The GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracán GT3 (#964, Ineichen/Ineichen/Engelhart/Bortolotti) will be starting from pole position for the 13^th running of the 24H DUBAI.

Lamborghini factory driver Mirko Bortolotti set a new qualifying record lap time of 1m56.716s around the 5.390 kilometres long Dubai Autodrome.

In the 24H TCE SERIES, the Century Motorsports Ginetta (#229, Freke/Barnes/Farmer/Paul) emerged fastest with a time of 2m07.871s set by Jon Barnes.

Bortolotti’s fastest time secured the second pole position for Lamborghini in history of the Hankook 24H DUBAI. “Last year, we were unfortunate as we were taken out of the race,” Bortolotti said.

“Of course, now we want to make up for that bad luck and we will do our very best to score the first win for Lamborghini here in Dubai.” The Black Falcon team saw its two Mercedes-AMG GT3s end up second and third, with the #3 car (Al Qubaisi/Bleekemolen/Stolz/Mezger) ahead of the #2 entry (Al Faisal/Haupt/Buurman/Piana).

The UAE-based GP Extreme team saw Nicky Pastorelli put the fastest of its two Renault R.S. 01s (#28, Valentini/Jefferies/Pastorelli/Varutti/Kronfli) on pole position in the A6-Am class, followed by the GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini (#963, Ineichen/Pampanini/Lenz/Calamia/Breukers) and the Herberth Motorsport Porsche (#911, Allemann/Bohn/Renauer/Renauer/Olsen).

Behind the wheel of the #63 race:pro motorsport Porsche 991 Cup (Misky/Sultanov/Bachler/Jahn/Foster), Austrian Klaus Bachler remained on top of the 991-Pro class throughout the session, but he managed to improve his own time again and again.

Eventually, he secured the class pole with 2m01.429s, followed by the FACH AUTO TECH Porsche (#62, Campbell/Andlauer/Preining/Richter) and the RScar Motorsport 911 (#82, Solovlev/Meshcheiakov/Gromov/Rusinov).

With a late flyer, Swiss Philipp Frommenwiler put the #61 FACH AUTO TECH Porsche (Wagner/Bruder/Hegglin/Frommenwiler/Hirschmann) on pole in the 991-Am class. His fastest time was 2m01.633s. The race:pro motorsport Porsche (#67, Thorpe/McInerney/Quaife/Cappelli) qualified second in class, the Raceunion Porsche (#187, Autumn/Laser/Gülden/Skoog/Triller) ended up third.

Fastest qualifier in GT4 was Philip Ellis in the Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS GT4 (#248, Ellis/Lappalainen/Rdest/Jasper), followed by the Besagroup Racing Mercedes-AMG GT R SP-X (#233, Kovac/Schumacher/Asch/Asch/Leib) and the Team RACE SCOUT by Winward Mercedes-AMG GT R SP-X (#84, Ward/Ward/Gebhardt/Schneider/Fontana).

SPX qualifying honours went to Oliver Webb in the Leipert Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo (#10, Webb/Wee/Moh/Schjerpen/Volbikas), ahead of the similar car of the GDL Racing Team Asia (#77, Liam/Farmer/Tan/Verburg) and the MRS GT Racing Porsche (#89, Rödig/Bernsteiner/Heger/Zöchling).

French stalwart Christophe Bouchut put the Lamera Cup car (#60, Merafina/Couasnon/Bouchut/Marie) on top in the SP2 class, followed by the Speedlover Porsche (#78, Bastien/Diez/Rivas/Wilwert) and the KTM Motorsport Australia KTM X-BOW (#246, McMillan/Wood/Pronk/Kox).

Jon Barnes puts Century Motorsports Ginetta on TCE SERIES pole

In qualifying for the 24H TCE SERIES powered by Hankook, in which the SP3, TCR, CUP1 and A2 categories took part, it was British driver Jon Barnes who topped the time sheets with a time of 2m07.871s. Thus, he put the Century Motorsports Ginetta (#229, Freke/Barnes/Farmer/Paul) on class pole position with a margin of 0.734 seconds on Bradley Liebenberg, who qualified the CWS Engineering Ginetta (#178, White/Constable/Murray/Liebenberg) second in class.

