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GT Racing
GT: Dubai 24 Preview
Seventh annual Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai set to kick off international sports car racing season this weekend...
The seventh annual Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai will take the green flag Friday. (Photo: Creventic)
While the Rolex 24 at Daytona has traditionally served as the kickoff of the international sports car racing season, another twice-around-the-clock marathon that takes place two weeks prior has recently taken that title away from the GRAND-AM season-opener.
In what started off as a predominantly club event seven years ago, the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai has grown into one of the key GT and touring car endurance races in the world. With more than 70 cars entered for this year’s edition, it’s a larger field than seen at Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans or even Spa, and coming only second to the famed Nurburgring 24 Hours in terms of diversity.
The race, staged by Dutch promoter Creventic, is one of the few places other than the famed "Green Hell" where you could see cars such as the Audi R8 LMS and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, which compete in the top-level A6 category, on the same track as diesel-powered BMW 120D hatchbacks or even race-prepped MINI Coopers. There’s no shortage of variety in the Middle East’s premier race.
This year, more than one-third of the field is represented in A6, which will compete for the overall victory. German endurance specialists Schubert Motorsport, which captured top honors in 2011 with American Tommy Milner as one of its drivers, return with a pair of BMW Z4 GT3s but with a revised driver lineup and a new partnership.
Now run under the Saudi Falcons by Schubert banner, the defending champions, led by the No. 1 machine of BMW factory ace Jorg Muller, last year’s winners Claudia Hurtgen and Edward Sandstrom as well as Saudi drivers Prince Abdulaziz Al Faisal and Faisal Binladen will face increased competition from a brace of new entries.
Headlining that list is United Autosports with the only Audi R8 LMS cars in this year’s field. The Anglo-American squad led by Zak Brown and Richard Dean have come locked and loaded with two podium-capable lineups in the team’s third-ever 24-hour race.
United Autosports FIA GT3 European Championship regulars Mark Patterson and Matt Bell are joined by New Zealander Roger Wills and Hong Kong resident Frank Yu in the No. 26 machine, while GRAND-AM regulars Ryan Dalziel, Enzo Potolicchio and Alex Popow have teamed up in the No. 36 entry.
Another high-profile entry comes from JRM, which will see its NISMO-developed Nissan GT-R GT3 make its 24-hour debut with reigning FIA GT1 World Champion Michael Krumm, two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner Tom Kimber-Smith and fellow Nissan drivers Alex Buncombe and Franck Mailleux.
While it’s unclear how the Nissan will fare in its first around-the-clock race following a mid-season debut in the Blancpain Endurance Series last year, the solo Nissan will likely have to contend with quartet of Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3s for top honors.
After giving the gull-winged beast its first major endurance podium last year, Black Falcon will be looking for the top step with its stellar lineup of Jeroen Bleekemolen, Sean Edwards, Thomas Jager and Khaled Al Qubaisi, while the pair of Heico Motorsport SLS’s shouldn’t be discounted either, especially with DTM legend Bernd Schneider listed to drive both entries.
While the Ferrari contingent is a bit sparse, with only two F458 Italias entered, but one from veterans AF Corse, Lamborghini is out in force yet again, with no fewer than five Gallardos set to take Friday’s start. Some of the notable entries include Reiter Engineering and ILMC GTE-Am outfit Gulf Racing with a two-car assault. Even Japanese outfit JLOC has entered one of its mid-engined supercars, adding to the international flavor.
Not to be forgotten, a dozen Porsches, ranging from GT3 Cup cars to de-tuned 911 GT3 RSRs, also make up the premier A6 category, with a bit of luck could be fighting for podium positions come 2 p.m. on Saturday as well.
The SP2 class, a catch-all for cars not conforming to a particular category, also features some interesting entries, including a Ford Mustang entered by VDS Racing Adventures and the No. 100 RJN Motorsport Nissan 370Z, which features all four of the Nissan GT Academy winners, Lucas Ordonez, Jordan Tresson, Jan Mardenborough and American Bryan Heitkotter, who will be making his professional endurance racing debut.
Other Americans in this year’s field include Shane Lewis and Vic Rice in the No. 125 Hamburg Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4, as well as Hal Prewitt listed in the No. 126 Marcos Racing Lotus Evora, both of which will compete in the SP3 division for GT4-style cars.
Activities at the Dubai Autodrome kick off on Wednesday with an optional test, followed by a full day of practice and qualifying on Thursday. The seventh annual Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai takes the green flag on Friday at 2 p.m. local (5 a.m. ET), for what’s shaping up to be an epic start to the 2012 sports car racing season.
