French Audi customer team Saintéloc Racing has been named the winner of the 2024 Lenovo Gulf 12 Hours, after a post-race penalty saw Optimum Racing stripped of its victory at Yas Marina this evening.
Optimum’s #69 McLaren GT3 Evo crossed the line first, but Todd Coleman, Aaron Telitz and Frederik Schandorff were handed two post-race 30-second penalties for speeding in the pit lane. That dropped the crew to second place.
Saintéloc Racing therefore secured Audi’s second victory in the Middle Eastern endurance race. Gilles Magnus, Dennis Marschall and Bihuang Zhou had led until the final hour and initially finished just 4.127secs behind before being promoted to overall victory in their #25 R8 LMS GT3 EVO II.
The two-part race featured an initial eight-hour race followed by a four-hour contest after a 120-minute break, with close competition throughout the grid.
Proton Huber Competition made it three manufacturers in the top three positions, with third in its Porsche 992 GT3R with Sven Müller, Sergey Stolyarov and Sergei Borisov at the wheel.
A close Pro-Am race saw McLarens, Ferraris and an Audi locked in an intense battle for the full 12 hours.
The #8 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO of Alexander West, Philippe Prette, Louis Prette and Adam Smalley won the class and finished fourth overall.
Saintéloc’s sister #26 Audi R8 GT3 LMS EVO II was fifth overall and second in Pro-Am, finishing ahead of Kessel Racing’s #11 Ferrari 296 GT3, which took third in class with a sixth place finish overall.
Herberth Motorsport’s #8 Porsche 911 GT3R (992) overcame early drama to finish eighth and win the Am category.
After starting on the overall pole position, a first-lap puncture dropped it to the back, but Ralf Bohn, Alfred Renauer and Dustin Blattner fought back impressively.
Haas RT claimed second in Am with its Audi R8 GT3 LMS EVO II while MP Motorsport, with its line-up of father Thomas Gostner and his children Manuela, Corinna and David, were third in their Mercedes AMG GT3.
In the new Porsche GT Cup class, QMMF by HRT Performance delivered a dominant performance with its #91 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup.
Starting from class pole, Ghanim Salah Al-Madheed, Ibrahim Ali Al-Abdulghani, Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi and Julian Hanses controlled the race throughout. The #92 HRT Performance and #92 Toro Verde GT Cup cars completed the class podium.
Image courtesy of Gulf 12 Hours
