In August 2011 we managed to finalize the last few agreements for the participation in the Dubai 24 Hour Endurance Race which was being held for the 7^th time, by the organizers Creventic.

We prepared the car during September, October and November, and then shipped it from Thailand in the start of December 2011. Just before new year the car arrived in the UAE, and it was cleared out of customs and delivered to the Dubai Autodrome, We knew we were in for a steep learning curve, so we arranged to have the car sent to a company in Dubai who then checked the car and were to finish the preparations of the car and help to get a bigger FIA approved fuel tank installed, plus have the Roll Cage FIA certified.

We all arrived 1 week ahead of the race, to ensure we had time to fix any problem we might have with regards to getting the car ready for the race. We felt we had done everything we could to be well prepared, but we were to find out the hard way, that we were far from well prepared.

The supplier were not able to get the big size fuel tank, so they ended up installing a smaller 60 Ltr tank compared to the 120 Ltr that was allowed. To try and solve the problem, they then left the original tank inside and hooked them up to work together creating a total capacity of 110 Ltr, and it was a great idea, but it just never ended up working.

We then installed a special light bridge we had borrowed from Jet Black Racing and found out that the fuses were not big enough and the wiring was an issue.

Eventually we got it all sorted in the workshop and then went o the track to sign up while the car was sent off to the FIA for inspection and certification. The car arrived to the track while the first testing session was on, so we missed the first test session. The car then needed to be scrutineered, and we missed the second test session, which was an extra one we had signed up and paid for.

We were eventually ready for the afternoon testing, but the car was not running well and was very slow and down on power, and we worked hard to try and find the problems with it. We then went out in the night session and did ½ a lap before the car blew its main fuse for all the lights and we had to drive around the 5.39 km long track in the dark with Lamborghini’s Porsches and many other fast cars flying past us. We then installed bigger size fuses, and drove a few laps to ensure we would be able to use the light, but drove at low speed as the engine was not performing well, so we did not want to risk breaking it.

On the second day, we still had problems and were down on power and were looking for parts and injectors, fuel filters and many other things all over UAE, but some of the race teams, were very helpful and so was the people from NFS who had helped prepare our car for us, so we eventually got most of the parts we were looking for but none of it helped.

We then had to qualify and we were very slow, and were struggling with the car and the power, so we ended up qualifying last in our class and last overall and we had to start in 75^th place on the grid.

The mechanics pulled an all-nighter for the 4^th day in a row, and made everything ready for the race, and magically also found the problem with the car. And the next day on the out lap to the grid formation the car was like a transformed car with plenty of power.

We started out slowly wanting to set our own pace the whole race, and in the first few laps we were doing lap times there was about 2.28’s which was a full 10 seconds faster than our qualifying times, and slowly we moved into the 2.27’s and then 2.26’s and we were not pushing the car at all at this stage.

After about 20 Mins, we felt a serious shaking in the car and pitted to check the new D2 suspension if it was having problems or if it had come loose, so we lost time here for the first time and dropped back in the positions again. It turned out that the rubber from the faster cars had stuck to our tires to such and extend that it was almost un-drivable, and we were told by the more experienced guys to just keep driving and it would clear itself.

We then settled down into a rhythm and drove the race at our own pace, and did not really have any problems except for having to pit more often than the other teams, as we were only using 1 fuel tank with half the capacity of everybody else.

As we came into the evening we changed the engine hood and installed the hood with the extra lights fitted, race on. After about 30 mins the car stalled out on track, and we had to be pulled back into the pits for repairs. It turned out that the car battery was flat, so we change the alternator and put in a new battery, and went out again, but after 30 mins more we had same problem, and had to come into the pits. It was decided that we were using too much electricity for the alternator to keep up, so we disconnected 2 of the special lights, and then when this was not enough, 2 more of the special head lights, and then 1 of the 2 fuel pumps and the in the end the high beam lights, and then we were okay to race on.

After another 20-30 mins the car suddenly stopped again, and this time, there was power on the battery, so the driver was able to start the car again, and this continued several times during the lap, until we realized that every time we went above 7000 RPM the engine would cut out, so we therefore needed to either stop and try and fix it, or keep going. We decided that since we had no idea what was causing it it was best to keep going and rack up the laps and just go a bit slower.

In the morning hours we again changed the engine hood and put the one back on that did not have the extra lights on it. We kept racing along at our slow pace, but was now gaining on several teams, and we were in 7^th place, and looked like we could overtake the 6^th placed team, which we did 1 hour later as there were now in the pits with several problems. Also the cars in 2^nd, 4^th,  and 5^th place was in the pits for a long time, and we looked like we would be able to catch both the 4^th and 5^th placed car.

We agreed that it was most important to finish the race, so instead of pushing to try and pass them, and risk engine problems, we kept going at the same pace and then just waiting to see where it would take us.

With 30 mins to goo it looked like we for sure would pass the 5^th placed car, if there would not get the car back on track in time, and maybe also the 4^th placed car, but with 20 mins to go the 4^th placed car was back on track, and with 10 mins to go the 5^th placed car was back on track also, so we just continued at our pace, and eventually finished our race in 6^th place in our class and 46^th overall after having done a total of 416 laps.

Our best lap time was set after only 20 laps when we were not pushing, and it was a 2.26.601

Looking at the sector times, then we were not doing bad at all. The first bit which is very technical, we were second fastest with a time of 48.378. (In lap 16) In the second sector which had the very long back straight, were we short shifted to save the car, we were 6^th fastest with a sector time of 57.263 (In lap 20), and in the last sector which again was very technical, we were also 5^th fastest with a sector time of 39.767 (In lap 14). Our fastest theoretical lap was a 2.25.405 lap which was 6^th fastest in the class, and within 0.7 second of the 2^nd fastest car.

The big difference was that when it got colder and more grippy, and everybody started to do their fastest laps around laps 200-300, we set our fastest in lap 20 at the start of the race, without even trying hard, and at the time, when the track was much faster we could not go above 7000 RPM, and therefore was not able to set any fast times.

All in all a good event, and we had a great time, but we now know what is required to race one of these events and when we go back next time we will be much better prepared, and much more competitive, I am sure.