Leaders Hit Trouble, Stadler Porsche Leads with Six Hours to Go

Photo: John Dagys

Three of the leading contenders have hit trouble overnight, as the sun rises to signal the final six hours of the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai.

The No. 20 Stadler Motorsport Porsche 997 GT3 R of Adrian Amstutz now holds a one-lap lead over the No. 38 All-Inkl.com Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 of Rob Huff, with the No. 2 Black Falcon Mercedes of Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal moving into third with one quarter of the race still to go.

Ram Racing, which led at the halfway point, lost nearly one hour when the No. 30 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 of Johnny Mowlem suffered radiator and bodywork damage after getting hit by a spinning Lamborghini in the 13th hour.

It gave the top point to the No. 4 Fach Auto Tech Porsche, which had opened up as large of a four-lap lead. However, the Swiss-run entry, featuring the driving strength of American Porsche Junior Connor De Phillippi, stopped on track with mechanical issues in the the 18th hour.

The No. 76 Team Schubert BMW Z4 GT3 of Bill Auberlen, Dirk Werner, Dane Cameron and Paul Dalla Lana, meanwhile, lost ground in the 14th hour after also suffering contact on track. It now runs in 17th overall.

As a result, the top-five has a dramatically different look to it. The pole-sitting No. 21 V8 Racing Corvette C6.R has been elevated to fourth, with the new A6-Am class-leading No. 19 GDL Racing Mercedes completing the top-five overall.

Other class leaders at the 18-hour mark include the No. 123 Nissan GT Academy Nissan 370Z (SP2) and the No. 155 Perfection Racing Europe Aston Martin Vantage GT4 (SP3).

RESULTS: Hour 18

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John