World of Sport: Asian Le Mans Series; Asian Formula 3
ASIAN LE MANS SERIES DUBAI AUTODROME (UAE) 13-14 FEBRUARY ROUND 1/2
A guaranteed entry into the LMP2 class of this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours is already within the grasp of the #26 G-drive Racing crew after it claimed a pair of comfortable Asian Le Mans Series race victories at the Dubai Autodrome.
The trio of Yifei Ye, Ferdinand Habsburg and Rene Binder crossed the line a full lap clear in the opener and then 45 seconds to the good in the second encounter, despite a stop/go penalty for track limits abuse.
Their sister-car team-mate, 17-year-old Argentinian hotshot Franco Colapinto, making his sportscar debut, slotted one of the team’s Aurus Gibson-01s on pole for the first race. As the two G-drive machines squabbled with Sean Gelael in the Jota car, it allowed Simon Trummer to take the advantage for Phoenix Racing. Gelael broke free to give chase, but the pair collided in their dice for the lead. That put Binder in control before he handed over the car to
Ye and Hasburg, both running largely without fault to wrap up the spoils.
Binder again put his extensive prototype experience to good use in race two, battling past the sister G-drive car for a clean run to the flag, despite then drawing the attention of the stewards.
In the record-breaking 19-car GT class, recent Dubai 24 Hours winner GPX Racing was back on the top step at its home venue in the second race. The Porsche 911 crew made up for a costly spin the first event, which handed the category triumph to the similar car of Herberth Motorsport.