The 2014 Dubai 24 Hour race is just a few days away, and it’s already looking like an exciting event as weather forecast is predicting low temperatures, and possibly rain, which is always a challenge, even for the most experienced of drivers.
Team Black Falcon, however, is accustomed to some of the worst weather conditions, and the team’s victory at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring last year is a testament: After a 9-hour red flag triggered by heavy rain and fog, Black Falcon‘s #9 SLS AMG GT3 crossed the chequered flag in first position, giving Mercedes-Benz its first victory in one of the toughest races on the planet – made even tougher by the treacherous conditions.
The low temperatures, especially at night, will also be a test to the drivers who will likely struggle to get heat into their tyres, therefore, losing good amounts of grip.
Racing will take place on Dubai Autodrome’s Grand Prix course configuration that is 5.3 kilometers in length – around 20% of the Nurburgring Nordschleife’s total length. It features two straights and a mix of slow and fast-sweeping corners, requiring a well-balanced setup.
Another challenging aspect of the Dubai 24 Hours and endurance racing in general is its “categorized” nature. There are 12 different car categories, ranging from the small A1 category cars to the fastest and most superior A6 category cars. Team Black Falcon’s SLS AMG GT3s belong to the latter class.
The sport’s categorized nature is a double-edged sword; although it provides a great spectacle due to the many cars on track (hence countless overtaking maneuvers), traffic will get in the way and slow you down; any low-tier car failing to move out of the way on time might cause a collision, putting the two, or more, teams out of the race.
Winning the Dubai 24 Hours, Nurburging 24 Hours and Gulf 12 Hours in 2013 wasn’t any less of a challenge for Team Black Falcon. Neither rain, nor low temperatures will affect the team’s desire to triumph this weekend.
The Dubai 24 Hour action kicks off on Wednesday, January 8th with optional private testing. Three free practice sessions are scheduled for Thursday, January 9th, the first of which gets underway at 11:30 AM. Practice is followed by three qualifying sessions on the same day, with the earliest session starting at 03:00 PM.
A half hour warm-up session will kick-start Friday’s proceedings, before the race starts at 02:00 PM. Teams and drivers will cross the Dubai Autodrome finish line 24 hours later at 02:00 PM on Saturday; this will be followed by a podium ceremony for all categories.