Eastalent Racing Team secures fourth Hankook 24H DUBAI win for Audi

The Eastalent Racing Team Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II (#54, Christopher Haase / Simon Reicher / Markus Winkelhock / Mike Zhou / Gilles Magnus) qualified 6^th – the lowest grid slot for the event winner since 2014 – and was in the mix from the very early going, taking the lead for the first time on lap 36. Strategic use of the early Code 60 caution periods thereafter – the Audi pitted 34 times in total, at least three more than its nearest rivals, to keep its fuel tank brimmed – plus strong pace during the night meant that, come daybreak, the #54 Audi R8 had amassed a two-lap lead.

While the Proton Huber Competition Porsche 992 GT3 R (#83, Rinat Salikhov / Sergei Borisov / Victor Shaytar / Sven Müller), which kept its rival on its toes throughout the night, eventually closed that gap to just 96 seconds, Christopher Haase drove the Audi across the line to complete 603 laps of the 5.39km Dubai Autodrome to confirm the win.

Haase becomes the latest driver to win the Hankook 24H DUBAI overall more than once following his victory in 2019 (also in an Audi R8). The Eastalent Racing Team is the first Austrian team to win the Hankook 24H DUBAI since Duller Motorsport’s second win in 2007, and first-time winner Markus Winkelhock secures a sixth overall victory at a 24-hour event.

“It’s quite a nice win, I have to say, because I never won the [Hankook] 24 DUBAI,” Winkelhock explained to radiolemans.com’s Diana Binks. “We came here to win the race, and we achieved our target so I’m really happy for our team. They all made a big effort to win this race. We stuck to our plan, we didn’t make any mistakes, and we always had a good strategy. I also have to say, the Audi has proven again that it’s a really reliable car. I’ve done, I don’t know how many 24-hour races, and we always finish without any technical issues. I’m happy!”

“This is absolutely fantastic!” a still-helmeted Christopher Haase continued. “It’s a dream come true for all of us, together. This is my second [Hankook] 24H DUBAI win, and my first one with the Eastalent Racing Team. I’m happy to be a part of this family, and our Audi R8 LMS performed once again just like a bullet proof weapon!”

Behind Proton Huber Competition, Century Motorsport (#22, Carl Cavers / Lewis Plato / Jack Barlow / Jacob Rattenbury), on its first start in the GT3 class at the Hankook 24H DUBAI, rounds out the overall podium with its BMW M4 GT3, and took its first category win – GT3-Pro/Am – at the event since 2016. Amazingly, the British team celebrates a double victory in Dubai, as the sister BMW M4 GT3 (#14, Michael Johnston / Chris Salkeld / Darren Leung / Sean Gelael) finished 5^th overall to take GT3-Am honours.