PROsport Racing does not give up at the 24h Dubai after setbacks and finishes the endurance race in fifth place in the class.
Team spirit, commitment and fighting spirit – these virtues are particularly important in endurance races. This year’s 24h Dubai demanded everything from the PROsport Racing team. The racing team from Wiesemscheid entered a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for Simon Balcaen, Jörg Viebahn, Guillaume Dumarey and Steven Palette in the desert metropolis.
The team suffered its first major setback on Thursday when Guillaume Dumarey was involved in a serious accident during pre-event testing. The Belgian survived the impact unharmed, but the car was so badly damaged that it could not be repaired on site. The Belgian Red Ant Racing team then provided the two-time ADAC GT4 Germany champion team with a chassis, which the team members prepared for use in a night shift. “Many thanks to Red Ant Racing for the chassis and a big respect to my team for their hard work, which secured us a start in the race,” said team boss Christoph Esser.
In qualifying, the PROsport Racing quartet narrowly missed out on pole position in the class and had to start the race from second on the grid in the 992 Am class. In the first hours of the race, the Porsche – which was nicknamed “Frankenstein” after being repaired – battled for the top spot in the class. However, the team suffered another setback on Saturday evening. Jörg Viebahn collided with an opponent. The car with the starting number #901 was able to continue the race, but a 21-minute repair set the car back without a chance.
In the remaining hours of the race, the quartet started another race to catch up and did not make a mistake even during a short but heavy rain shower on Sunday morning. In the end, Balcaen, Viebahn, Dumarey and Palette finished the race in fifth position in the 992 Am class. Frenchman Steven Palette also set the fastest race lap in the category, impressively demonstrating what would have been possible for the car at the Dubai 24 Hours.
“I am very satisfied with the performance of my drivers and the entire team in Dubai. At no point did anyone let up and we fought to the end. We also had one of the fastest cars in the class and I am sure that we would have played an important role in the fight for class victory without the collision and the repair,” concluded Esser.
