Scrutineering took place this year on the Place de la Republique

Circuit de la Sarthe, France, Jun 12th, 2012- Gulf Racing Middle East, representing the United Arab Emirates and managed by ex-Formula 1 test driver Fabien Giroix, takes its position in the 80th running of the world’s most prestigious endurance race, the 24hrs of Le Mans. This is a historical moment as the United Arab Emirates team makes its inaugural appearance in such an acclaimed race event, proudly flying the colors of UAE on each car. The two car team is also campaigning the FIA World Endurance Championship, of which the 24hr of Le Mans forms the third round of the Championship, and the only 24 hr race in the calendar.

The newly formed team has not had an easy start to the season, however they placed second in the LMP2 class at Spa-Francorchamps earlier in May. The Gulf Racing Middle East team are racing in the privateer LMP2 class with two identical Nissan powered Lola B12/80 coupés, both liveried in the iconic orange and blue colours of Gulf Oil.

Spa-Francorchamps earlier in May car#28 finished second in class

Each car has three drivers with each completing stints of up to four hours at a time, this will be a true test of endurance for both man and machine, balancing speed without sustaining mechanical damage whilst managing tyres and fuel efficiency.

Leading car #28 includes drivers Fabien Giroix, Stefan Johansson and Ludovic Badey. Whilst sister car #29 includes Jean-Denis Deletraz, Keiko Ihara and Marc Rostan, in replacement for Dubai based team co-owner Frederic Fatien who will miss this race due to his accident in Spa last month when he slipped and broke his ankle. Keiko Ihara from Japan is the only female to race in this years 24hr of Le Mans.

The newly formed team is not without its frustrations in its first year of competition and due to several limiting factors due to supply of parts, the team is seeking a good overall classification and increased performance even with a limited spares package.

Team principle Fabien Giroix car#28

“It hasn’t been the easiest of starts to the season for us so far. We have a new driver Ludovic Badey in replacement for Maxime Jousse in car#28. Also losing driver Frederic Fatien due to him breaking his ankle in spa certainly was a blow, but the team has pulled together and we have a new experienced replacement in Marc Rostan, he has many years experience at Le Mans and does not make mistakes. In car# 29 we have Japanese lady racer Keiko Ihara who is finding speed and Jean-Denis is of course very experienced too so we are optimistic of a good finish here.” commented Fabien Giroix

The 13.6 km Circuit de la Sarthe that hosts the 24hr of Le Mans is the most famed of all endurance races, with a unique track layout configured on both public roads and a purpose-built track, this will be the first time the Gulf Racing Middle East UAE team have raced a 24hrs race this season, with the 12hrs of Sebring and the 6hrs of Spa already under their belts, the team are highly focused on the challenges ahead and have all faith in the cars and drivers performance.

With a rich history of racing, this new privateer endurance team based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has been created by ex-Formula 1 test driver and Le Mans stalwart Fabien Giroix, alongside reigning UAE GT Champion Frederic Fatien, to make a dynamic duo with over three decades of racing experience between them. The newly configured Gulf Racing Middle East team, previously campaigned in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup LM GTE Am class, and this year decided to move into prototypes, entering the FIA World Endurance Championship with two Nissan powered Lola B12/80 LMP2 coupes. The team has a vast experience with numerous manufacturer partnerships such as Ferrari, Lotus, McLaren, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Porsche, Maserati, in various championships.  The team has a residence at Dubai Autodrome circuit as well as European Headquarters at French GP Circuit, Magny-Cours.

Pit stop action at 6hrs of Spa-Francorchamps

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