera Leonardo-Maria del Vecchio Marco Frezza Marco Talarico | |
 MiddleCap racing with Scuderia Praha | Ferrari 488 GT3 | Ferrari 3.9 L Twin-Turbo V8 | 11 | Josef Král Matúš Výboh Miroslav Výboh | |
 Rutronik Racing by TECE | Audi R8 LMS Evo | Audi 5.2 L V10 | 18 |  Michael Doppelmayr Elia Erhart Swen Herberger Pierre Kaffer | |
| SPS automotive performance | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | 20 | Steffen Görig Christian Hook Valentin Pierburg | |
| MP Racing | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | 58 | Corinna Gostner Manuela Gostner Thomas Gostner | |
| Car Collection Motorsport | Audi R8 LMS Evo | Audi 5.2 L V10 | 88 |  Milan Dontje Tim Müller Pierre-Yves Paque Robin Rogalski | |
| Herberth Motorsport | Porsche 911 GT3 R (2019) | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | 91 | Daniel Allemann Ralf Bohn Alfred Renauer Robert Renauer | |
| 92 | Stefan Aust "Bobby Gonzales" Jürgen Häring Marco Seefried | ||||
| GTX (4 entries) | |||||
 Vortex V8 | Vortex 1.0 GTX | Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 | 701 | Olivier Gomez Bastien Gouret Philippe Gruau | |
| 712 | Philippe Bonnel Pierre Fontaine Nicolas Nobs | ||||
| Reiter Engineering | KTM X-Bow GTX Concept | Audi 2.5 L I5 | 724 | Eike Angermayr Nicolai Elghanayan Horst Felbermayr Jr. Mads Siljehaug | |
| Speed Lover | Porsche 992 GT3 Cup | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | 979 | Gilles Smits Jaxon Verhoeven Jean-Pierre Verhoeven | |
| 991 (3 entries) | |||||
 DUWO Racing | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup II | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | 909 |  Andrey Mukovoz Sergey Peregudov Stanislav Sidoruk | |
| Porsche Lorient Racing | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup II | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | 911 | Lionel Amrouche Frédéric Ancel Frederic Lelievre Philippe Polette | |
| Speed Lover | Porsche 991 GT3 Cup II | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | 978 | Dominique Bastien Olivier Dons Eric Mouez | |
| GT4 (2 entries) | |||||
| PROsport Performance AMR | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 | Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 | 401 | Rodrigue Gillion Kurt Hensen Nico Verdonck | |
 ST Racing | BMW M4 GT4 | BMW N55 3.0 L Twin-Turbo I6 | 438 | Chandler Hull Jon Miller Samantha Tan | |
| TCR (6 entries) | |||||
| Autorama Motorsport by Wolf-Power Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR | Volkswagen 2.0 L I4 | 1 | Emil Heyerdahl Constantin Kletzer Yannick Mettler Jérôme Ogay | |
| 112 | Fabian Danz Rhys Lloyd Marlon Menden Yannick Mettler | ||||
| Red Camel-Jordans.nl | CUPRA León TCR | Volkswagen 2.0 L I4 | 101 | Ivo Breukers Luc Breukers Rik Breukers | |
 RC2 Junior Team by Cabra Racing | Cupra León Competición TCR | Volkswagen 2.0 L I4 | 108 | Felipe Fernández Rubén Fernández Victor Fernández | |
| Tictap Totcar Sport | CUPRA León TCR | Volkswagen 2.0 L I4 | 123 | Jorge Belloc Diaz Jorge Belloc Ruiz Álvaro Rodríguez Sastre | |
| AC Motorsport | Audi RS 3 LMS TCR | Volkswagen 2.0 L I4 | 188 | David Dermont Mathieu Detry Stéphane Perrin | |
| TCX (2 entries) | |||||
| Nordschleife Racing | Ligier JS2 R | Ford 3.7 L V6 | 226 | Thierry Chkondali Guillaume Roman Daniel Waszczinski | |
| CWS Engineering | Ginetta G55 Supercup | Ford Cyclone 3.7 L V6 | 278 | Jean-Francois Brunot JM Littman Colin White | |
| Source:[3] | |||||
Series-regulars Autorama Motorsport by Wolf-Power Racing and AC Motorsport fought throughout the session for TCE pole position. The #112 car came out on top with Yannick Mettler setting the fastest time (2:15.801) with five and a half minutes to go, only six tenths ahead of the #188 Audi (2:15.868) followed by the sister Autorama car in third (2:16.079). Two Cupras run by Spanish teams Tictap Totcar Sport and RC2 Junior Team by Cabra Racing placed fourth (2:16.133) and fifth (2:16.212) respectively, with the TCR class being rounded out by the Red Camel-Jordans.nl Cupra (2:16.414). The winless CWS Engineering team scored pole position for a second time (2:16.646) almost half a second clear of the second-placed Nordschleife Racing Ligier (2:17.065).
