Dubai 24hr: Local teams and drivers join eighty car line up in seventh running of Dunlop Dubai 24hr

The 2012 and seventh edition of the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai has one of the most potent line-ups of teams and drivers with distinct UAE roots than ever before and it is not inconceivable that one of these takes top honours when the chequeured flag drops on Saturday afternoon at the end of the race. [Race Timetable]

What started as a pioneering event in January 2006, organised by Dutch organisers CREVENTIC and DNRT in co-operation with Dubai Autodrome, has become firmly established as one of the world’s important endurance races, likened together with the sport’s endurance classics like the Le Mans, Nürburgring, Daytona and Spa 24-hour races. For 2012, CREVENTIC has made a big step in terms of media coverage for the Dunlop 24H DUBAI with live television coverage on Motors TV and live radio coverage (web-based and on-site) from the well-known Radio Le Mans and live internet coverage by means of live streaming, live timing, news updates, Twitter feeds and the like.

“With an entry of around 80 cars and teams and drivers (ENTRY LIST) coming from 30 countries, the Dunlop 24H DUBAI have become a major international race with all the renowned sports car brands like Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus and McLaren all represented on the grid”, says Gerrie Willems.

“But the Dunlop 24H DUBAI is not just about big and powerful sports cars. Touring cars and silhouettes like Renault Clio and Mégane Trophy, various BMWs, SEAT, MINI, Honda, Ginetta, Saker and Holden traditionally fill a large part of the starting grid as well, and that is one of the factors that adds to the popularity of our race, together with the good, club-racing-like atmosphere in which we all can share our passion for motorsport.”

 

In the past UAE teams have impressed, in some instances winning their respective classes, but this year there are a trio of teams, with local talent, that have all the ammunition to surprise the international contingent.

First of these, and perhaps a pre-race favourite, is the potent Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 which is campaigning in this season’s NGK UAE GT Championship with great success. Owned and driven by Leon Price the team also has the services sportscar ace and all-round speedster Rob Barff, who is joined by multiple UAE champion Jordan Grogor and the very quick Charlie Hollings. The team are based adjacent to the Dubai Autodrome grandstand at AUH Motorsports and have made no secret of their intentions.

Barff said: “We are using the NGK UAE GT Championship as a testing ground for our Dunlop 24 Hours campaign. Running the car in local conditions and in race trim provides us with valuable feedback. Our goal is to win the race in January.”

Another entry that is an automatic pre-race favourite is the Abu Dhabi Black Falcon SLS AMG GT3 which will be spearheaded by local hero Khaled Al Qubaisi, who will be part of one of the strongest driver line-ups on the grid and includes Porsche Cup star Sean Edwards along with DTM stalwarts Jeroen Bleekemolen and Thomas Jaegar.

The third A6 Class team capable of upsetting the big guns are the pair of Gulf Team First Lamborghini Gallardo LP600s with the likes of Fabien Giroix, Frederic Fatien, Roald Goethe Lamborghini Gallardo,  Archie Hamilton, Stuart Hall and Mike Wainwright on duty. The team will finalise the driver/car pairings closer to the time.

Giroix is no stranger to Dubai Autodrome, his workshop is behind the paddock, and he campaigns in the NGK UAE GT Championship. Last year he personally snatched pole position for the race. This year the goal is to go one further and finish with a win.

Gulf Team First are also running an Aston Martin Vantage N24 GT4 in the SP3 Class, another NGK UAE GT Championship regular, with regulars John Iossifidis and Martin Baerschmidt being joined in the cockpit by Yusif Bassil and Keiko Ihara.

The UAE’s top touring car drivers, frequent winners in the Total UAE Touring Car Championship, will be past of the action in three separate entries spread over three classes.

The Moutran brothers: Ramzi, Nabil and Sami, will be joined by Bahraini Sheikh Salman Bin Rashid Al Kahlifa in the Duel Racing Seat Leon Supercopa which has a proven race winning pedigree having set the pace for most of this season in the local touring car series. Local knowledge and strong pace should see them vying for top honours in the A3T Class.

In the A2 Class, Lap57 will be running the only locally built race car when they wheel out their Honda Integra Type R. On duty in the cockpit will be the cream of local touring car drivers with double UAE champion Umair Khan leading the charge, with able support from former UAE champion Mohammed Al Owais, Khalid Bin Hadher, Saeed Al Mehairi and Rupesh Channake.

Khan said earlier this year: “Each time we have competed in the 24 Hours ofDubai we have learnt something new. With this experience – coupled to a good car, strong drivers, commitment and team work – we have a good chance of doing well on our home track. The goal will be to win our class.”

Last but by no means least is the SVDP Racing BMW 120D with former UAE champion Spencer Vanderpal sharing driving duties with Chris Wishart, Jonathan Mullan and Peter Moulsdale. The outfit has local knowledge as their trump card and have now racked up three 24 hour races which will play into their favour in terms of experience.

Team Manager Ian Rodgers said: “The objective is for the car to spend as little time in the pits as possible so that we are out on the track racking up the laps, to get the car to the finish. We will be seeking quick but consistent lap times from the drivers.”

Look back at what happened in last year’s Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai !

In last year’s race BMW ended Porsche’s  stranglehold on the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai when the Need for Speed Team Schubert BMW Z4 GT3 crossed the finish line to claim victory for multinational line-up of Augusto Farfus from Brazil, Edward Sandtsrom from Sweden, Tommy Milner from USA and German lady racer Claudia Hurtgen.

Hurtgen has been runner-up twice in Dubai and said after the race, “I really have no words at the moment. We came close to victory here two years ago, but then we had an accident in the closing stages and ended up second. Now I have finally scored my maiden victory in a 24-hour race. In that last few laps, I started hearing many strange noises, but fortunately, we were able to make it home. Fantastic!”

Stalking the BMW throughout the 24 hours was the AF Corse Ferrari F430 team who finished second Italian trio Eppe Perrazini, Lorenzo Case, Marco Cioci and Michel Broniszewski fromSwitzerlandat the wheel.

Third place and final podium spot went to the Black Falcon Mercedes SLS AMG with German quartet Thomas Jager, Kenneth Heyer, Jan Seyffarth and Sean Paul Breslin doing cockpit duty.

Action starts at Dubai Autodrome on Thursday (12 January) with first practice at 11.30 am, a prelude to seven hours of more free practice and qualifying on the day.

The race starts at 2pm on Friday and runs for 24 hours until 2pm on Saturday.

Race Timetable in PDF  Here