It was a field day for Audi Sport customer racing as the brand clinched top two positions at the Hankook 24 Hours of Dubai. First spot was secured by the #88 Audi R8 LMS GT3 of Car Collection Motorsport Team while MS7 by WRT's #34 Audi R8 LMS GT3 came in second.
This win marks a perfect start for Audi Sport customer racing to the 2019 motorsport season. The two winning teams also celebrated the first one-two result of the latest evolution of Audi Sport's R8 LMS GT3 in a major endurance racing event.
Car Collection Motorsport claimed the top spot in race standings after 607 laps of the Dubai Autodrome over 24 hours. The R8 #88 was piloted to victory by a squad consisting of Dimitri Parhofer, Christopher Haase, Frédéric Vervisch, and Rik Breukers. The team finished a lap ahead of Team MS7 by WRT's #34 Audi. The latter was piloted by Mohammed Saud Fahad Al Saud, Michael Vergers, Christopher Mies, and Dries Vanthoor.
“Sincere congratulations to our customer teams Car Collection Motorsport and MS7 by WRT on this outstanding success in Dubai,” said Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “The 24-hour race with a total of 74 teams featured a strong field, so that makes us all the happier about the first endurance racing success of the latest evolution version of the Audi R8 LMS GT3 following its homologation - this one-two result is an impressive performance by the further development of our customer sport race car.”
The Car Collection Motorsport squad had started at the front of the pack, maintaining its lead for a solid ten laps. As the race progressed, the lead kept interchanging between front-running teams. However, from the 16th hour onwards, the #88 Audi R8 LMS GT3 was back in the lead and held on to it until the chequered flag went down. Car Collection Motorsport led the race for a total of 560 laps- more than any other team.
In the last third of the race, team MS7 by WRT inched ahead steadily, advancing to second position and defending it to the end. A total of five cars from Audi Sport made it to the top ten, including entrants from Attempto Racing, BWT Mücke Motorsport, and Car Collection Motorsport's second car.
Car Collection Motorsport has regularly participated in the 24 Hours of Dubai ever since the event was introduced in 2006. This victory marks the biggest success of Audi Sport customer racing in endurance racing. For Audi Sport, it is the second victory in Dubai following the success of Belgian Audi Club Team WRT in 2016.