Fastest in class in bold.
| Class | Team | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TCR | 112 | Autorama Motorsport by Wolf-Power Racing | 2:15.801 | |
| 2 | TCR | 188 | AC Motorsport | 2:15.868 | |
| 3 | TCR | 1 | Autorama Motorsport by Wolf-Power Racing | 2:16.079 | |
| 4 | TCR | 123 | Tictap Totcar Sport | 2:16.133 | |
| 5 | TCR | 108 | RC2 Junior Team by Cabra Racing | 2:16.212 | |
| 6 | TCR | 101 | Red Camel-Jordans.nl | 2:16.414 | |
| 7 | TCX | 278 | CWS Engineering | 2:16.646 | |
| 8 | TCX | 226 | Nordschleife Racing | 2:17.065 | |
| Source:[4] | |||||
All but one car took part in the qualifying session for GT cars. By the halfway point, the #11 MiddleCap racing with Scuderia Praha Ferrari had set multiple fast times in the 2:02s, with Herberth Motorsport challenging for the pole with both cars battling with the Ferrari. With eight minutes to go, the #701 Vortex V8 pulled off the track on the Mistral Straight, Olivier Gomez parking the car in a safe place, allowing the session to continue. Five minutes to go, Josef Král set the fastest lap time of the session (2:02.303), putting the car on pole position, ahead of the #91 (2:02.435) and #92 (2:02.451) Porsches, despite spinning on the next lap. Reiter Engineering's KTM X-Bow GTX Concept claimed the GTX pole (2:06.774) ahead of the #701 Vortex (2:07.187) and the #979 Porsche (2:08.280). Home team Porsche Lorient Racing (2:09.349) claimed the 991 class pole position, over a second clear of both DUWO Racing (2:10.763) and Speed Lover (2:13.595). The only GT4 car that participated in the session was the #438 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 (2:15.875), the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 of PROsport Performance AMR unable to even leave the garage; a crash in free practice spoiling their chances to qualify but having a spare car on hand meant they could contest the race on Saturday.
Fastest in class in bold.
| Class | Team | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GT3 | 11 | MiddleCap racing with Scuderia Praha | 2:02.303 | |
| 2 | GT3 | 91 | Herberth Motorsport | 2:02.435 | |
| 3 | GT3 | 92 | Herberth Motorsport | 2:02.451 | |
| 4 | GT3 | 8 | Kessel Racing | 2:02.992 | |
| 5 | GT3 | 18 | Rutronik Racing by TECE | 2:03.162 | |
| 6 | GT3 | 58 | MP Racing | 2:04.242 | |
| 7 | GT3 | 88 | Car Collection Motorsport | 2:04.383 | |
| 8 | GT3 | 20 | SPS automotive performance | 2:04.856 | |
| 9 | GTX | 724 | Reiter Engineering | 2:06.774 | |
| 10 | GTX | 701 | Vortex V8 | 2:07.187 | |
| 11 | GTX | 979 | Speed Lover | 2:08.280 | |
| 12 | 991 | 911 | Porsche Lorient Racing | 2:09.349 | |
| 13 | GTX | 712 | Vortex V8 | 2:10.312 | |
| 14 | 991 | 909 | DUWO Racing | 2:10.763 | |
| 15 | 991 | 978 | Speed Lover | 2:13.595 | |
| 16 | GT4 | 438 | ST Racing | 2:15.875 | |
| 17 | GT4 | 401 | PROsport Performance AMR | No time | |
| Source:[5] | |||||
Class winner in bold.
