New Zealander Earl Bamber is included on the entry list for the Dubai 24 Hour Race where he’ll join forces with Anton de Pasquale and Stephen and Brenton Grove.
The Pro-Am team will run a Porsche 911 GT3 R in a joint venture between Earl Bamber Motorsport and Grove Racing.
It’s a partnership which has previous history, Bamber and Stephen Grove having competed together in the Bathurst 12 Hour twice before.
De Pasquale has also raced for the outfit, despite running for Grove Racing rivals, DJR, in Supercars. He was present with the team in this year’s Dubai 24 hours, where the team finished sixth overall.
Bamber is the new addition to that lineup, replacing German Sven Muller. He says sights are set on a big result for the team.
“Obviously, as a team, to continue working with the Grove Group – Brenton and Steve – it’s fantastic,” said Bamber.
“We had a lot of success at Nations Cup, so now to continue that on to Dubai is super exciting. And as a driver, to rejoin Steve, Brenton and Anton, I think it’s going to be a fantastic week, and we’ve only got one goal – which is to aim high, and aim for the podium.
“We’re hoping for a good run in Dubai to lead in with some success to the Bathurst 12 Hour.”
The Dubai 24 Hour Race is run at Dubai Autodrome and hosts some of the larger fields seen in racing. In 2022 80 cars took part in the event. Fifty-seven have thus far been confirmed in an entry list published six days ago.
It’s something Brenton Grove is wary of, but he’s confident the expertise of Bamber and de Pasquale will help get the job done.
“We’re itching to get back to Dubai,” he said. “We had quite a good run last year, however we’re definitely looking to go one step further.
“It’s an incredibly difficult race with the traffic and so many cars, so it’s mainly about surviving the first 18 hours.
“However, with Earl and Anton we’re excited to see where they can take us at the end of the race. We’re all really good mates so it will be quite cool to share a car for the first time.
“We’ve all driven with each other individually but this will be the first time together.”
Further Kiwi’s may be added to the Dubai 24 Hour Race lineup, Brendon Leitch’s Leipert Motorsport included on the entry-list.
The event takes place on January 13-15.
