Dubai 24 Hours – Opening Three Hours
Eventful
Janos Wimpffen

Friday, the Muslim holy day, breaks mild, cloudy, and windy. We did lose one car in a prang during last night’s practice. The No. 59 Attempto Porsche will no longer attempt this particular 24 Hour race. The No. 50 Zengö Motorsport Seat was also damaged (Tibor Nagy driving), but the intrepid Hungarians pulled an all-nighter and brought the patriotic little red-white-green car to the line for this morning’s warm-up.

The small classes may not attract that much attention, but there are stories here, such as the British based Mini vs. the Lotus. The Cooper S will attempt that rarest of feats these days in 24-hour racing—try to go the distance with just two drivers, Shaun King and Paul Harvey.

Construction cranes must be the national emblem of the UAE. There is more activity going on here than probably anywhere bar China. The weather has turned distinctly rain like in the hours between warm-up and the start. The No. 36 Ebbing Motorsport Porsche is undergoing an engine change while the No. 78 MSW Renault is having work done in the garage on its wheel assembly. They will both probably miss the start.

Here is the grid with starting drivers:

pos # team car driver time class
1 39 VIP Pet Foods Porsche Baird 2:01.847 A6
2 31 Proton Porsche Westbrook 2:02.009 A6
3 2 Konrad Porsche Schrey 2:02.189 A6
4 17 Oktanas Porsche Alzen 2:02.833 A6
5 26 Juniper Porsche Russell 2:03.017 A6

6 3 Prospeed Porsche Palttala 2:03.439 A6

7 14 Jetalliance Porsche Lichtner-Hoyer 2:05.008 A6
8 28 Lechner Porsche Faulkner 2:05.009 A6
9 11 Bleekemolen Porsche J. Bleekemolen 2:05.123 A6
10 33 Porsche Singapore Porsche Malagamuwa 2:05.596 A6
11 107 Verschuur Renault ten Brinke 2:05.871 SP1
12 104 Delahaye Renault Vosse 2:06.211 SP1
13 105 Delahaye Renault Bouvy 2:06.450 SP1
14 48 ORMS BMW Hartung 2:07.076 A5
15 29 Lechner Porsche Kaffer 2:07.580 A6
16 123 Khaleji Ferrari Wilson 2:08.763 SP2
17 103 Bovi Brokernet Rácz 2:08.920 SP1
18 21 RPM Porsche Griffin 2:08.954 A6
19 32 Speed Lover Porsche Casadei 2:09.153 A6
20 108 Verschuur Renault F. Verschuur 2:09.494 SP1
21 37 Escuela Espanola Porsche Cruz Martins 2:09.551 A6
22 1 Duller BMW Peter 2:09.976 A5
23 5 ARC Bratislava Porsche Konopka 2:10.233 A6
24 24 Motors TV BMW v.d. Kolk 2:10.678 A5
25 59 Attempto Porsche non-start 2:10.725 A6
26 9 Toverasport Porsche Pyragius 2:10.838 A6
27 25 G-Force Porsche Kelders 2:10.895 A6
28 12 Bleekemolen Porsche Hugenholtz 2:10.959 A6
29 53 Duller BMW Della Volta 2:11.417 A5
30 15 G-Force Porsche Hahn 2:11.966 A6
31 35 Lammertink Porsche Pappas 2:12.077 A6
32 27 CC Car Collection Porsche Horn 2:12.120 A6
33 10 Bergh Porsche Stugemo 2:12.539 A6
34 40 VIP Pet Foods Porsche Grant 2:13.001 A6

35 7 First Porsche Vetters 2:13.625 A6
36 38 KRS Porsche Krumbach 2:14.359 A6
37 36 Ebbing Porsche Werner 2:15.006 A6
38 106 Chervonenko Renault Girdauskas 2:15.012 SP1
39 99 Schubert BMW Hürtgen 2:15.105 D1
40 8 First Porsche Perrin 2:15.194 A6
41 100 Al-Faisal BMW Spooner 2:15.686 D1
42 20 Bovi Porsche Bodis 2:15.731 A6
43 47 RJN Nissan Thiim 2:15.803 A5
44 101 Gomez Opel Gomez 2:15.882 SP1
45 111 Solution F Renault Coronel 2:15.887 SP1
46 888 CR8 Audi Euser 2:16.584 SP2
47 96 Belien BMW Cuyvers 2:16.719 D1
48 102 Solution F Opel Gasperini 2:17.408 SP1
49 42 Duwo BMW F. Schmit 2:18.083 A5
50 41 Black Falcon BMW Breslin 2:19.087 A5
51 89 Schubert BMW Rasmussen 2:20.867 D1
52 50 Zengö Seat Zengö 2:21.403 A5

