It was a topsy turvy two hours to start the 2022 Hankook 24H Dubai with caution periods, a variety of strategies under those caution periods, some toweringly bad luck in the pits ad some slick work on the pit apron and pit wall all playing their parts in the race seeing overall leaders in Audi, Porsche and Mercedes-AMG machinery, and just one pass on track for the lead – and that was Porsche on Porsche – in the opening two hours.
The leader after that second hour was the GT3 Am leading effort from CP Racing, Charles Espenlaub and the crew driving and making the calls smartly as others around them threw the dice during cautions.
The conservative calls played out well and Espenlaub handed the car over just before the end of the second hour to Charles Putnam who proceeded to pull away from the chasing, and initially pole sitting #7 MS7 by WRT Audi, by now in the hands of Mohammed Saud Faisal Al Saud.
The #7 had held the lead from the start with Christopher Mies fending off Raffaele Marciello, the AMG star making his first race start under his newly adopted Swiss racing colours. The debuting #1 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3 had failed to get away at the start, was pushed to pit lane where the team were able to fire up the brand new machine, Harry Gottsacker though was seemingly too eager to make up for lost time and passed the red light at pit exit, joining the are as the main field started, the team dealt a 2 lap post-race penalty for the infringement.
The pair tussled away until the first Code 60 at the 14-minute mark after a clash between the #714 KTM X-Bow and the #961 Fach Auto Tech Porsche GT3 Cup car that put the 911 into the garage and drew a penalty for the KTM.
A difference in approach to strategy saw the leader pit, handing the lead to the #4 Abu Dhabi Racing by HRT AMG that would be kept by Marciello. There would be disastrous luck though for the #4 under the next caution half an hour later, the car finding the fuel pumps all occupied and with a queue waiting for a free slot. The team opted to abandon the wait (after already having lost some time, went around to pit again, but may have actually run out of fuel as the car pitted, and being penalised a lap for ‘leaving the track an gaining an advantage’ dropping the #4 down outside the top 10 as a result.
That saw the lead battle handed to a trio of Porsches, Matteo Cairoli, who had stayed out throughout the first 60 minutes, leading in the #67 Dinamic 911 GT3 R fending off the #92 Herberth Porsche of Sven Mueller, the pair both under pressure from Marvin Dienst in the second, #54 Dinamic Porsche.
All three would lead overall in an exciting 4 lap spell before the strategies played out and the #85 AMG took the lead. There was no shortage of drama in the classes with troubles for the #278 TCX Ginetta (A broken driveshaft after Bobby Thompson has spin-turned the car in recovering from a spin at the final turn).
The #233 Lamera brought out a caution after stopping on track, the driver unable to restart on the circuit but rejoining immediately when towed back to the pit.
And there were troubles too for the #701 Vortex, a puncture and electrical woes dealing the bright orange car.
