Dubai: The AUH Motorsport-run Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 will start the seventh edition of the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai from pole position after lead driver Rob Barff set the fastest lap in the final qualifying session yesterday.
Barff dug deep to claim top spot on the grid with a lap time of 2min 2.092sec on his final flying lap of the session at Dubai Autodrome, and thus stumping a high quality field of 74 cars. It is also the first ever pole position for Ferrari in the 24 Hours of Dubai since its inception and it will be an all-red front row for the start.
The Englishman said afterwards, "We realised after the first session what the target was and we had to up the pace. It was a good lap which came late in my stint. It is great to be on pole here in Dubai on our home circuit."
Amazing job
UAE champion Jordan Grogor, said: "Being part of this team is a privilege. Rob did an amazing job to find two seconds with a few minutes to go in the session. Staring from pole in my home town is special."
Car owner Leon Price, who will also be on duty in the cockpit, said, "We are very proud to take this pole position. It shows what AUH Motorsport and FF Corse are capable of and Rob [Barff] did a fantastic job."
Second on the grid, 0.294 seconds down on the pole winner, will be the AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia which Niki Cadei did well to top the first qualifying session and enough to ensure second place on the grid.
JRM Nissan GT-R GT3 with Michael Krumm snatching third place on the timing and will share the second row with the United Autosports 2 Audi R8 GT3 LMS who set the fourth best time.
Row three will be headed by Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Gallardo LP600 and share MRS GT Racing Porsche 997 GT3R.
