Team Car Collection Motorsport celebrated a perfect start to the season at the Hankook 6H Abu Dhabi. Drivers Dustin Blattner (USA), Loek Hartog (NL) and Dennis Marschall from Germany took overall victory in the Porsche 911 GT3 R with start number 96. The Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II of the team with Artur Goroyan and Roman Mavlanov (both Armenia) and Audi Sport driver Markus Winkelhock from Germany also scored a podium result in second place in class.
Abu Dhabi seems to be a good place for the German team Car Collection. At the second start in the Hankook 6H of Abu Dhabi, the team led by Peter Schmidt took overall victory for the second time. After 2021, this feat has now also been achieved in the 2024 edition of the endurance race in the desert emirate.
The three drivers of the #96 Porsche 911 GT3 R showed in qualifying that they were a force to be reckoned with. In the end, only a few hundredths of a second separated Dustin Blattner, Loek Hartog and Dennis Marschall from pole position in the overall classification. With second place, however, the trio had a very good starting position for the race. The Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II with start number 80, which was entered under the name Goroyan RT by Car Collection, started from 12th position.
In a race characterised by many Code60 phases, all drivers completed their stints absolutely faultlessly. In addition, despite the often complex situation, the team strategists always kept an overview and managed the strategy perfectly, so that the #96 managed with only three pit stops. Even a small moment of shock when the car suddenly stopped during a Code60 phase did not cause any unrest in the team thanks to the quick-witted reaction of driver Dennis Marschall. This ultimately secured the team a clear overall victory, with bronze driver Dustin Blattner at the wheel for more than half the time due to the regulations.
The Audi with the #80 also completed the laps without any problems. After six hours of racing, Audi Sport driver Markus Winkelhock crossed the finish line in second place in the Pro class and seventh overall, thus ensuring another podium result for Car Collection together with his team-mates Artur Goroyan and Roman Mavlanov.
The next challenge awaits Team Car Collection this coming weekend. The Hankook 24H Dubai is the first 24-hour endurance classic on the programme. The Porsche 911 GT3 R that won in Abu Dhabi will also be fighting for the podium in Dubai. In addition to the two Abu Dhabi winners Blattner and Marschall, Mark Wallenwein (Germany), Fuad Sawaya (Lebanon) and Sebastian Gorga (Italy) will also be competing twice around the clock.
Peter Schmidt, Team Principal: “We couldn’t have had a better start to the season! Our team did an absolutely perfect job, which makes me very proud. Of course, there is always a bit of luck involved with so many race interruptions, but our strategy worked perfectly. Now we want to build on this performance next week in Dubai.”