The Optimum Motorsport team (#232, Barwick/Moore/Hollings/Brough) completed the clean sweep of the top three both in the TCE SERIES and in the SP3 class for Ginatta teams. Jon Barnes was pleased with his performance: “This is my first time here in Dubai. I expected to be quick, but I didn’t expect to end up on pole with such a huge margin. The team did really well, we are looking forward to the race.”

TCR honours went to Belgian Vincent Radermecker, who put the AC Motorsport Audi RS3 LMS (#888, Perrin/Renneteau/Radermecker/Nitiss) into first place early in the session already and then gradually improved his personal fastest time to end up with a class-pole-winning time of 2m09.003s.

The Modena Motorsport SEAT Leon TCR (#216, Shen/Shen/Tjia/Simonsen/Beche) qualified second while the Liqui Moly Team Engstler Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR (#130, Engstler/Thoma/Leuchter/Vernay) made it three different brands in the first three positions of the TCR class.

There was little doubt about who would claim the CUP1 class pole as Michael Schrey put the Hofor Racing powered by Bonk Motorsport BMW M235i Racing Cup (#131, Kroll/Schrey/Fischer/Küpper/Engljähringer) into first place at an early stage in the session already and his time of 2m16.119s was never beaten. The Sorg Rennsport cars rounded out the top three with the #151 entry (Epp/Danz/Richard/Caygill/Mettler) in second and the #152 car (Gu/Fei/Beyer/Hewer/Lawrence) in third place.

Danish driver Niels Nyboe was fastest in the A2 class with a time of 2m19.968s, putting the Jönsson Consulting Peugeot RCZ (#171, Jönsson/Mogensen/Nyboe/Hansen/Bruun) on class pole quite early in the session already. The Ciceley Motorsport team saw its two Renault Clios take second and third place, with the #164 car (Coates/Rettich/Hatfield/Jusjong) followed by its #162 sister entry (Morgan/Bird/Bird/Giddings).

After a warm-up session from 11.00-11.30 hrs, the race will get underway tomorrow, Friday, 12 January, at 14.00 hrs. local time.

The Simpson Motorsport Ginetta G57 (#6, Mike Simpson / John Corbett / Neale Muston / Jordan Sanders) has won the opening race of the 2018 3X3H DUBAI, re-taking the lead from the Graff Ligier JS P3 (#44, Michal Broniszewski / Giacomo Piccini) on the penultimate lap. 

Having taken pole position earlier that afternoon, the Simpson Motorsport Ginetta would make a slow start to the race – losing it lead in the process – and time on-track after its first pit stop, allowing the Graff Ligier to hit the front. A late charge though meant it was Jordan Sanders rather than Michal Broniszewski who crossed the line first after 82 laps of the 5.39km Dubai Autodrome. Graff would at least walk away with P3 class victory.
 
Early contenders for victory also included the Speedworks Motorsport Ligier JS P3 (#22, Jack Butel / Kay van Berlo / Konstantin Gugkaev) only for engine woes to scupper its process. The British-based Ligier was running comfortably at the front before a broken driveshaft brought it’s run to a screeching halt. Simpson Motorsport would suffer a similar setback with its second Ginetta entry (#4, Steve Tandy / Simon Murray), which was officially retired shortly before qualifying with a broken chassis.
 
The SPIRIT OF RACE Ligier JS P3 (#48, Piergiuseppe Perazzini / Kriton Lendoudis / Marco Cioci / Rui Aguas) would finish 2nd in the P3 class and 5th overall, albeit half a dozen laps further back after issues for Greek driver Lendoudis saw the Ligier swap ends several times on-track before drawing to a halt completely for several minutes at half-distance.   

Issues for both P3 entries therefore meant the CN1-winning Krafft Racing Norma M20 FC (#98, Daniel Kirmann / François Kirmann / Marc Vives) completed the podium, cementing the team a second prototype victory in Dubai after last year’s ‘exhibition’ races. The sister entry (#97, Max Bortolami / David Cristini / Régis Tref) would finish its race, without power, on the main straight, but would still be classified 6th.  
 
