Frost pauses racing career
One driver missing from the final entry list for this weekend’s race in Dubai is COOL Racing’s Danial Frost, who will take no further part in the 2023/24 Asian Le Mans Series season.
The 22-year-old Singaporean, who won the opening race of the season at Sepang in LMP3, has paused his racing career to complete his two years of compulsory military service in his home country.
As a result, the #17 is running with two drivers this weekend: James Winslow and Alex Bukhantsov.
Barker enjoying ‘last dance’ with GR Racing
The UAE leg of the Asian Le Mans Series is proving to be an emotional experience for newly-minted Ford Performance factory driver Ben Barker.
This campaign, with the team’s brand new 286 GT3, will be Barker’s last with the team (for now at least), as he switches his focus to his new commitments with the ‘Blue Oval’.
Barker’s stint with GR has been a lengthy one. The 32-year-old has been competing around the world with the UK-based team, primarily in the FIA WEC’s GTE Am class, since 2016.
“I’ve been with GR for a long time, it’s been almost a decade and they gave me my break into endurance racing,” Barker explained to DSC. “Leaving to race with Ford really difficult decision to make, it wasn’t easy at all, but Mike (Wainwright, GR’s owner) has been great and has discussed the options I had with me as a friend.
“Everyone here is a friend to me, and they always will be. It’s a real shame to break that working relationship, but the relationship will still stand. I owe them a lot, they gave me a pedestal, a platform to get me to where I am now.”
This campaign in Asia is a significant one for the team for another reason too, as it has now transitioned from racing in GTE with Porsche, to GT3 with Ferrari. The 296, Barker says, is proving to be very popular within the team already.
“The car is very strong, there’s no hiding it, it’s just a bit uncomfortable for taller drivers like me!” Barker said. “Mike is enjoying it, it’s tricky and on the edge but it fits the team quite well. Everyone is enjoying working with it, the engineers especially. I think the team has made the right choice.”
Spotted in the paddock
DSC bumped into former Asian Le Mans Series LMP3 driver Duncan Tappy this afternoon. He’s here on driver coach duty with Sainteloc F4 UAE driver Matteo Quintarelli.
In addition to driver coaching, Tappy told DSC that he’s been on stunt double duty in recent months for the upcoming (untitled) racing movie starring Brad Pitt.
Another notable name coaching in the support paddock is WTRAndretti GTP driver Filipe Albuquerque, who is working with young talent in Formula Regional.
Jakobsen’s whistle-stop tour
Amongst the late arrivals at the Dubai Autodrome this week was Peugeot TotalEnergies reserve driver Malthe Jakobsen. On arrival, the Dane, who is competing here with Crowdstrike by APR in LMP2, talked DSC through his frenetic, edgy, risk-filled and exhausting experience in recent days, and that was just the trips to and from Portimao for a Peugeot test after the Rolex 24!
Jakobsen was tight-lipped about the test in Portugal. DSC though, will reveal some details of testing for Peugeot and other factory hypercar teams, in a round-up in the coming days.
GG Classic Cars comes with experience
LMP3 team GG Classic Cars, based in Kent (UK), is making its Asian Le Mans Series debut here this weekend at the Dubai Autodrome. It features a gathering of the clans of mechanic and engineering talent from across endurance motorsport, including personnel that bring prior race experience from the likes of JOTA and Rebellion.
Car controller Jim Hersey, more regularly seen with a range of clients elsewhere including Barwell and United Autosports, told DSC that the combined years of motorsport experience from the team totals 277 years in the sport.
By DSC’s estimation, that means that the other nine members of the team have a combined total experience of perhaps of much as three years…
Testing times
Ahead of Free Practice 1 the teams and drivers took part in a third and final test session this morning.
The best time came in LMP2 from the #47 COOL Racing ORECA, a 1:49.504. A 1:56.962 from the #26 Bretton Racing Ligier was the best time in LMP3, while the #33 Herberth Motorsport Porsche topped GT with a 1:59.547.
Weather
The temperature trackside has been pleasant in Dubai since DSC arrived on Wednesday, with temperatures generally hovering between 20 and 27 degrees Celsius.
There were, however, multiple rain showers earlier today which brought the temperature down during Free Practice 1, though they were not heavy enough to cause teams to switch to rain tyres.
The forecast for the rest of the meeting is set to be fully dry, with highs of 22 degrees on Saturday and Sunday.
Video preview
Ahead of Qualifying and the Race at the Dubai Autodrome, Asian Le Mans Series commentators Graham Goodwin and Oliver Gavin reflect on the races in Sepang over on the series’ YouTube Channel.
How to follow
Tomorrow’s track action includes Qualifying for Sunday’s 4 Hours of Dubai, which like the race, will be broadcast in full for free on the series’ YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Post-race, there will be a TV highlights package that will be broadcast globally.
(The races will also be streamed on multiple Chinese platforms with Chinese commentary.)
Click below for links to live timing and the YouTube channel.
