Weekend Preview: Ferrari line up for the ALMS in Dubai

The Asian Le Mans Series 2023 springs into action with the competition set to take place entirely in the United Arab Emirates in February. Four Ferraris will tackle the opening two of the four scheduled rounds in the GT3 class as part of the new ALMS championship on the Dubai circuit, before moving on to Abu Dhabi for the final two rounds on 17 and 18 February. The schedule will involve a total of four endurance races over the four-hour distance.

Record edition. With a 48-strong field taking the start - 24 of which are entered in the GT3 class - the 2023 edition will go down in history for its record-breaking participation. The drivers will compete not only for the final victory, but also for the coveted invitations to compete in this year’s centenary edition 24 Hours of Le Mans, traditionally held on the second weekend of June. There will be three new innovations to the regulations, requiring the obligatory presence in each crew of a driver with a Bronze licence, in each of the classes, who will be entrusted with the task of completing the qualifying.

Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020. Representing the Maranello manufacturer at the 4 Hours of Dubai in the GT class will be Kessel Racing’s no. 74 with drivers Michael Broniszewski, David Fumanelli and Felipe Fraga. The other Prancing Horse cars are entered in the GT Am class: the AF Corse-run no. 21 with Stefano Costantini, Simon Mann and Miguel Molina. An all-Danish crew in the 488 GT3 Evo 2020 courtesy of Formula Racing with Johnny and Conrad Laursen alongside Nicklas Nielsen. Completing the line-up is the no. 57 Ferrari of Car Guy, which will rely on the experience of Takeshi Kimura, second in the 2019/2020 ALMS and champion in 2018/2019, flanked by Frederik Schandorff and Mikkel Jensen.

Programme. The schedule kicks off on Friday, 10 February with two free practice sessions from 2.40 - 4.10 p.m. and from 5.40 - 7.10 p.m., then on Saturday 11, qualifying from 09.20 - 09.40 a.m., with the four-hour race set to get underway at 3.00 p.m. Round 2 also gets the green light on Sunday at 3.00 p.m. All times are local.