Away from the spotlight of the overall winners‘ podium, the 2024 Lenovo Gulf 12 Hours delivered multiple success stories throughout the grid, with some notable achievements.
While the cars fighting for overall victory often hog the limelight, other crews proved they deserve attention too during a spectacular and dramatic race at Yas Marina Circuit, host of many pivotal moments in motorsport history.
MP Racing provided a welcome feel-good story when the family quartet of father Thomas Gostner and his children Manuela, Corinna and David danced a jig of joy on their way to a hard-earned podium finish.
The Gostner family – regular and popular participants in the Gulf 12 Hours for many years – were the only all-bronze driver crew in the 24-car field but fought valiantly to earn third place in the Am class in their Mercedes AMG GT3.
Newcomers to the Lenovo Gulf 12 Hours in 2024 were the QMMF by HRT Performance team, who brought a local flavour to their #91 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup. Wearing the Qatari flag, and with a trio of Qatari drivers alongside a lone German, the crew dominated the new Porsche Cup class.
Starting from class pole, Ghanim Salah Al-Madheed, Ibrahim Ali Al-Abdulghani, Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi and Julian Hanses were untouchable in the race, adding to the roll call of Gulf 12 Hours success for teams from the region, which is headed by two-time winners 2 Seas Motorsport from nearby Bahrain and their Bahraini driver Isa Al-Khalifa.
Behind the pace-setting Qatari car, Toro Verde GT recovered from disaster to stand on the Porsche Cup podium. Graham Mundy was at the wheel when the #42 car hit the barriers at turn 11midway through the first part of the race. But the team never gave up hope; the repaired the car and returned to action, earning a class podium for third place.
While the above trio of unexpected success stories enjoyed their moment in the spotlight on the Yas Marina Circuit podium, one group watched on after playing an unparalleled role in the race’s success. The Gulf 12 Hours salutes the dozens of marshals and corner workers who contribute so much to the smooth running of the race by ensuring a safe environment for drivers and teams.