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GT Racing
GT: Dubai 24 Wednesday Notebook
News & Notes from the opening day of track activity for the seventh annual Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai...
Wednesday saw a four-hour test session, with more than 50 cars taking to the Dubai Autodrome. (Photo: John Dagys)
WEDNESDAY TEST IN THE BOOKS — More than 50 cars took to the Dubai Autodrome Wednesday for an optional private test, ahead of Thursday’s first official free practice. Topping the time charts in the four-hour session was Rob Barff in the No. 12 AUH Motorsports/FF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia GT3 with a 2:01.760 lap time.
The No. 18 Fach Auto Tech Porsche 997 GT3 R of Martin Ragginger was only 0.031 seconds behind in second, while 2011 runner-ups AF Corse was third with its solo Ferrari F458 Italia GT3.
Of notable interest, the No. 26 United Autosports Audi R8 LMS of Matt Bell clocked in the sixth quickest time overall and in class but suffered a broken power steering pipe early and did not return. Alex Popow in the sister United Autosports Audi, was 11th on the time sheets.
Defending race winners Saudi Falcons by Schubert could only muster the 10th best time, more than 2.5 seconds off the pace from the pace-setting Ferrari.
More than two hours of additional practice is on tap for Thursday prior to qualifying in the afternoon and night practice.
DUBAI 24 REGS 101 — The Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai is unlike any other major endurance race in the world, mainly because of various sets of rules aimed at giving both professionals and amateurs a fighting chance of victory.
While there are some small differences from other popular 24-hour races, such as a separate refueling area away from the pit boxes and “Code 60”, which is used under full-course cautions where cars cannot exceed 60kph, in lieu of a safety car, perhaps the biggest and most controversial regulation comes in the form of Balance of Performance.
Creventic, the Dutch company that organizes this race, as well as other enduros in the 24H Series, uses a unique BoP system where cars are assigned a target time that they are not allowed to lap faster. If they do, penalties in the form of ballast, fuel capacity changes and ride height adjustments could be issued.
In the race, each team gets ten “joker laps”, where their car can exceed the minimum reference lap established prior to the start. With penalties of increasing severity being issued for violations, it adds an an extra layer of strategy to the race.
While the system, similar to bracket racing in drag racing, has received mixed reviews from drivers, it’s enforced to help keep amateur drivers and teams in contention. Proof of that came last year, when the all-gentlemen driver lineup from AF Corse finished second overall.
"The rules are meant so everyone can come here for the pleasure of the sport and for the competition,” explained race director Huub Vermeulen. “On the track there will not be one meter you get for free, you'll have to fight for it. This is how [motorsport] is done. There is no big factory teams that could easily win because for them, the rules are the same as for the amateurs. And that brings them together.
“If you look at the field, we will have about 40 teams that you can consider capable of winning the race. If anyone says that one team or one brand or one system is best, they can bet with me because I know all the teams that can do at least as good.”
MILESTONE FOR SHANE LEWIS — While he’s taken part in numerous Rolex 24’s and has also made starts in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Nurburgring 24, Shane Lewis will be making his 24 Hours of Dubai debut this weekend, in what will be the the ALMS and GRAND-AM veteran's 31st twice-around-the-clock endurance race.
Lewis is teamed with fellow American Vic Rice and Germans Kim Hauschild and Karl Pflanz in the No. 125 Hamburg Racing Aston Martin Vantage N24 GT4, which will be going for SP3-class honors this weekend.
“It's nice to go to some place different and unique, especially this part of the world,” Lewis said. “I got a chance to see a little part of Dubai [Tuesday] night and did the 'tourist thing', went out to the desert and did the sand dunes and all kind of things to try to clear my head a little bit. I'm excited about being here.”
With Lewis also eyeing debuts in the 24 Hours of Barcelona, another 24H Series event organized by Creventic, as well as the Total 24 Hours of Spa, run as part of the Blancpain Endurance Series, it may not be long for him to reach the big “50” in 24-hour race starts.