The event’s home-town entrants – the AUH Motorsport Radical SR3 RSX (#177, Salem Al Nusif / Mohammed Al Nusif / Mohammed Al Hassawi) finished 4th overall, a solid effort given that none of its three-drivers had raced hour-long stints before this weekend.

The Simpson Motorsport Ginetta G57 (#6, Mike Simpson / John Corbett / Neale Muston) has taken its second race win of the 3X3H DUBAI season opener in dramatic style, snatching victory on the last corner of the last lap of the final race of the weekend.

 In the closing stages of race three, victory had looked set to go to the sister Simpson Motorsport Ginetta G57 (#4, Jordan Sanders / Simon Murray / Charlie Robertson), which had led comfortably throughout the final hour despite losing time during the mid-race pit stops. The #4 prototype though would crawl to a halt on the main straight of the 5.39km Dubai Autodrome after running out of fuel, and would ultimately be classified 2nd.
 
It was not all doom and gloom for the #4 machine, however. Impressively, despite terminal suspension issues preventing the Ginetta from starting Saturday’s race one at all, the #4 would start from pit road on Sunday morning and charge through the field to win race two outright.
 
In P3, the Speedworks Motorsport Ligier JS P3 (#22, Jack Butel / Kay van Berlo / Konstantin Gugkaev) walked away with a pair of class wins, having led both races outright intermittently. Despite an errant spin in the closing stages of race three, the British-based Ligier would also round out the overall podium in both races.  

urther back in P3, the Graff Ligier JS P3 (#44, Michal Broniszewski / Giacomo Piccini) secured the runners-up spot in both races, the only two-driver line-up in the field finishing 6th overall in the second race and improving to finish 4th overall in race three.

Following its 2nd place finish in-class on Saturday, the SPIRIT OF RACE Ligier JS P3 (#48, Piergiuseppe Perazzini / Kriton Lendoudis / Marco Cioci / Rui Aguas) rounded out the P3 podium in both races on Sunday, despite day-long wheel and understeer problems. 
 
In CN1, the Krafft Racing Norma M20 FCs shared the class spoils on Sunday, with the #97 (Max Bortolami / David Cristini / Régis Tref) taking the class win in race two in a nail-biting finish that saw both Normas cross the line barely one tenth of a second apart.

In race three, the sister  #98 entry (Daniel Kirmann / François Kirmann / Marc Vives) took its second class win of the weekend, but could not replicate its success from race one, in which the Norma finished 3rd overall and on the outright podium. On home turf, the AUH Motorsport Radical SR3 RSX (#177, Salem Al Nusif / Mohammed Al Nusif / Mohammed Al Hassawi) rounded out the CN1 class podiums in both races.

 Only a few days into the new calendar year, motorsport fans can already look forward to the first events of the 2018 season as the CREVENTIC SERIES  get underway at Dubai Autodrome.

With back-to-back events on the first two weekends of 2018, series’ organisers and promoters CREVENTIC, in co-operation with the DNRT, have created a veritable ‘speedweek’ at Dubai Autodrome.

The action starts with the 3x3H DUBAI for prototypes (5-7 January, 2018), followed by the 13th running of the Hankook 24H DUBAI, the original and most prestigious endurance racing event in the Middle East, from 11-13 January, 2018. Drivers and teams from 42 different countries are expected for the first major event on the international motorsport calendar.

24H PROTO SERIES: Preview Hankook 3x3H DUBAI

Following the success of the inaugural event one year ago, the prototypes are back at Dubai Autodrome for the second running of the Hankook 3x3H DUBAI

. As the name of the event indicates, it is a triple-header of three-hour races, each with a separate classification and prize-giving ceremony. The Hankook 3x3H DUBAI is counting towards the Championship of the Continents of the 24H PROTO SERIES powered by Hankook, with the next rounds scheduled at the track of Portimao in Portugal (6-8 July) and the Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Texas (15-18 November).
 
For the round in Dubai, prototypes from three different categories are expected, with P2, P3 and CN1 cars all featuring on the entry list. British team Simpson Motorsport has entered a pair of Ginetta G57s in the P2 class, with another Ginetta entered by Century Motorsport.

