DUBAI // Khalid Al Qubaisi, the two-time Dubai 24 Hours champion, is confident his new Mercedes-AMG GT3 will be the car to beat when the opening race of the Hankook 24H Series gets underway here at the Dubai Autodrome on Friday.
Al Qubaisi and Mohammed ben Sulayem, the president of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE and FIA vice president, took the covers off the new vehicle at the Autodrome yesterday ahead of Wednesday’s qualifying session. The car will make its international race debut this weekend with Team Abu Dhabi Racing Black Falcon.
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Al Qubaisi, who made his Dubai 24 Hour debut in 2011 and returned to win the overall title the next two years, believes the car will challenge for a place on the podium this weekend.
“It’s an amazing car,” said Al Qubaisi, who will be sharing the Team Abu Dhabi Racing Black Falcon driving duties with Maro Engel and Hubert Haupt of Germany, and Dutchmen Jeroen Bleekemolen and Indy Dontje.
“Mercedes-AMG have done a really good job developing the car. It is much nicer to drive.
“It really drives like a real race car right now because the other car was a little bit bigger and had a longer wheelbase. This has a shorter wheelbase and a seating position that reminds us of the single-seaters. It has a better downforce all over the car.”
Making their sixth appearance at the Dubai 24 Hours, both Abu Dhabi Racing Black Falcon and Al Qubaisi have traditionally gone well here.
Racing as two-time defending champions in 2014, they had a technical issue with the car but still managed to finish third. Last year, they were on the verge of taking the lead but a collision with a slower car put them out of the race after only four hours.
“We have always been the fastest, even when we’ve had problems,” Al Qubaisi said.
“In 2014, we were leading by two laps but a technical problem slowed us down. Last year, when we had that incident we were actually leading.
“So we are always the team to beat; the fastest team here for the past four years ... five years actually, even with the Porsche in 2011, and that says a lot. So this year again, we will be the team to beat.”
Al Qubaisi said surviving the first 12 hours will be crucial, especially since there will be 11 more cars on the grid this weekend than 12 months ago, with a maximum 100 cars lining up on the grid.
“It will not be easy with a record-breaking grid of 100 cars,” Al Qubaisi said. “We will be up against some of the best drivers in the world, but we are optimistic and raring to hit the ground running.”
Ben Sulayem, who will flag off the field at 2pm, on Friday, was also delighted to see a full grid for the race.
“The Dubai 24 hours is not merely a race, it is a phenomenon of Middle East motorsport,” he said. “We have been part of this event for the past 11 years and each year it gets better.
“Bigger grids, professional drivers, great teams make this a unique event and is now firmly established among the top endurance races of the world.”
The action begins Thursday with two practice sessions, before qualifying begins at 4.15pm, with a further practice in night conditions taking place at 8pm.
Schedule
Thursday
11:30 – 12:00 Hankook 24H DUBAI Free practice 1, Class A2, A3, CUP1, TCR, SP3
12:05 – 12:35 Hankook 24H DUBAI Free practice 2, Class A6, SPX, SP2, 991, 997
12:35 – 13:30 Break
13:30 – 16:00 Hankook 24H DUBAI Free practice 3 ALL Classes
16:15 – 16:45 Hankook 24H DUBAI Qualification 1: Class A2, A3, CUP1, TCR, SP3
17:00 – 17:30 Hankook 24H DUBAI Qualification 2: Class A6, SPX, SP2, 991, 997
17:30 – 18:00 Break
18:00 – 20:00 Hankook 24H DUBAI Night practice
Friday
10:30 – 11:00 Hankook 24H DUBAI Warming up
11:45 – 12:45 Break
12.45 Start grid of the Hankook 24H DUBAI
14:00 hours Start of the Hankook 24H DUBAI
20.00 Fireworks
Saturday
14:00 Finish of the Hankook 24H DUBAI
14:15 Publication of results
14.15 Podium ceremony (ALL CLASS WINNERS)
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