Six hours into the 2026 Dubai 24 Hours, and Marvin Dienst leads the way aboard the #81 Winward Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.
Six separate Code 60 interruptions during the opening stages have split the GT3 field across a variety of strategies, with a rotating cast of contenders taking turns in the lead.
It’s the quartet of BMW M4 GT3 Evos, however, which have emerged as a consistent threat, with Paradine Competition and defending winner Team WRT holding down four of the top six positions before the most recent Code 60 once again shuffled the order.
It didn’t take long for the Bavarian marque to establish itself, as WRT’s Kelvin van der Linde passed the pole-sitting #28 TFT Racing Mercedes-AMG of Benjamin Paque for the lead on the opening lap.
Behind, Loek Hartog stormed from 10th on the grid to second position aboard Herberth Motorsport’s #10 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), with the leading pair then proceeding to hold station until the opening round of pit stops. GT3 runners have different refuelling rates based on their class, which meant Herberth’s Pro/Am Porsche, with Antares Au installed behind the wheel, was able to emerge in front of the Pro #669 WRT BMW.
Au then held the effective lead until the beginning of the fourth hour, when a spin at Turn 1 allowed the #992 Paradine Competition BMW of Darren Leung through. The Porsche racer pitted at the end of the lap, before a Code 60 was deployed only minutes later.
All four BMWs stopped under this interruption, with Leung ceding the lead to teammate Augusto Farfus after Paradine elected to make two stops with the #992 entry.
The Brazilian then pulled away, handing over to James Kellett at the beginning of Hour 6. A Code 60 deployed whilst Kellett was in the refuelling area prevented the Briton from taking on a full tank, and also briefly dropped the #991 BMW back to fourth.
But as the cars in front, which had taken on even less fuel, pitted, Kellett cycled back to the lead until the lap before the six-hour mark, when he brought the #991 BMW into the pits and handed the top position over to Dienst, who is expected to pit imminently.
Third overall, and heading GT3-Am, is Leung’s #992 BMW, with the #14 Razoon – More Than Racing Porsche running fourth. The #27 WRT BMW sits fifth, ahead of the #2 HAAS RT Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II and #669 WRT M4.
GT3-Pro/Am is currently headed by the #10 Herberth Porsche in ninth overall, with Joel Sturm behind the wheel. The Porsche has lost ground after its green-flag pit stop in the fourth hour, but still cycled as far up as second position inside the last hour.
The race’s first casualty was the #21 HAAS RT Audi, which sustained terminal chassis damage after opening lap contact. The #67 SVC Sport Management Mercedes-AMG is also a confirmed retirement, due to a damaged steering rack, whilst Ajith RedAnt Racing’s #93 Mercedes-AMG hasn’t reappeared after it pulled off at the start of the third hour with a fire.
Also delayed, following an incident on the opening lap, is the #87 Origine by CC Porsche, which started the race in the GT3-Am championship lead of the 24H Series Middle East Trophy.
Meanwhile, the #56 Scuderia Praha Ferrari 296 GT3 failed to make the start, following damage sustained in an accident during yesterday’s Night Practice.
In 992, the Am-entered #924 Red Ant Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup leads the way, ahead of the pole-sitting #909 Red Camel-Jordans.nl entry. Tierra Outdoor Racing by FACH’s #962 Porsche enjoyed a long spell in the lead earlier on, but has since fallen back to sixth.
The #795 Team CMR Ginetta G56 GT2 leads GTX by three laps, having passed the #797 Rossa Racing LM GT, which still sits second, during a round of pit stops in the fourth hour.
In GT4, Cerny Motorsport’s #445 BMW M4 GT4 has established a four-lap advantage over the #427 SRS Team Sorg Rennsport Porsche Cayman, whilst asBest Racing currently runs 1-2-3 in TCE-TCX, with its #102 Cupra TCR DSG leading the way.
Image courtesy of 24H Series
