• Lionspeed GP finishes third in GT3-Am in Michelin 24H Dubai
• Team newcomers Xavier Knauf, Gregory Servais and Andres Latorre team up with regular Gabriel Rindone
• Consistent run rewarded with podium in closing minutes of 24-hour contest

Lionspeed GP opened the 2026 season in strong fashion, securing a hard-fought class podium in the Michelin 24H Dubai. The twice-around-the-clock enduro at the Dubai Autodrome, organized by Dutch company Creventic, has in the past decade cultivated a rightful spot on the calendar as the season opener for the global endurance racing community.

This year marked the 21st edition of the race, attracting a stacked GT3 grid featuring a wide variety of teams and manufacturers. Lionspeed entered the GT3-Am category with the No. 89 Porsche 911 GT3 R, piloted by team newcomers Xavier Knauf, Gregory Servais and Andres Latorre along with Gabriel Rindone. Rindone returned to the team for the first time since last year’s GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup season finale at Barcelona.

Additionally, the team was also excited to welcome Genesis Hypercar driver Mathys Jaubert for the practice sessions, allowing the young Frenchman to gain extra track knowledge ahead of the race.

After several days of initial testing, Friday brought the first official track sessions. A packed day included two practice sessions, including one at night, as well as qualifying. The No. 89 Porsche topped opening practice in GT3-Am and then went on to qualify ninth in class.

Saturday afternoon then brought the start of the race, with the No. 89 Porsche crucially avoiding trouble through a chaotic and incident-packed opening phase of the contest. The team then settled into a rhythm for the long night ahead, although it did lose four laps due to a transponder issue.

In a race dominated by busy traffic as well as intricate strategy due to the unusual refueling procedures and Code 60 rules, the No. 89 Porsche slowly but surely climbed up the GT3-Am ranks as night fell over the Dubai Autodrome.

By the halfway stage, the team had moved up to fourth in class, a position it would hold for much of the remainder of the race. That was until a dramatic final hour of the race, in which trouble for the class leader allowed Lionspeed to leap up to third in class with just five minutes remaining. Considering the fact that the margin to the eventual class winner was three laps, a victory could have been possible had it not been for the problems with the transponder.

Despite that, the podium marked a welcome result after a strong, consistent race performance for the team and served as a strong start to what is set to be a packed 2026 racing season.

Andres Latorre: “We came to this weekend with no expectations, just to have a clean race and learn as much as possible. This was obviously my second 24-hour race, first with the team, first with the Porsche, first with these teammates. It was more a learning weekend with no expectations and I think the team executed perfectly and very professionally. The preparation of the car was great and I was also impressed with the reliability. After 24 hours of hounding it around the Dubai Autodrome, it didn’t lose performance. Kudos also to my teammates. We were all Bronzes and we were all super mature in how we conducted our stints and how we handed the car over to our co-drivers. That’s testament to how the car finished the race without any major marks. It’s impressive and shows how beautifully we executed our race. Obviously it’s a shame for the transponder. If it wasn’t for that, I think the result would have been considerably better, which is a shame. But that’s racing. I’m very happy and I want to congratulate every single person in the team, because they all deserve it.”

Xavier Knauf: “Our first collaboration with Lionspeed GP and a first podium. What more can we expect? A new car and a new circuit made for quite a big challenge, but thanks to the support of the team we managed to climb our way up the ranking by making no mistakes.”

Gregory Servais: “Victory in Am would have been possible without our transponder problems. I hope to be back shortly behind the wheel of the Lionspeed Porsche for another fantastic experience.”