- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
-
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
GT Racing
GT: Gulf 12 Hours Preview
John Dagys previews Friday’s second running of the Abu Dhabi GT enduro held at the famed Yas Marina Circuit...
AF Corse and United Autosports are among the teams that have returned to Abu Dhabi for the second running of the Gulf 12 Hours. (Photo: John Dagys)
Eleven months following its inaugural running, some of the world’s leading GT teams and drivers return to the spectacular Yas Marina Circuit for the second running of the Gulf 12 Hours.
Friday’s around-the-clock enduro, uniquely split into two six-hour races, with a 90-minute intermission, sees a considerable boost in car count, with 26 entries, including 14 GT3 machines, set to do battle in the final endurance race of the year.
Leading the charge are defending race winners AF Corse, which has brought four Ferrari 458 Italia GT3s to the battle this time, including two under the AF Waltrip banner.
The Amato Ferrari-owned squad’s lineups reads like a who’s who of sports car racing stars. Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander lead the charge in the team’s No. 1 entry, while Venezuelan star Enzo Potolicchio is joined by ex-Peugeot aces Stephane Sarrazin and Nic Minassian in the second Prancing Horse.
And not to be outdone, the two AF Waltrip-entered Ferraris see newly crowned ALMS PC champion Alex Popow with Ryan Dalziel, both of whom fresh off victory in last weekend’s Six Hours of Bogota, joined this week by Pierre Kaffer; while Krohn Racing regular Michele Rugolo leads the team’s fourth entry.
While the iconic Italian brand makes up the majority of the GT3 field, with two additional 458s for AT Racing and three for Kessel Racing, a pair of McLarens also headline the field, including ASM Team’s MP4-12C for Karim Ojjeh and factory drivers Rob Bell and Alvaro Parente.
Two other likely contenders include Autorlando Sport’s Porsche 997 GT3 R for brothers Jeroen and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, joined by fellow ALMS regular Emilio di Guida, while United Autosports fields a single Audi R8 LMS ultra for Matt Bell, Mark Patterson and Will Bratt.
Adding to the diversity is a single Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 for reigning Dubai 24 winners, Black Falcon.
Seven cars are entered in the GTX category, for GT4-style machinery, featuring a mix of Aston Martin Vantages, Ginetta G50s and Porsche Carrera Cup cars. Among the Aston contingent is Barwell Motorsport, with three-time Le Mans class winner Tom Kimber-Smith leading the charge.
Other familiar names include 2012 Sunoco Daytona Challenge winner Ivan Bellarosa, who claimed the overall pole for the first event earlier this year. Bellarosa’s Wolf GB08 is among five FIA CN2-spec prototypes also entered, with make up the third and final category, SC.
Track activity at the ultra-modern circuit in Abu Dhabi gets underway on Wednesday, with a 20-minute qualifying session for each driver set for Thursday. The first six-hour race segment takes the green Friday at 9:30 a.m. local (12:30 a.m. ET) while following a 90-minute intermission, Race 2 gets underway at 5 p.m local (8 a.m. ET).
ENTRY LIST: Click Here
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
Friday’s around-the-clock enduro, uniquely split into two six-hour races, with a 90-minute intermission, sees a considerable boost in car count, with 26 entries, including 14 GT3 machines, set to do battle in the final endurance race of the year.
Leading the charge are defending race winners AF Corse, which has brought four Ferrari 458 Italia GT3s to the battle this time, including two under the AF Waltrip banner.
The Amato Ferrari-owned squad’s lineups reads like a who’s who of sports car racing stars. Gianmaria Bruni and Toni Vilander lead the charge in the team’s No. 1 entry, while Venezuelan star Enzo Potolicchio is joined by ex-Peugeot aces Stephane Sarrazin and Nic Minassian in the second Prancing Horse.
And not to be outdone, the two AF Waltrip-entered Ferraris see newly crowned ALMS PC champion Alex Popow with Ryan Dalziel, both of whom fresh off victory in last weekend’s Six Hours of Bogota, joined this week by Pierre Kaffer; while Krohn Racing regular Michele Rugolo leads the team’s fourth entry.
While the iconic Italian brand makes up the majority of the GT3 field, with two additional 458s for AT Racing and three for Kessel Racing, a pair of McLarens also headline the field, including ASM Team’s MP4-12C for Karim Ojjeh and factory drivers Rob Bell and Alvaro Parente.
Two other likely contenders include Autorlando Sport’s Porsche 997 GT3 R for brothers Jeroen and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, joined by fellow ALMS regular Emilio di Guida, while United Autosports fields a single Audi R8 LMS ultra for Matt Bell, Mark Patterson and Will Bratt.
Adding to the diversity is a single Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 for reigning Dubai 24 winners, Black Falcon.
Seven cars are entered in the GTX category, for GT4-style machinery, featuring a mix of Aston Martin Vantages, Ginetta G50s and Porsche Carrera Cup cars. Among the Aston contingent is Barwell Motorsport, with three-time Le Mans class winner Tom Kimber-Smith leading the charge.
Other familiar names include 2012 Sunoco Daytona Challenge winner Ivan Bellarosa, who claimed the overall pole for the first event earlier this year. Bellarosa’s Wolf GB08 is among five FIA CN2-spec prototypes also entered, with make up the third and final category, SC.
Track activity at the ultra-modern circuit in Abu Dhabi gets underway on Wednesday, with a 20-minute qualifying session for each driver set for Thursday. The first six-hour race segment takes the green Friday at 9:30 a.m. local (12:30 a.m. ET) while following a 90-minute intermission, Race 2 gets underway at 5 p.m local (8 a.m. ET).
ENTRY LIST: Click Here
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
LATEST HEADLINES: AUTO-RACING
-
LE MANS: Audi Leads Wednesday LM24 Qualifying
Audis 1-2-3 in incident-filled and shortened opening day of qualifying… -
LE MANS: Lotus LMP2 Returns To Track
Seized parts returned to Lotus LMP2, No. 31 car rebuilt and completes… -
SPEED, SPEED.com Plan Live & Continuous LM24 Coverage
In-car streaming of Corvette Racing highlights two-screen experience...… -
VIDEO: 8Star LM24 Wednesday vBlog
Rui Aguas checks into SPEED.com prior to the start of practice and… -
LE MANS: Corvette On-Board Pass Returns For LM24
Watch! Live in-car and garage cameras from Corvette Racing during… -
LE MANS: Lotus LMP2 Cars Seized By Court
BREAKING: Lotus T128 parts seized by local courts over financial… -
LE MANS: Taylor Brothers Continuing Family Tradition
Second-generation racers Jordan, Ricky Taylor seek victory at Le… - More News
