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24H of Dubai preview

Preview Fifth anniversary edition Dunlop 24H of Dubai DUBAI (January 12th, 2010) Cars and equipment have arrived from all over the world and from today, teams are be setting up at the Dubai Autodrome which will host the fifth anniversary edition ...

Preview Fifth anniversary edition Dunlop 24H of Dubai

DUBAI (January 12th, 2010) Cars and equipment have arrived from all over the world and from today, teams are be setting up at the Dubai Autodrome which will host the fifth anniversary edition of the Dunlop 24H of Dubai this week (January 14th till 16th). With 20 different car brands and 80 teams from 21 countries on the starting grid, the fifth edition of the 24- hour race for GT and touring cars and 24h specials, organised by Dutch agency CREVENTIC BV, looks set to become a real thriller.

It will not come as a surprise that BMW and Porsche have the strongest contingent on the grid, with 20 BMWs and 15 Porsches on the entry list. Porsche versus BMW or Land Motorsport versus Al Faisal Racing was also the battle for victory in the closing stages of last year's 24H of Dubai. Eventually, the Land Motorsport Porsche came out on top, bringing team owner Wolfgang Land his first-ever race win in a 24-hour event. This year, the two teams that staged this close battle are back, but they are far from the only contenders for a good result in the race. Last year's other podium finishers, German Besaplast Racing team with former DTM stalwarts Kurt Thiim and Roland Asch are eager to do one better this time round. Another strong Porsche entry comes from the French IMSA Performance MATMUT team that has a long experience in the classic 24-hour race at Le Mans, while, for instance, the Porsches from the Auto Racing Club Bratislava, the Austrian Jetalliance Racing Team, German outfit Hermes Attempto Racing and the aptly-named Swedish team Need for Speed are also expected to do well.

Among the BMW fraction are two Z4 Coupes from the Japanese Petronas Syntium team and the German Black Falcon team that has won the title in the famous German VLN endurance racing championship on the Nurburgring-Nordschleife in the past two years. Another interesting entry is the Ferrari F430 of the Italian AF Corse team, one of three Ferraris in the field. The line-up on this car includes two drivers from the ranks of the American NASCAR Sprint Cup series: Michael Waltrip and Marcos Ambrose.

Another well-represented sports car brand is Aston Martin with no less than nine cars entered for this year's Dunlop 24H of Dubai, while other more exotic brands include Ginetta, Mosler, Ascari, Brokernet, Saker and the Dutch Donkervoort sports car that will be taking on a 24-hour race for the first time ever with a line-up that includes former Le Mans class winner Peter Kox.

However, it doesn't have to be a sports car to race in the Dunlop 24H of Dubai. The concept of the event with various different classes ensures that there will be plenty of other machinery on the grid, too, from hot hachbacks like the Renault Clios and one-make series' cars like the SEAT Leon Supercopa up to silhouette cars like the French Solution F machines and a brawny Ford Mustang. The spectacular 'International Superkarts' are the official support category of the Dunlop 24H of Dubai. The Superkarts will have three races and the field will include reigning European champion Gavin Bennett. Dutch racing stalwart Cor Euser will be competing both in the Superkart series and in the 24-hour-race itself.

The Dunlop 24H of Dubai gets underway on Friday, January 15th, at 14.00 h, under the patronage of the Crown Prince of Dubai, sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum.

-source: 24h series

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