For the first time, SPEED.com will have exclusive and extensive trackside coverage from the Middle East’s biggest race, including a live race blog, photo galleries and behind-the-scenes look at United Autosports’ efforts during the course of the week in Dubai and next week in the Gulf 12 Hours at Abu Dhabi.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
In what started off as a predominantly club event seven years ago, the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai has grown into one of the key GT and touring car endurance races in the world. With more than 70 cars entered for this year’s edition, it’s a larger field than seen at Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans or even Spa, and coming only second to the famed Nurburgring 24 Hours in terms of diversity.
The race, staged by Dutch promoter Creventic, is one of the few places other than the famed "Green Hell" where you could see cars such as the Audi R8 LMS and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, which compete in the top-level A6 category, on the same track as diesel-powered BMW 120D hatchbacks or even race-prepped MINI Coopers. There’s no shortage of variety in the Middle East’s premier race.
This year, more than one-third of the field is represented in A6, which will compete for the overall victory. German endurance specialists Schubert Motorsport, which captured top honors in 2011 with American Tommy Milner as one of its drivers, return with a pair of BMW Z4 GT3s but with a revised driver lineup and a new partnership.
Now run under the Saudi Falcons by Schubert banner, the defending champions, led by the No. 1 machine of BMW factory ace Jorg Muller, last year’s winners Claudia Hurtgen and Edward Sandstrom as well as Saudi drivers Prince Abdulaziz Al Faisal and Faisal Binladen will face increased competition from a brace of new entries.
Headlining that list is United Autosports with the only Audi R8 LMS cars in this year’s field. The Anglo-American squad led by Zak Brown and Richard Dean have come locked and loaded with two podium-capable lineups in the team’s third-ever 24-hour race.
United Autosports FIA GT3 European Championship regulars Mark Patterson and Matt Bell are joined by New Zealander Roger Wills and Hong Kong resident Frank Yu in the No. 26 machine, while GRAND-AM regulars Ryan Dalziel, Enzo Potolicchio and Alex Popow have teamed up in the No. 36 entry.
Another high-profile entry comes from JRM, which will see its NISMO-developed Nissan GT-R GT3 make its 24-hour debut with reigning FIA GT1 World Champion Michael Krumm, two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner Tom Kimber-Smith and fellow Nissan drivers Alex Buncombe and Franck Mailleux.
While it’s unclear how the Nissan will fare in its first around-the-clock race following a mid-season debut in the Blancpain Endurance Series last year, the solo Nissan will likely have to contend with quartet of Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3s for top honors.
After giving the gull-winged beast its first major endurance podium last year, Black Falcon will be looking for the top step with its stellar lineup of Jeroen Bleekemolen, Sean Edwards, Thomas Jager and Khaled Al Qubaisi, while the pair of Heico Motorsport SLS’s shouldn’t be discounted either, especially with DTM legend Bernd Schneider listed to drive both entries.
While the Ferrari contingent is a bit sparse, with only two F458 Italias entered, but one from veterans AF Corse, Lamborghini is out in force yet again, with no fewer than five Gallardos set to take Friday’s start. Some of the notable entries include Reiter Engineering and ILMC GTE-Am outfit Gulf Racing with a two-car assault. Even Japanese outfit JLOC has entered one of its mid-engined supercars, adding to the international flavor.
Not to be forgotten, a dozen Porsches, ranging from GT3 Cup cars to de-tuned 911 GT3 RSRs, also make up the premier A6 category, with a bit of luck could be fighting for podium positions come 2 p.m. on Saturday as well.
The SP2 class, a catch-all for cars not conforming to a particular category, also features some interesting entries, including a Ford Mustang entered by VDS Racing Adventures and the No. 100 RJN Motorsport Nissan 370Z, which features all four of the Nissan GT Academy winners, Lucas Ordonez, Jordan Tresson, Jan Mardenborough and American Bryan Heitkotter, who will be making his professional endurance racing debut.
Other Americans in this year’s field include Shane Lewis and Vic Rice in the No. 125 Hamburg Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4, as well as Hal Prewitt listed in the No. 126 Marcos Racing Lotus Evora, both of which will compete in the SP3 division for GT4-style cars.
Activities at the Dubai Autodrome kick off on Wednesday with an optional test, followed by a full day of practice and qualifying on Thursday. The seventh annual Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai takes the green flag on Friday at 2 p.m. local (5 a.m. ET), for what’s shaping up to be an epic start to the 2012 sports car racing season.
For the first time, SPEED.com will have exclusive and extensive trackside coverage from the Middle East’s biggest race, including a live race blog, photo galleries and behind-the-scenes look at United Autosports’ efforts during the course of the week in Dubai and next week in the Gulf 12 Hours at Abu Dhabi.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
FIA GT Nogaro
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