Dubai Wednesday Notebook

***All 96 cars that were on the previous entry list are at the circuit, although 94 are now set to take part in the event. Dragon Racing’s second Ferrari is in the pit box at the circuit, but only as a backup car. Attempto Racing’s second Porsche 997 GT3 R will also not take part.

***Abu Dhabi Racing by Black Falcon has brought three cars to the Dubai Autodrome. The third car is the Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 that finished second in last month’s Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi. The team also confirmed a five-year sponsor deal with BearingPoint International B.V. – Abu Dhabi, starting this weekend.

***Twelve Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3s will race this weekend, the largest number ever to take part in a race. Today’s test session saw 13 of the gull-winged beasts on track as the third Black Falcon only taking part in the ‘private test’ session today.

***Connor De Phillippi will not race in Dubai. The Porsche Junior driver was set to compete in the No. 12 Fach Auto Tech Porsche 997 GT3 R, but fellow Porsche Junior Sven Müller will be in the car instead.

***Patrick Huisman completes Black Falcon’s Porsche Cup car in the 997-class. The four-time Porsche Supercup champion joins two-time Macau GT Cup winner Keita Sawa, as well as Anders Fjordbach and Saud Turki Al Faisal.

***Aston Martin will launch a road-legal Vantage GT3 at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The launch of the new car, based on Aston Martin Racing’s V12 Vantage GT3 race car, was confirmed by Aston Martin in teaser video today. Production of the Vantage GT3 is said to be limited to 100 cars.

***Fach Auto Tech’s Marcel Wagner brought a smoking No. 11 Porsche 997 GT3 R to the pits early in today’s test session. The car did not return to the track, as mechanics began to check the engine bay to find and solve the issue.