53 61 Bas Koeten BMW de Jong 2:21.877 A4
54 46 Musch BMW Schaap 2:21.964 A5
55 43 German Wheels BMW Luther 2:22.130 A5
56 71 Maeder Honda Renger 2:22.430 A2
57 23 Red Lotus Mason 2:23.430 A4

58 16 VDS BMW Bentchikou 2:23.936 A6
59 79 Newedge Renault Thevenot 2:23.957 A2
60 62 Bleekemolen BMW de Groot 2:24.642 A4
61 51 Zengö Seat Kontra 2:24.927 A5
62 77 RP Dom Renault Kuppens 2:24.928 A2
63 91 VW Austria VW Waldherr 2:26.514 D1
64 92 VW Austria VW Jordan 2:27.334 D1
65 73 Verschuur Renault S. Verschuur 2:28.211 A2
66 78 MSW Renault Simmonds 2:28.654 A2
67 93 Marcos BMW Verburg 2:28.715 D1
68 94 Marcos BMW Lassally 2:29.122 D1
69 86 Red Camel Seat Thijssen 2:29.678 D1
70 98 Oettinger VW Moore 2:29.685 D1
71 97 Mad and Daring BMW Veltman 2:29.766 D1
72 95 Achterberg BMW van Riet 2:29.887 D1
73 80 Newedge Renault Renom 2:29.981 A2
74 81 Leipert Ford Barth 2:30.261 A1
75 66 Mini Motorsport Mini King 2:30.754 A2
76 65 Rapid Chariots Honda Wilshire 2:30.876 A2
77 74 ADS Renault Franchi 2:31.078 A2
78 44 Tschornia BMW Tschornia 2:31.995 A5
79 82 Leipert Ford Leipert 2:32.232 A1
80 75 Brunswick Mazda Baxter 2:33.073 A4
81 45 Mad and Daring BMW Nooren 2:33.782 D1
82 84 Klos Ford Klos 2:36.089 A1
83 76 Endurance Hungary Ford Gaspár 2:33.934 A1
84 83 Ebbing Ford Kinzler 2:36.089 A1
85 54 Emirates Racing VW Al Falasi 2:37.842 A5
86 90 Pachura VW Pachura 2:38.500 D1
87 72 Ebbing Renault Hornes no time A2

The local Emirates Racing Team has a live blog and video coverage of the race at www.UAE24hrs.com.

Unusual for sports car racing these days, the Dubai 24 Hours begins with a GP style standing start. The top three rows of Porsches start quite tight and Uwe Alzen (No. 17 Oktanas) jumps both Richard Westbrook (No. 31 Proton) and Craig Baird (No. 39 VIP). Then comes a slight gap to a foursome of Michael Schrey (No. 2 Konrad), David Russell (No. 26 Juniper), Markus Palttala (No. 3 Penders), Damien Faulkner (No. 28 Lechner).

That pretty much comprises the bulk of the leadership as the next car, the No.33 Porsche Club Singapore entry driven by Sri Lankan Dilantha Malagumawa, is some 15 seconds back after three laps. Then comes Jeroen Bleekemolen in his family’s No. 11 Porsche and Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer in the No. 14 Jetalliance car.

The first non-Porsche is in 12th overall, the No. 107 Silhouette car of Bernhard ten Brinke. Two spots further back is the first of A5 BMWs, No. 48 of Marko Hartung.

There are problems in Konrad land as Schrey brings No. 2 in with just 15 minutes gone. The car remained in the pits most of the hour. The No. 82 Leipert Ford Fiesta also made an early call while the No. 36 Ebbing Porsche appears to be a determined non-starter. From further back the Lammertink Porsche (No. 35) of American Tim Pappas also makes an early call.

