8 Hours remaining and dawn is breaking at Dubai Autodrome.
A canter through the paddock and pits revealed remarkably few of the major runners for overall victory in trouble, the regular fare of supporting cast players engaged in running (or in the odd case major) repairs, a few more doing that 7 am 1000 yard stare of broken dreams in close company to what used to be their race car and a general feeling of “Where can I get coffee, lots of coffee!?”
The lead battle will be remarkably familiar to anyone who was following the race into the night, the two WRT-run Audis still running one-two but with the #7 MS7 by WRT car having pulled a gap to the #31 courtesy of overnight pace.
Behind and pushing hard is the #77 Barwell Lamborghini, Mirko Bortolotti running with the leader for quite a spell, still a lap back after poor luck with caution periods and fuel windows early in the race but with good pace still on tap, Bortolotti seeing the race’s fastest lap as dawn broke (1:59.1) and looking to make a fight of things if the opportunity arises.
Moving gradually up and looking like a factor for the podium is the #75 SunEnergy1 by SPS AMG, 90 seconds back from the Lamborghini in fourth.
The other SPS-run car, the #20, was hauling its way back into class contention against the long-time class, and sometime overall leading #85 CP Racing AMG, but contact for Iain Loggie cost the team some time. That GT3 AM battle though is still only some 4 minutes apart and inside the top 10 overall, still ahead of the GT3 Pro-Am leaders.
The GT3 Pro-Am battle is, conversely, just outside the overall top ten, the two class leaders 2 minutes apart, the #19 MP Motorsport AMG with the advantage over the #93 DUWO Racing by Herberth Porsche.
The best of the non-GT3 cars is the 992-Pro leading #934 GP Elite Porsche, leading a one-two in the class for the Dutch team, the sister #933 car though is five laps back.
7 laps clear in GTX is the metronomic PK Carsport Audi GT2, no problems and a conservative pace have kept it there for hour after hour with the Leipert Lamborghini gradually dropping away overnight.
The GT4 Ginetta looks done after an oil pump belt failed, the car since has had other woes, including starter and alternator issues, simply not their day after the car had shown real pace early on.
The car’s G55 older sister meanwhile, running in TCX had rather more visually obvious troubles, heavy contact from a Porsche seeing the car lose a door and pushing in the side panel which then saw the exhaust ignite the sill, the car in the garage for significant work.
GT4 then is still led by the Dragon Racing AMG GT4, 32nd overall, some 7 minutes clear of the Heart of Racing Aston Martin with the #401 ProSport Aston having been in the garage for an hour and three quarters with problems at the left front corner.
TCR is still led by the #188 AC Motorsport Audi, 36th overall with the Thai-crewed #159 Cupra on the same lap.
Finally, the TCX car is still led by the #202 Les Deux Arbres Ligier JS2 R, Jack Leconte confirming to DSC that this is set to be his final contemporary race “I wanted to do this with my friends in a competitive and affordable way. The car has been excellent, it will be a nice way to finish this part of the story.”
The Ligier is currently 11 laps clear of the next two cars in the class, second place a battle between two BMW M2 CS racing cars, the #255 and #288 lapping 30 seconds apart.
