12-Hour winning drivers, team claim Dubai enduro
15 Jan 2022
A PAIR of Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour winners and a former 12-Hour winning team have powered to victory in the Dubai 24 Hour in the United Arab Emirates.
Audi Sport Team WRT, who claimed the 2018 12-Hour, posted a commanding 1-2 finish in the around-the-clock race at the Dubai Autodrome with the winning car featuring 2018 12-Hour winner Dries Vanthoor and two-time Bathurst champion Christopher Mies among the driving squad.
They shared the winning car with Thomas Neubauer, Axcil Jefferies and Mohammed Saud Fahad Al Saud, while the sister car was driven by Frederic Vervisch, Benjamin Goethe, Arnold Robin, Maxime Robin and Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer - finishing one lap behind their teammates.
The Audi's assumed the lead in the first quarter of the race and ultimately saw off a challenge from a Lamborghini Huracan entered by Barwell Motorsport in the second-half to secure their commanding 1-2 result.
The Lamborghini ultimately failed to finish the race, which helped deliver a podium finish to more Bathurst favourites.
A stunning performance from former 12-Hour podium finishers Sun Energy1 Racing saw them claim the final step on the podium with their Mercedes AMG GT3.
Mikael Grenier, Maro Engel, Jules Gounon and Kenny Habul shared the driving in the Habul-led entry, which only claimed the final step on the podium in a late-race battle with another AMG steered by 12-hour hotshot Raffaele Marciello.
A consistent race-long performance from the Aussie-led Grove Racing / Herberth Motorsport squad saw them grab sixth outright in the 24-hour race.
Supercars championship front-runner Anton De Pasquale was joined by Porsche ace Sven Muller plus Grove Racing owners and GT World Challenge Australia regulars Brenton and Stephen Grove in their strong campaign.
After starting fourth, the car rarely ran outside the top seven for the duration and completed 589 laps compared to the winners 596 - also finishing as the first Porsche home.
Alongside their GTWC Australia and Porsche Carrera Cup campaigns, Grove Racing are five-time Bathurst 12 Hour class winners; four of them in Class B and once in GT3 Pro-Am, making them the most successful team in the race's history.
Tickets for the 2022 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour, which will now be held on May 13-15, go on sale this Monday via Ticketek.
Image: Courtesy 24H Series Facebook Page