At the 30-minute mark the top three remain quite stable, while behind them Palttala takes third from Russell and Faulkner. A few minutes later Westbrook grabs the top spot from Alzen while Baird has fallen off the pace by about 8 seconds. A lap later, Faulkner took second from Markus Palttala. Only David Russell remained on the lead lap. The SP1 and A5 class positions remained as before while the two-car SP2 class is being led by Rob Wilson, 17th overall in the Ferrari. Down in 36th place overall comes the next class leader, the Schubert Motorsport diesel BMW of Claudia Hürtgen. Reinhold Renger leads A2 from 52nd overall (No. 71 Maeder Honda), then comes one for the Magyars. István Gáspár leads A1 in 68th overall with the No. 76 Ford Fiesta.

Indeed the little ones are such tiddlers that on the first run by for the entire field, I thought that we had gone into an immediate Code 60 situation. Among those making early stops were the No. 86 Red Camel Racing Seat, the Emirates Racing Team VW Golf (No. 54), and the Mini-Cooper. Add the No. 81 Leipert Ford Fiesta to the delayed list. It slowed on the course—I think that it was being passed by a Dubai Taxi on the adjoining motorway.

Alzen retook the lead at the one-hour mark, 27 laps of racing. Interestingly, there have thus far been no true scheduled stops even among the Silhouette cars. However, we do have another significant early pit called, the A5 leading ORMS BMW comes in just past the one hour mark. It leavers Philipp Peter on top with the No. 1 Duller BMW.

A few minutes later we have our first Code 60. The late starting No. 78 Clio stalled in a bad spot. It has been brought in on a flat bed truck. While the concept precludes the need for the safety car, the post-interruption order is more convoluted than it would have been with an ordinary drive-around system. David Russell remains out and the No. 26 Aussie Porsche takes a long lead over the Proton 996 of Westbrook. The Singapore Porsche (No. 33) is up to third, but a lap down. The A5 leading Duller BMW has risen to 8th overall, three spots behind the No. 107 tubeframe thing.

A few minutes later we have another Code 60—much shorter and with no flat-bedded returnees. By the way, information here is as it slim as it comes. There’s a single TV screen with a single view—like the old days being a fan at your favorite corner. I had to collect the starting driver list—no press reports of substance, no driver info on the screens.

The second Code 60 period further scrambled the order as nearly all the Porsches made stops. The Proton Porsche benefited the most and when racing resumed was able to pull out a nearly one-lap lead on the No. 39 Dog & Cat Food Down Under Special. The No. 107 Renault-like thing is up to third overall, some 18 seconds back of second place. Then comes another Porsche—No. 3 ProSpeed. The No. 48 ORMS BMW is back atop A5 while the D1 leading BMW (Schubert No. 99) is all the way up to 19th overall—strange stuff.

Another 20 minutes, another full-course purple. Another minor incident—then comes the biggie. Jim Michaelian puts the rear of the ARC Bratislava Porsche off in one direction, then the other. It kisses the wall hard and the car is toast. A sweaty but undamaged Californian offered his apologies to the Slovak car owner.

“It is critical to stay on the racing line,” stated Mauro Casadei after his opening stint in the No. 32 Speed Lover Porsche. “I was at the back of a three-car train with Rob Wilson leading in the Ferrari, then Philipp Peter, and then me. After several laps I was able to catch Peter, but my stint stopped before I could approach the Ferrari. Luca Ferrari (no relation) is in the car now and although he is a few seconds slower, he is a good driver and we are ready for the night portion.”

Casadei echoed the sentiments of nearly every Porsche Cup team, “the class must be split up next year.” Clearly, the RS types have an ample horsepower advantage.

The No. 12 Bleekemolens Porsche is in with a clutch line failure while the No. 2 Konrad car is back out after a complete gearbox rebuild.

After 4 Code 60s and three hours of racing the cars’ lights are on—it’s 17:00, still dry, and a cool night in the desert awaits. Team Proton has a 2/3 lap lead over the fastest Aussies (No. 39), with the Strange No. 107 in third overall. Duller continues to lead A5 at 11th overall while the diesel class leading No. 99 BMW has dropped to a more realistic spot in the high 30s overall.

Link to positions every hour