Ferrari claimed victory in the 4 Hours of Dubai, the second round of the Asian Le Mans Series. The 488 GT3 Evo 2020 of Rinaldi Racing crewed by Davide Rigon, David Perel and Rino Mastronardi carried the day in a race rounded off by third place for the number 17 Ferrari of AF Corse and second for Kessel Racing in the Pro-Am class.
The race started an hour later than yesterday and was run three-quarters in the dark, making the drivers’ task very difficult on a track with artificial lighting only on the main straight. Like the first outing, the Ferraris played a leading role with the AF Corse and Rinaldi Racing cars battling it out for top spot. The 488 GT3 Evo 2020 of the Piacenza-based team led almost throughout, first with Conrad Grunewald, then Louis Prette and finally Vincent Abril. However, Rinaldi Racing’s twin car pulled off a fine comeback after a qualifying session that saw it starting from the middle of the pack. Rino Mastronardi handed over the wheel to David Perel, who gave the car to Davide Rigon in third position. The Italian first moved into second place with a superb overtaking move on the Aston Martin of Oman Racing. Then he started to put pressure on Abril, shadowing him in the last hour. The Frenchman, who had already received a warning for veering off track, was given a drive-through eight minutes before the chequered flag, which knocked him back to third, defended in the final moments from the attacks of the Optimum Racing McLaren. The number 51 Ferrari of AF Corse, with Piovanetti-Gomez-Pier Guidi, finished fifteenth. This result puts Rinaldi Racing just one point behind Inception Racing in first, while AF Corse follows in third, fourteen points off the leaders.
In the Pro-Am class, Kessel Racing’s 488 GT3 Evo 2020, driven by Roman Ziemian, Francesco Zollo, and Axcil Jefferies finished second behind the SPS Automotive Mercedes. Once more, the Swiss team fielded just one car, but it stood out again in today’s race with some excellent times, particularly for the British driver.
The series meets again just a week from now, with the 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi, the penultimate round.