- Patrick Kolb and Jose Garcia travel to Dubai to take part in Hankook 24H Dubai
- Comfortable class lead goes unrewarded due to gearbox issues, team still picks up double podium
- Plenty of lessons learned ahead of Lionspeed GP’s own European 24H Series campaign later this year
Bad Homburg, January 31, 2024 / PRESS RELEASE – Lionspeed GP drivers Patrick Kolb (GER) and Jose Garcia (USA) successfully worked their way through preparations for the team’s upcoming efforts in the european season of the Hankook 24H Series by securing a TCX class podium in the Hankook 24H Dubai.
Kolb and Garcia joined up with SRS Team Sorg Rennsport for the Middle Eastern enduro, which took place two weeks later than originally planned due to logistical difficulties. They drove a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS with teammates Benito Tagle (MEX), Christoph Krombach (GER) and Gero Bauknecht (SUI).
The opening three days of the event were filled with an impressive 24 hours of track time thanks to numerous track day sessions and private test opportunities, which were handily used as an opportunity for Garcia to gain experience with traffic management and improve on lap times with coaching from Kolb.
After a back-of-the-grid start for the race, the No. 227 Porsche ran a steady pace and fought its way to the front of the TCX class, leading by the halfway stage of the contest. Kolb and Garcia still held a comfortable lead as the sun rose over the Dubai Autodrome on Sunday morning until the Sorg Rennsport Cayman encountered a gearbox fluid leak. The problem worsened to the point where pit stops were needed every 45 minutes to replenish the necessary fluids, which cost the team the class lead. Even amidst the issues, Kolb was still able to set the car’s fastest lap of the race during his second stint, recording a time of 2:14.964 on lap 451. With one hour remaining, the team took the decision to retire the car from the race, as the loss of fluid had become too great and the team did not want to endanger any of the other competitors on track.
However, as the call to park the car so close to the end of the race, Kolb and Garcia were still able to pick up a double podium finish. The No. 227 Porsche finished second in the TCX class for Special Touring Cars and Silhouette cars, and third place in the overarching TCE Division, which encompassed cars from both the TCX and TCR classes at this event.
Jose Garcia: “The 24 Hours of Dubai done and dusted, it was a great experience. A great opportunity for me to take part in this mythical race. We were off to a good start, the car was performing well throughout the night but in the morning we noticed some smells. We had a transmission fluid leak that progressively got worse, which left us with no choice but to retire the car one hour before the end of the race. We had locked up first place, but due to the technical problems we ended up in second. Anyway, it’s a great result for the team, great teamwork. I was very lucky to have wonderful teammates and we look forward to doing it again next year.”
With some valuable 24H Series experience under their belts, Kolb and Garcia now look ahead to March 22-24, when the Lionspeed GP team kicks off its full European 24H Series campaign with its own entry into the Hankook 12H Mugello in Italy.