The Ligier JS P3 is the car of choice in the P3 class with entries from Speedworks Motorsport, Graff and Spirit of Race. In the CN1 class, French team Krafft Racing is running a pair of Norma M20 FCs while the locally-based team AUH Motorsport, that has its headquarters at Dubai Autodrome, will be running up to three of its Radical SR3 RSX cars.

There is an optional private test for prototype teams on Friday, 5 January, from 13.00-16.00 hrs. Free practice is scheduled on Saturday, 6 January, from 8.30-10.30 hrs, followed by qualifying from 11.00 till 12.00 hrs and the first race from 15.00-18.00 hrs. The second race runs on Sunday from 9.00-12.00 hrs, the third race is held from 15.00-18.00 hrs.

24H GT SERIES/24H TCE SERIES: Preview Hankook 24H DUBAI

With an entry of over 90 cars, the 13th running of the Hankook 24H DUBAI again looks promising. The event at Dubai Autodrome is the season opener of the Championship of the Continents in both the 24H GT SERIES and the 24H TCE SERIES powered by Hankook. With touring cars from the TCR, SP3, CUP1 and A2 classes accounting for about one third of the field and the rest of the grid filled with A6, GT4, 991, SPX and SP2 class machinery, there is a good balance between GTs and touring cars.

Over the years, the race in Dubai has become one of the classic endurance races for GT3 cars and this year’s event will be no exception. The A6 Pro class has eleven entries with Mercedes-AMG GT3, Audi R8 LMS, Porsche 991 GT3 R, Renault R.S. 01 GT3 and Lamborghini Huracán GT3, plus a Ford GT Lambda as an interesting ‘dark horse’.

Several prominent drivers are on the list for the race, including local hero Khaled Al Qubaisi and Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen, both two-time overall winners of the race. Many other drivers in the A6 Pro class have works or semi-works status, including several drivers from Porsche, the most successful manufacturer in history of the Hankook 24H DUBAI with five outright wins.
 
With 15 entrants, the A6 Am class is set to be the largest category in Dubai. Cars in this class are Mercedes-AMG GT3, Chevrolet Corvette C6-ZR1, Renault R.S. 01 GT3, Audi R8 LMS, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 and Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Reigning 24H SERIES GT Champions Hofor Racing will be starting the campaign for its title defence in Dubai. The SPX class is the domain of various Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo cars as well as modified Porsche Cup cars and a car from the French Lamera Cup.

The 991 class for Porsche 991 Cup cars has been split up into a Pro and an Am class, with three of Porsche’s Young Professionals and Junior drivers entered in the Pro class. The SP2 class has one MARC Focus V8 taking on two KTM X-BOWs. Following an agreement between CREVENTIC and SRO, a separate GT4 class will be in place for the first time in 2018. In Dubai, the entry in this class includes twelve cars with Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, Ginetta, McLaren, Audi and BMW all represented by customer teams. 

The TCR class is leading the touring car segment with 14 cars. There is no lack of variety either, with the Audi RS3, Peugeot 308, SEAT Leon and Volkswagen Golf all expected on the grid in Dubai, including two teams from the United Arab Emirates. Defending 24H SERIES powered by Hankook touring car champions, Team Altran Peugeot, will be back in action as well. The SP3 class has a variety of BMWs, Ginettas and Hondas as well as two Lamera Cup cars. The CUP1 class will have five BMW M235i Racing Cup cars on the grid while two Renault Clios and one Peugeot RCZ in the A2 class round out the field.
 
Rent-a-car rides and optional private tests are scheduled for Wednesday, 10 January, followed by the traditional welcome party with barbecue in the paddock of Dubai Autodrome. The official action gets underway with two free practice sessions on Thursday, 11 January, from 11.00-12.00 hrs for the 24H TCE SERIES and from 12.15-13.15 hrs for the 24H GT SERIES.

Qualifying will be held in two groups as well, from 16.00-16.45 hrs for the 24H TCE SERIES and from 17.00-17.45 hrs for the 24H GT SERIES. Night practice for all cars will be held from 19.00-20.30 hrs. After a warm-up from 11.00-11.30 hrs on Friday, 12 January, the 24-hour race will get underway at 14.00 hrs.