ST Racing opened its 2021 season with a GT4 class win in the 24 Hours of Dubai, run on January 15–16.
Samantha Tan, Chandler Hull, Jon Miller, and Nick Wittmer in the #438 ST Racing M4 GT4 won the class in dominating fashion. Wittmer put the car on the class pole, and the the team went on to lead much of the way, finishing with a three-lap margin over the second-place Aston-Martin.
Kenneth Tan, team principal and Samantha Tan’s father, said, “I am so proud of our team! It was a team effort that won us the race. The drivers worked together to ensure efficient lap times and to take good care of the car: no curbs! The person responsible for data calculated and effectively carried out a dynamic pit stop strategy together with the drivers and our crew chief and head mechanic who, I think, ultimately won us the race. I am so proud of the team and so proud of Sam. She drove amazingly fast, especially during the night! This was by far the most exhilarating win yet for our young team, and the best part is that we had a lot of fun achieving it together. Go STR!”
The Dubai race was the first in the eight-race 24H Series. STR plans to run the entire 2021 series. The next race is a twelve-hour event on the Mugello circuit in Italy on March 26–27, and the finale is a 24-hour race at Sebring on November 12–14.
The team will contest a six-hour race in Abu Dhabi next weekend, and will then return to run at Mugello in March.—Brian Morgan
[Photo courtesy BMW Motorsport.]