“I thought I was going to stop at my 24th 24-hour race; I thought that would have been pretty cool. Now there's no stopping,” Lewis said. “We're just going to keep going. The team is already talking about going to Spa this year and maybe doing the entire 24-hour Series. So depending on how the schedule lines up in the U.S., we may be doing the entire 24H Series.”
PHOTOS: Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai
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
The No. 18 Fach Auto Tech Porsche 997 GT3 R of Martin Ragginger was only 0.031 seconds behind in second, while 2011 runner-ups AF Corse was third with its solo Ferrari F458 Italia GT3.
Of notable interest, the No. 26 United Autosports Audi R8 LMS of Matt Bell clocked in the sixth quickest time overall and in class but suffered a broken power steering pipe early and did not return. Alex Popow in the sister United Autosports Audi, was 11th on the time sheets.
Defending race winners Saudi Falcons by Schubert could only muster the 10th best time, more than 2.5 seconds off the pace from the pace-setting Ferrari.
More than two hours of additional practice is on tap for Thursday prior to qualifying in the afternoon and night practice.
DUBAI 24 REGS 101 — The Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai is unlike any other major endurance race in the world, mainly because of various sets of rules aimed at giving both professionals and amateurs a fighting chance of victory.
While there are some small differences from other popular 24-hour races, such as a separate refueling area away from the pit boxes and “Code 60”, which is used under full-course cautions where cars cannot exceed 60kph, in lieu of a safety car, perhaps the biggest and most controversial regulation comes in the form of Balance of Performance.
Creventic, the Dutch company that organizes this race, as well as other enduros in the 24H Series, uses a unique BoP system where cars are assigned a target time that they are not allowed to lap faster. If they do, penalties in the form of ballast, fuel capacity changes and ride height adjustments could be issued.
In the race, each team gets ten “joker laps”, where their car can exceed the minimum reference lap established prior to the start. With penalties of increasing severity being issued for violations, it adds an an extra layer of strategy to the race.
While the system, similar to bracket racing in drag racing, has received mixed reviews from drivers, it’s enforced to help keep amateur drivers and teams in contention. Proof of that came last year, when the all-gentlemen driver lineup from AF Corse finished second overall.
"The rules are meant so everyone can come here for the pleasure of the sport and for the competition,” explained race director Huub Vermeulen. “On the track there will not be one meter you get for free, you'll have to fight for it. This is how [motorsport] is done. There is no big factory teams that could easily win because for them, the rules are the same as for the amateurs. And that brings them together.
“If you look at the field, we will have about 40 teams that you can consider capable of winning the race. If anyone says that one team or one brand or one system is best, they can bet with me because I know all the teams that can do at least as good.”
MILESTONE FOR SHANE LEWIS — While he’s taken part in numerous Rolex 24’s and has also made starts in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Nurburgring 24, Shane Lewis will be making his 24 Hours of Dubai debut this weekend, in what will be the the ALMS and GRAND-AM veteran's 31st twice-around-the-clock endurance race.
Lewis is teamed with fellow American Vic Rice and Germans Kim Hauschild and Karl Pflanz in the No. 125 Hamburg Racing Aston Martin Vantage N24 GT4, which will be going for SP3-class honors this weekend.
“It's nice to go to some place different and unique, especially this part of the world,” Lewis said. “I got a chance to see a little part of Dubai [Tuesday] night and did the 'tourist thing', went out to the desert and did the sand dunes and all kind of things to try to clear my head a little bit. I'm excited about being here.”
With Lewis also eyeing debuts in the 24 Hours of Barcelona, another 24H Series event organized by Creventic, as well as the Total 24 Hours of Spa, run as part of the Blancpain Endurance Series, it may not be long for him to reach the big “50” in 24-hour race starts.
“I thought I was going to stop at my 24th 24-hour race; I thought that would have been pretty cool. Now there's no stopping,” Lewis said. “We're just going to keep going. The team is already talking about going to Spa this year and maybe doing the entire 24-hour Series. So depending on how the schedule lines up in the U.S., we may be doing the entire 24H Series.”
PHOTOS: Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai
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
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