The 21st edition of the Michelin 24H DUBAI concluded last Sunday with a historic success for BMW and the Belgian Team WRT. In a race that remained full of suspense until the final half-hour, the squad secured a commanding one-two victory at the Dubai Autodrome.
With the triumph of the #669 entry, driven by Jordan Pepper, Kelvin van der Linde, Ben Tuck, Fran Rueda, and Anthony McIntosh, Team WRT equaled the record of five victories in Dubai. Until now, the Black Falcon team held this record alone. At the same time, BMW drew level with Porsche in the manufacturers’ all-time list with a total of six wins.
The victory for the #669 car resulted from a risky and perfectly executed strategy. In the closing stages, final driver Jordan Pepper skipped a late fuel stop and secured the win by consistently saving fuel, crossing the finish line one lap ahead. The sister car, number #27, driven by Haase, Kiefer, Hanses, Detry, and Minsky, completed the success in second place.
Drama for Paradine Competition
For a long time, everything pointed toward a podium sweep for the Bavarian brand. The Paradine Competition BMW M4 GT3 (#992) dominated large parts of the AM class and was on course for a podium finish in the overall standings until shortly before the end. However, an exploding brake disc and a resulting tire failure destroyed all hopes of a podium position just 30 minutes before the finish. This benefited the Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, which secured third place overall.
Class victories at a glance
Away from the battle for the overall win, the individual classes offered thrilling motorsport. In the fiercely contested GT3 PRO-AM category, Herberth Motorsport prevailed with the Porsche 911 GT3 R. The GT3 AM class saw the Continental Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 at the front, while Tierra Outdoor Racing won the prestigious 992 class for Porsche Cup vehicles.
In the GTX class, Leipert Motorsport triumphed with a Lamborghini Huracán ST. Cerny Motorsport also delivered a flawless performance in the BMW M4 GT4. The team remained unbeaten in the GT4 class throughout the entire 24 hours, concluding their Middle East Trophy campaign without dropping a single point. Finally, the combined TCE-TCX classification was claimed by asBest Racing, leading a Cupra TCR DSG to success.
Championship decisions
As the checkered flag fell in Dubai, the titles for the 24H SERIES Middle East Trophy were also decided. Team WRT secured the overall GT3 class title with the #669 car. Anthony McIntosh was also crowned the new GT3 Drivers’ Champion. In the 992 class, a fourth-place finish in the race was enough for Seblajoux Racing to win the overall title as well as the 992-AM subclass crown.
Following the desert spectacle, the focus now shifts to Europe. The 2026 European Series kicks off on March 20th with the 12 Hours of Mugello in Italy.
Bilder © Martin Bormann | Martin.Motorsport