Belgian Audi Club Team WRT win 2016 Hankook 24H Dubai with Audi R8 LMS

UAE drivers and team win in the 991 Class and A2 Class

Dubai, UAE, 17 January, 2016: The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, with their Audi R8 LMS, won the 11th Hankook 24H Dubai at the Autodrome, crossing the finish line with 588 laps on the board and winning by a margin of five laps over second placed Black Falcon Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 and eight laps ahead of third placed C.ABT Racing Audi R8 LMS.

The 2016 edition of the premier endurance race in Asia - held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of UAE National Olympic Committee - will be remembered as one of the toughest ever.

With 98 cars flagged off on Friday at 14:00 by His Highness Sheikh Juma Al Makotum accompanied by ATCUAE President Dr. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the attrition was inevitably high as traffic became a major factor during the 24 hours that followed.

The overall winning Belgian Audi Club Team WRT outfit of Belgian driver Laurens Vanthoor, Frenchman Alain Ferté, and Englishmen Michael Meadows and Stuart Leonard took the lead in the final hours, and thereafter managed to control the race to take a first victory for Audi in the Hankook 24H Dubai at the Autodrome.

Vanthoor, one of the winning drivers said, “It's a very important victory for Audi to win the Hankook 24H Dubai. I did not expect it to be so hard with so many cars, at times there were some crazy things out on track. But this is a great victory which we will enjoy together as a team.”

It was a big day for Lechner Racing ME with the trio of Emirati drivers Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum, Saeed Al Mehairi and Bashar Mardini who shared their Porsche 991 with Sven Müller and Jaap van Lagen to take victory in the 991 Cup Class.

“This is really a great victory for our team. We must thank Lechner Racing for a fantastic job throughout the weekend. We had some bad luck before the race and things did not look good. But the team was very professional and turned around the fortunes in a fantastic way. We are very happy.”

It was double delight for the Walter Lechner run outfit as they claimed the double by also taking second place in the 991 Cup Class with their second car driven by  Hannes Waimer, Wolfgang Triller, Charlie Frijns, Edward Jones and Christopher Zöchling - the latter two having started their careers in the UAE karting scene.

For the second year in a row the Dubai based Memac Ogilvy Duel Racing team took top honours in the TCR Class with Phil Quaife sharing the SEAT Leon with the Moutran brothers Rami, Ramzi and Nabil.

Ramzi Moutran said afterwards, “It was an amazing race very tough, 100 cars on track you had to fight every inch and watch out everywhere. We also had to push all the time, but we did it two years in a row. Very proud of the entire team, the troops, the mechanics - any issues that popped up they were on it. Of course winning at Dubai Autodrome, where we started our racing is always extra special.”

For the Dubai based Lap57 second place was a reward for their efforts in the tightly contested A2 Class. Mohammed Al Owais, Abdullah Al Hammadi, Nadir Zuhour, Junichi Umemoto and Rupesh Channake were involved in what was a de facto 24 hour sprint race with eventual winners Besaplest Racing Mini.

In the end Lap57 were a mere 44 seconds behind the winners, in the closest finish of this year's race.

Al Hammadi said afterwards, “Our team gave it everything we had in what was more like a non-stop sprint race. We are very proud of our guys who were perfect in everything they did.”

On the other side of the coin, it was heartbreak for pre-race favourites, Abu Dhabi Racing by Black Falcon Mercedes AMG GT3 led by Khalid Al Qubaisi when, shortly before the halfway mark, the car driven by Jeroen Bleekemolen at the time was involved in an on-track incident which led to their retirement.

Bleekemolen explained, “I tried to overtake one of the slower GT3s, a Porsche, and then he just turned in on me and I thought he had seen me but apparently not; he pushed me onto the curb and then we touched.

“I tried to do everything to avoid it but I could not do anything more. I mean it should not have happened anyway, we need to anticipate on people not seeing us which I always do,” lamented the Dutchman.

Al Qubaisi added, “Unfortunately, we have to retire due to an incident with another car while trying to overtake. Thankfully, Bleekemolen is OK; we were P2 when it happened and could have been leading now. Not meant to be, we will try again next year.”

Dubai Autodrome Chairman Ali Al Fardan summed up, “Once again Dubai Autodrome delivered a high class event which was enjoyed by thousands of people from around the world. I would like to thank the organisation that makes this such a slick and professional event, the officials, the marshals, the Autodrome staff who all work together to deliver a memorable weekend.

“Big congratulations to the overall winners Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, well done to Lechner Racing and Memac Ogilvy Duel Racing who we are proud to see do so well in their respective classes. Last but not least a big thank you to all team, drivers and crews who make this the superb event that it is - looking forward to seeing you again next year,” added Al Fardan.