Dunlop Dubai 24 Hours – Hour 3/4 Report
Settling Down

With Rob Barff, Matt Griffin and Peter Kox now out of the leading trio of cars, there was the likelihood that the next hour or too would begin to develop a different rhythm. The three pro drivers had been able to stay at the front, despite spins from Kox and Griffin and despite severe indigestion for Barff, but the relative pace of Jordan Grogor, Jack Gerber and Nico Pronk would not be so similar.

At this point, a complete internet failure in the media centre, together with an ending of the Motors TV coverage, prompted the DSC Deputy Ed to pop down to the paddock to try and catch up with a few drivers, as the Ed heroically continued to tweet - @dsceditor

Tweets:
 
GTAcademy GT Academy
#Dubai24 @JordanTresson just out of the #100car 'Very hot, very hard work in the car, had to push the brakes very hard'
11 minutes ago
Retweeted by dsceditor

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
The Saker leaves the pits, pits for a pit penalty and pits - Full House!!! #Dubai24
11 minutes ago

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
BMW, AMG, AMG, AMG, BMW is the top 5 at present #Dubai24
12 minutes ago

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
Cioci is lapping very quickly in the AF Corse 458 - up into top 10 again #Dubai24
14 minutes ago

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
Jorg Muller leads the race as the #18 Porsche pits for fuel and a Team Manager vs Race Director discussion #Dubai24
16 minutes ago

24H SERIES
24HSERIES 24H SERIES
P1:#18 P2:#1 P3:#3, Still no code 60! #24hDUBAI
24 minutes ago
Retweeted by dsceditor

Tom Kimber-Smith
TKS77 Tom Kimber-Smith
Franck has had a very hard day so has decided to lay down! @Nissan_OnTrack #Dubai24 twitpic.com/86qijd
28 minutes ago
Retweeted by dsceditor

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
#18 Porsche leads from #1 BMW, #3 Mercedes and #25 Lamborghini We're into the 4th hour of the #Dubai24
27 minutes ago

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
Just looked down to pit lane and......No Saker!!! #Dubai24 - Oh hang on, here it comes, down pit lane and into the garage!
30 minutes ago

GT Academy
GTAcademy GT Academy
#Dubai24 @BryanHeitkotter #GTAcademy USA winner currently in the car
34 minutes ago
Retweeted by dsceditor

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
Lead Car Team manager #18 Porsche - called to race director - penalty looming? #Dubai24
34 minutes ago

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
Shadows are lengthening at #Dubai24 - Some blessed relief on the way for the drivers
36 minutes ago

Eve Hewitt
radiolemans Eve Hewitt
100 Nissan in the pits...new tyres. Leisurely pitstop. @Nissan_OnTrack #24HDubai
43 minutes ago
Retweeted by dsceditor

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
Guess what's pitted - It's the Saker - engine cover up - and the #105 Silhouette is in too in sympathy #shootitnow #Dubai24
42 minutes ago

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
@stueyhallracing hoping to announce 2012 plans soon - may well involve GT and "the other sort" #Dubai24
51 minutes ago

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
@stueyhallracing commits the cardinal sin of disagreeing with an opinion held by John Hindhaugh!! @radiolemans #Dubai24
55 minutes ago

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
The 3rd placed #16 Heico Mercedes has just had a trip to the naughty step - a 20 second spell in the penalty box #Dubai24
56 minutes ago

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
No Turkish Delight for the #122 BORUSAN OTOMOTIV car - it's stopped out on the circuit and awaits a tow #Dubai24
57 minutes ago

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
Stuart Hall and |Archie Hamilton about to go live on @radiolemans #Dubai24
1 hour ago

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
Whoops - Press room internet has gone pop - keep following here on Twitter while we get a workaround on dailysportscar.com #dubai24
1 hour ago

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
Sakerwatch continues - it's back in the pits for the 324th time so far - engine cover off! #Dubai24
1 hour ago

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
The #100 Nissan 370Z is going strong - 26th overall for the little GT4 car in a field that includes well over 30 GT3 spec cars! #Dubai24
1 hour ago

Graham Goodwin
dsceditor Graham Goodwin
#116 Optimum Ginetta pits after crawling home with damage to the right rear corner - Lee Mowle had contct with a 997 #Dubai24
1 hour ago

@dsceditor not too bad..... But had a vapour lock in the fuel system now we have to change the gearbox!
1 hour ago
Retweeted by dsceditor

Stuart Hall
stueyhallracing Stuart Hall
@
@dsceditor helped into a spin....... Rear damage!
1 hour ago
Retweeted by dsceditor

Paul Dunk
Dunkie5150 Paul Dunk
@specutainment @dsceditor No #MotorsTV at work but covert listening to @radiolemans at my desk Top job as always! Getting me through Friday
1 hour ago
Retweeted by dsceditor

Nelson Valkenburg
NoCommentNelson Nelson Valkenburg
While MotorsTV is off-air until 6 pm, we all can enjoy the Dubai coverage of @radiolemans and @dsceditor. Thanks mates makes my life easier!
1 hour ago
Retweeted by dsceditor

QUOTES:

Rob Barff (#12 AUH Ferrari 458): “I’m fine – I had a tennis ball-sized lump of indigestion near the end of my stint, which I haven’t experienced before, but I’ve rehydrated and am feeling better.

“As regards my stint, it went as expected – I started in the lead and finished in the lead and its going to be stalemate for the next 22 hours. Our strategy is awesome, though, and, no, I’m not going to tell you what it is!”

Matt Griffin (#2 AF Corse 458): “I was tipped by a backmarker as Rob and I passed him not far into the race; I gave him enough space, but he understeered into me. I’m not sure where I dropped down to, but I managed to get back to third before the end of my second stint.

“It’s unbelievably hot in the car – particularly when you’re sitting in the fuel station for three minutes – and the tyre wear is much worse than expected. Marco [Cioci] did the qualifying time on tyres that were two and a half hours old, but mine were down to the canvas when I came in; they dropped off a cliff near the end of my stint and I let Rob past into second, and then I had to pit slightly early.”

Aaron Scott (#101 GT3 Racing Viper): “It’s going okay so far. The car is a bit thirstier than we expected, so I was trying to save some fuel during my stint, and then I got a bit of a fuel surge which meant I had to pit early.

“Craig drove well to get us back into the class lead, and Leigh Smart’s in the car now.”

Joe Osborne (#116 Optimum Ginetta G50): “Unfortunately, Lee [Mowle] got hit by a Porsche – it’s rear-right damage on our car and front-left on his, so it looks like he dived down the inside somewhere – and it broke a wishbone and a track-rod. The guys managed to sort the repair in just eight minutes, but we can’t afford another delay like that.

“The car was great, but it was just unbelievably hot. I was having a great race with the Lotus for the class lead, but I had to pit after 90 minutes as I was done in – the car could probably have done another 20 minutes. The water in the drinks bottle was hot within a couple of laps!”

Edward Sandström leads as the race heads towards the end of the fourth hour.