Dubai 24 Hours – Preview
A Packed Entry
© Nelson Valkenburg

In only the third running of the 24 hours of Dubai, the organisers have managed to attract a highly competitive field filled with big names looking to pick up an early season endurance victory.

Endurance specialists Duller Motorsport returns to Dubai after taking victory with an M3 in the race’s first running (above), then with the Z4 a year ago (below): it’s an M3 again this time as they go for the hat-trick, but the familiar Red Bull-liveried BMW will have to deal with a whole legion of GT2 and GT3 Porsches that stand in its way.

Leading the Porsche challenge are well-established teams like Konrad Motorsport, ProSpeed Competition and SAS Lechner with their Porsche 997 RSRs. Wolfgang Kaufmann is slated to drive the Konrad entry whilst Damien Faulkner and the freshly reunited Lechner family will drive the SAS entry. ProSpeed continues to gain international experience and heads towards Dubai with its GT2 and GT3 997s. The Belgians should do very well this year.

“In spite of the stronger competition this time around, I am confident we have a chance to win,” says Wolfgang Kaufmann. “This time we will happily settle for leading two hours, instead of 22 – as long as they are the last two hours!”

Oktanas Motorsport upheld Lithuanian motorsport honor well last year with a fourth place and the familiar Porsche 996 GT3 RSR is again crewed by none other than Uwe Alzen.
Karl Wendlinger heads up the Jetalliance entry that he shares with Lucas Lichtner-Hoyer whilst Miroslav Konopka heads the Autoracing Club Bratislava Porsche GT2, as the Slovakians start their season in earnest.

Joe Macari brings his Ferrari 430 GT2, one of the few non-Porsche contenders, which he will share with Rob Wilson, Karim Ojjeh and Adrian Newey, among others.

It’s not only GT2 machinery that boasts significant names, as several top-line teams have brought their GT3 machinery to play and will be looking for consistency that could bring them so far in a 24 hour race.

One of the most exciting entries is the RPM Porsche driven by Peter Bamford, Matt Griffin and Daniel Welch. Dutch hopes lie with Team Bleekemolen whose lead Porsche 997 GT3 has none-other than Michael, Sebastiaan & Jeroen Bleekemolen, plus Jan Lammers, behind the wheel.

RJN Motorsport has brought its Nissan 350Z for another 24 hours and should do very well.
Belgian First Motorsport is usually at the sharp end of any endurance race and could well prove a threat if the bigger cars falter in the soaring heat.

Not only GTs have a shot at glory this year as several Renault Megane V6 silhouettes have been entered. Belgian BTCS team Delahaye Motorsport has turned the French cup car into an endurance star and with, amongst others Bas Leinders, Vincent Vosse, Fred Bouvy and Stephane Lemeret in its ranks, should give the heavier cars a lot of trouble.
Porsche LMP2 team Equipe Verschuur has entered two Renaults, as the team finds it feet in endurance racing with David Hart and Mike Verschuur headlining the entry.

Endurance specialist Simon Mason will be racing in “a works supported Lotus Exige GT4 for the German RED Motorsport team. The car is entered in class A4 for up to 3000cc cars because of its supercharger. I will be backing up team boss and car owner Martin Roos along with two other German drivers who have raced with RED before. They have a new sponsor called Evonik Industries who have made it possible for me join them." The Lotus is running to FIA GT4 specification with 255bhp and around 800kgs in weight. 

But the Dubai 24 hours is more than a GT event. Several smaller classes fill the grid but big names can be found here as well. Former Jordan F1 tester and Champcar driver Nicky Pastorelli joins his brother Francesco in the Mad and Daring BMW 120 Diesel, whilst Cor Euser has entered two similar cars.

Renault Clios, Ford Fiestas and Volkswagen Golfs are pitched against the Brunswick Autmotive Mazda, a favorite in the Britcar series, making sure that the lower classes will provide as much, if not more, spectacle as the GTs will.

All in all the third running of the Dubai 24 hours is sure to be another succes and with this packed entry list is rapidly becoming a worthy addition to the endurance calendar.

Track-action will start on Thursday with practice and qualifying, with the race starting on Friday afternoon.

Janos Wimpffen, fresh from the Daytona test days, will be following the action.