A record number of nine Aston Martins have entered the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai which takes place on 15/16 January 2010.

Since its launch in January 2007 the Aston Martin Vantage N24/GT4 race car has established an extraordinary record of success in 24 hour races around the world including a remarkable 2nd, 3rd and 4th overall in the 2008 Britcar 24 Hours at Silverstone, UK and class victories in the 2008 and 2009 Nurburgring 24 Hours.

Eight of the Aston Martin Vantage GT4s and N24s will compete in the SP3/GT4A class for GT4 cars with one modified Vantage N24 competing in the SP2/GT3A category for cars with more than 4,000cc and/or more than six cylinders.

Three of the cars are based locally in the UAE with the other teams travelling from Europe and the UK to compete in the 24 hour race.

Aston Martin SP3/GT4A entries:
AUH Motorsports (x2 cars), UAE
Brunswick Automotive, UK
DXB Racing, UAE
Gentle Swiss Racing, Switzerland
Nicholas Mee Racing (x2 cars), UK
Speedlover Team, Belgium

Aston Martin SP2/GT3A entries:
GRC Racing, Denmark

Now in its fifth year, the gruelling endurance race will take place at the Dubai Autodrome on the FIA sanctioned 5.39 km GP circuit. The race which has attracted over 80 teams from around the world will start at 1400 (local time) on Friday 15 January with free practice, qualifying and night practice taking place on Thursday 14 January.

AMR Teams

Dubai Based DXB Racing will again represent the UAE at the upcoming Dubai 24 Hour race to be held at the Dubai Autodrome on 15 and 16 January where they will campaign the team’s thundering Aston Martin Vantage GT4.

As reigning 2009 SP2 Class champions of this prestigious event DXB Racing are keen to uphold National and team honour and retain their title in the 2010 race.

“Team DXB Racing is immensely proud to again be entering our locally prepared car and UAE resident drivers in this prestigious and high profile event which attracts over 300 talented and highly experienced racers from across the Globe” commented Jonathan Simmonds, driver & Team Principal of DXB Racing.

However the team do not underestimate the scale of the challenge ahead as they know the competition will be very strong and that the wild card element of 24 Hour motor racing can easily affect the outcome.

“This year the grid is again very strong but we relish the opportunity of competing with several other similar Aston Martin Vantage GT4s entered in this race. Our immediate goal is to be the first of the Vantages, which will not be easy, but we are of course also keen to retain our class title if at all possible” said Simmonds.

The driver line up will be made up of DXB Racing’s three full-time team members Frederic Gaillard, Jonathan Simmonds & Julian Griffin, ably supported by pro-drivers and team regulars Phil Quaife & Rob Barff.



AMR Teams

Team DXB arrived in Barcelona at the Circuit de Catalunya in a buoyant mood with thier class winning Vantage GT4, a great pit crew, and professional driver Rob Barff who would double up as coach for the weekend.

Qualifying gave an indication of the challenge ahead, the pole setting car setting in a 1:58 against the Vantage GT4s 11th position time of 2:03.

The leading cars were slightly slower in race trim and the Vantage proved faster once all drivers were dialled in. After the first few hours the Vantage GT4 had moved up to eighth.

The main drama of the weekend came in the early hours of Sunday morning when the Vantage GT4 suffered a problem with the left front wheel bearing. Barff managed to maintain control of the car and brought the car back to the pits where the DXB crew replaced the bearing, hub, calliper, disk and bled the system in less than 10 minutes – fantastic work.

The Aston ran faultlessly after this and the team encountered no other serious problems throughout the race snatching 10th position on the final corner of the race.

In summary, it was a great experience both on and off track. The local teams and officials were fantastic hosts and welcomed the team warmly to a predominantly Spanish event, as did the crowds and marshals who delighted at the sight and sound of the V8 Aston Martin race car at full revs down the straight.

The DXB driver line included Frederic Gaillard, Julian Griffin, Jonathan Simmonds & Rob Barff who will also be joining team DXB for the Dubai 24hrs.

DXB Racing is a professional Motorsports services provider and the dedicated racing division of NFS Dubai, a Dubai based automotive engineering and tuning boutique.
AMR Teams

The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 of DXB Racing has won its class at the 24 Hours of Dubai, on the new car’s competitive debut.

The Vantage GT4, launched in Dubai in November, ran faultlessly from start to finish to win the SP2 class outright by eight laps and to take 12th place overall in a field of 75 cars.

The three driver team of Jonathan Simmonds (UK); Phil Quaife (UK); Julian Griffin (UK) and Bassam Kronfli (NL), qualified in 45th place, but by the end of the first driver stint with Quaife at wheel, had moved up to 19th overall.

Quaife said: “Neither the drivers nor the team made a single mistake and our tactics were absolutely spot on. The minimum number of pitstops permitted was 13 and we only made 14 which just shows that the team’s tactics were pretty much perfect. In our class we were up against GT3-spec Moslers, Porsche 996s and even an Aussie V8 Supercar, so to win against so many more powerful cars is fantastic.”