| Class | Team | Drivers | Chassis | Time/Reason | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | |||||||||
| 1 | GT3 | 91 | Herberth Motorsport | Daniel Allemann Ralf Bohn Alfred Renauer Robert Renauer | Porsche 911 GT3 R (2019) | 12:00:15.447 | 315 | ||
| Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | |||||||||
| 2 | GT3 | 11 | MiddleCap racing with Scuderia Praha | Josef Král Matúš Výboh Miroslav Výboh | Ferrari 488 GT3 | +1 Lap | 314 | ||
| Ferrari 3.9 L Twin-Turbo V8 | |||||||||
| 3 | GT3 | 18 | Rutronik Racing by TECE | Michael Doppelmayr Elia Erhart Swen Herberger Pierre Kaffer | Audi R8 LMS Evo | +4 Laps | 311 | ||
| Audi 5.2 L V10 | |||||||||
| 4 | GT3 | 34 | Car Collection Motorsport | Milan Dontje Tim Müller Pierre-Yves Paque Robin Rogalski | Audi R8 LMS Evo | +7 Laps | 308 | ||
| Audi 5.2 L V10 | |||||||||
| 5 | GTX | 724 | Reiter Engineering | Eike Angermayr Nicolai Elghanayan Horst Felbermayr Jr. Mads Siljehaug | KTM X-Bow GTX Concept | +9 Laps | 306 | ||
| Audi 2.5 L I5 | |||||||||
| 6 | GT3 | 20 | SPS automotive performance | Steffen Görig Christian Hook Valentin Pierburg | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | +10 Laps | 305 | ||
| Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | |||||||||
| 7 | 991 | 911 | Porsche Lorient Racing | Lionel Amrouche Frédéric Ancel Frederic Lelievre Philippe Polette | Porsche 991 GT3 II Cup | +21 Laps | 294 | ||
| Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | |||||||||
| 8 | GTX | 979 | Speed Lover | Gilles Smits Jaxon Verhoeven Jean-Pierre Verhoeven | Porsche 992 GT3 Cup | +23 Laps | 292 | ||
| Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | |||||||||
| 9 | TCR | 1 | Autorama Motorsport by Wolf-Power Racing | Emil Heyerdahl Constantin Kletzer Yannick Mettler Jérôme Ogay | Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR | +28 Laps | 287 | ||
| Volkswagen 2.0 L I4 | |||||||||
| 10 | TCR | 112 | Autorama Motorsport by Wolf-Power Racing | Fabian Danz Rhys Lloyd Marlon Menden Yannick Mettler | Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR | +29 Laps | 286 | ||
| Volkswagen 2.0 L I4 | |||||||||
| 11 | GT3 | 58 | MP Racing | Corinna Gostner Manuela Gostner Thomas Gostner | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | +30 Laps | 285 | ||
| Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | |||||||||
| 12 | TCR | 188 | AC Motorsport | David Dermont Mathieu Detry Stéphane Perrin | Audi RS 3 LMS TCR | +32 Laps | 283 | ||
| Volkswagen 2.0 L I4 | |||||||||
| 13 | TCR | 123 | Tictap Totcar Sport | Jorge Belloc Diaz Jorge Belloc Ruiz Álvaro Rodríguez Sastre | CUPRA León TCR | +35 Laps | 280 | ||
| Volkswagen 2.0 L I4 | |||||||||
| 14 | 991 | 909 | DUWO Racing | Andrey Mukovoz Sergey Peregudov Stanislav Sidoruk | Porsche 991 GT3 II Cup | +47 Laps | 268 | ||
| Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | |||||||||
| 15 | GTX | 701 | Vortex V8 | Olivier Gomez Bastien Gouret Philippe Gruau | Vortex 1.0 GTX | +66 Laps | 249 | ||
| Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 | |||||||||
| 16 | TCX | 226 | Nordschleife Racing | Thierry Chkondali Guillaume Roman Daniel Waszczinski | Ligier JS2 R | +78 Laps | 237 | ||
| Ford 3.7 L V6 | |||||||||
| 17 | 991 | 978 | Speed Lover | Dominique Bastien Olivier Dons Eric Mouez | Porsche 991 GT3 II Cup | +85 Laps | 230 | ||
| Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | |||||||||
| 18 | TCX | 278 | CWS Engineering | Jean-Francois Brunot JM Littman Colin White | Ginetta G55 Supercup | +88 Laps | 227 | ||
| Ford Cyclone 3.7 L V6 | |||||||||
| 19 | GTX | 712 | Vortex V8 | Philippe Bonnel Pierre Fontaine Nicolas Nobs | Vortex 1.0 GTX | +96 Laps | 219 | ||
| Chevrolet 6.2 L V8 | |||||||||
| 20 | GT4 | 401 | PROsport Performance AMR | Rodrigue Gillion Kurt Hensen Nico Verdonck | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 | +111 Laps | 204 | ||
| Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8 | |||||||||
| DNF | TCR | 108 | RC2 Junior Team by Cabra Racing | Felipe Fernández Rubén Fernández Victor Fernández | Cupra León Competición TCR | Contact | 108 | ||
| Volkswagen 2.0 L I4 | |||||||||
| DNF | TCR | 101 | Red Camel-Jordans.nl | Ivo Breukers Luc Breukers Rik Breukers | CUPRA León TCR | Engine | 98 | ||
| Volkswagen 2.0 L I4 | |||||||||
| DNF | GT4 | 438 | ST Racing | Chandler Hull Jon Miller Samantha Tan | BMW M4 GT4 | Headgasket | 59 | ||
| BMW N55 3.0 L Twin-Turbo I6 | |||||||||
| DNF | GT3 | 92 | Herberth Motorsport | Stefan Aust "Bobby Gonzales" Jürgen Häring Marco Seefried | Porsche 911 GT3 R (2019) | Damage | 53 | ||
| Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | |||||||||
| DNF | GT3 | 8 | Kessel Racing | Nicola Cadei Alessandro Cutrera Leonardo-Maria del Vecchio Marco Frezza Marco Talarico | Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo (2019) | Collision | 0 | ||
| Ferrari 3.9 L Twin-Turbo V8 | |||||||||
| Source:[6] | |||||||||