ALMANAR RACING BY TEAM WRT SECURES VICTORY AT THE 24 HOURS OF DUBAI
Dubai, January 12th, 2025: AlManar Racing by Team WRT made a triumphant start to the new racing season, claiming a landmark overall win with the #777 BMW M4 GT3 EVO in its debut race. Starting from fourth on the grid and seizing the lead in the opening hour, the team excelled against a fierce 62-car field to take the top step of the podium. Over the course of 589 laps, the #777 led for 255 of them, demonstrating consistency and excellent strategy throughout the twice-around-the-clock battle at the Dubai Autodrome. This achievement marks WRT's fourth victory at the 24 Hours of Dubai and a historic first overall win at the event for all five drivers.
Race Highlights
- Strong Qualifier to Front-Runner: Launching from the second row, the #777 quickly battled to the front, setting the tone for a competitive 24 hours.
- Intense Overnight Duel: The race for the lead in the darkness became a tight contest between the AlManar Racing by Team WRT BMW and the Porsche entries from PXre Racing and Dinamic GT, showcasing close, high-level racing well into the night.
- Faultless Execution: Drivers Al Faisal Al Zubair, Dan Harper, Max Hesse, Darren Leung, and Ben Tuck delivered seamless stints, capitalising on the crew’s well-timed pit stops and race strategy to maintain the advantage at critical moments.
This success in Dubai not only marks a perfect start to the 2025 season but also demonstrates the power and precision of the AlManar Racing and Team WRT collaboration. It became clear that this partnership will be one to follow along the season with other programs to be announced soon.
QUALIFYING RESULTSRACE RESULTSFIGURES
Number of cars: 64 cars (31 GT3s, 19 992s, 6 GT4s, 5 GTXs, 3 TCE-TCXs)
Total of laps: 589 (255 laps led by #777)
Total of laps under green flag: 535
Total of Code 60: 21
Total time under Code 60: 5 hours and 4 minutes
Qualifying drivers: Darren Leung (Q1), Dan Harper (Q2), Max Hesse (Q3)
Qualifying result: P4 overall
Starting driver: Max Hesse
Vincent VOSSE, Team Principal Team WRT: "What a way to start the 2025 season, and our partnership with Al Manar Racing. It’s a huge achievement to claim the win on the debut of the BMW M4 GT3 EVO. It was a race of determination and executing the perfect strategy. The crew made zero mistakes and performed flawless pitstops, and we know that makes all the difference in these races, so a monumental congratulations to them. I take my hat off to the drivers, it is the first time they have all raced together, and in a new car, so I am very proud that we have been able to give them their first overall win at the Dubai 24H and marking our fourth victory here. Congratulations also to Darren for adding a victory in the GT3 AM class! This makes me very excited for the year ahead!"
Al Faisal AL ZUBAIR, driver #777: “What an amazing feeling! I've been trying to win this race for a couple of years now, and I started to think that it was not meant to be (laughs). First race with the BMW M4 GT3 EVO, first race with Team WRT, it couldn't have started better than to win the 24 Hours of Dubai. I’m extremely proud to do it under the AlManar Racing banner and hopefully it is the start of a successful journey!”
Ben TUCK, driver #777: “First time I’ve driven a BMW for a few years now, so it’s a great first race back with the marque and it’s a major international victory and with the new M4 GT3 EVO. Super great for Team WRT and BMW!”
Darren LEUNG, driver #777: “Very tired but extremely happy! I just had to hold everything together as well as I could. We knew the double victory was a possibility thanks to the quality of both the teams, and both the driver lineups. Everything needed to come into the right place, and it did. I am very fortunate and very thankful to everyone!”
Max HESSE, driver #777: "I’m super happy! It's a great first race for us, for Al Faisal and AlManar Racing by Team WRT. What a nice debut! The team did really a fantastic job. We were not the fastest out on track, but we focused on our work, and it paid off.”
Dan HARPER, driver #777: “My debut with the BMW M4 GT3 EVO, debut in a 24-hour race with WRT and debut for Al Faisal with BMW M Motorsport. A great victory! The whole team had a perfect race and made no mistakes. The strategy was set up perfectly by the team and all the drivers did their job. It was a fantastic race and I'm so glad to get my first 24 hour-race victory under my belt! Hopefully many more to come!”
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Luna de Wilde