Pro-Am Success “the First Goal” for Shock Dubai Polesitter TFT

Surprise Michelin 24H Dubai polesitter Benjamin Paque says “everything is possible” for the TFT Racing squad in the race but cautioned the “first goal is the Pro-Am” class.

Despite being considered a ‘semi-pro’ driver by race organiser Creventic, 20-year-old Paque was given the nod to tackle the Top 10 Shootout in Dubai, even with two-time Porsche Carrera Cup France champion Marvin Klein being among the TFT lineup.

Paque – who also has one-make Porsche experience – proved to be the driver to beat over a single lap in the Shootout as he defeated factory racers to take pole in the TFT Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.

The Belgian admitted he was not expecting such a result and only found out he would be contesting the Shootout shortly beforehand.

“It was already great to be in the Top 10 Shootout and then I put in the perfect lap – thank you to all the team as we worked hard for that,” Paque told Sportscar365.

“It’s a great feeling, especially with all my team-mates – they were so happy, so it was very nice. We’re in the Pro-Am class so we will play that game and not the overall game.

“We did pole position, so everything is possible. To be honest, we are matching the Pro-Ams – if we can do something overall, we will do, but the first goal is the Pro-Am.”

The Mercedes-AMG machines seemed to be the cars to beat in qualifying as not only did Paque top the Shootout but the Winward Racing pair headed the combined averages after the three earlier sessions.

However, Paque cautioned that the picture could be very different during the race.

“Yeah, Mercedes looks strong – especially on one lap,” he added. “Maybe not as fast as the others on the long runs, we will see.

“I think we are missing a bit of pace on the long runs, especially at the end with the tyre deg because the car is heavy.”

One Mercedes-AMG that failed to make the Shootout was the No. 4 Grove Racing by GetSpeed car after Jules Gounon’s two quickest laps in the third qualifying segment were deleted for track-limits abuses, which he believed were incorrectly flagged by the judge of fact.

However, Gounon is optimistic of a strong result in the race, despite the threat posed by other manufacturers.

“It’s a 24-hour race, it doesn’t matter where you start, you just have to go clean through the night here – the traffic is crazy,” he told Sportscar365.

“With Mercedes, we always push 100%. I’m not sure yet what’s the performance of the other cars – I’m sure BMW will be super strong, Porsche looks strong, Ferrari looks strong and McLaren.”