Kiwi GT ace Brendon Leitch added another international endurance podium to his résumé with a hard-fought Pro-Am class victory at the 15th running of the Gulf 12 Hours, held under lights at Abu Dhabi’s iconic Yas Marina Circuit.
Teaming up with Jayden Ojeda, Sergio Pires, and Marcel Zalloua in the #44 Mercedes-AMG GT3, Leitch played a key role in a standout weekend for Australian outfit Geyer Valmont Racing, which marked its first international appearance with a class win and a sixth-place overall finish in one of the Middle East’s premier endurance events.
The quartet laid the foundations during a demanding multi-part qualifying session, where the Pro-Am entry emerged fastest in class and seventh overall. The qualifying format averaged each driver’s best lap across four 15-minute segments, placing a premium on consistency across the entire lineup on the challenging 5.281km Yas Marina layout.
While Inception Racing’s Ferrari 296 GT3 secured outright pole position, Geyer Valmont Racing’s Pro-Am benchmark underlined the competitiveness of the #44 Mercedes-AMG heading into the 12-hour contest.
Race day delivered the full spectrum of endurance racing, with frequent lead changes, strategic variation, and late-race tension keeping teams under pressure across 346 laps.
At the front, Capital RT by Motopark ultimately claimed overall victory for Mercedes-AMG, while behind them the Pro-Am fight evolved into a test of reliability as much as outright pace.
Leitch and his teammates ran consistently inside the top 10 overall throughout the race, managing traffic and strategy as conditions evolved. Their challenge was complicated late on when the Mercedes-AMG suffered splitter damage in the closing stages, threatening to undo hours of work.
Despite the issue, Zalloua was able to nurse the car to the flag, securing the Pro-Am class win by just over 15 seconds from the chasing Enrico Fulgenzi Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Leitch praised the composure shown in the final hour, as the team balanced pace with preservation to ensure the car reached the chequered flag.
“The guys were pretty confident that they had done the best that they could with the situation we were in,” said Leitch.
“Marcel was doing a really, really good job at the end. Incredible laps, considering the condition at the end of the race for us.
“It was just really important that he brought it home. Jayden was just talking to him every lap on the radio, trying to keep him calm and guide him through it all.
“They both did a perfect job. All the guys have done an amazing job this weekend, and Tigani has given us an amazing car. Just unlucky with that failure at the end there.
“Other than that, the car has been a machine all weekend long.”
Ojeda echoed those sentiments after the finish, highlighting the collective effort required to conquer the 12-hour marathon.
“Awesome from the boys to have a solid 12-hour race. Awesome job by the team, all the adversity we faced throughout the race, we overcame it and put together a really good race.”
For Leitch, the Pro-Am triumph adds another major endurance result to his international CV, reinforcing his reputation as a dependable and fast GT driver on the world stage. Competing against a deep field of factory-supported machinery and experienced endurance line-ups, the Kiwis’ contribution proved pivotal in converting pace into silverware.
With the next Gulf 12 Hours scheduled for January 2027, Leitch leaves Abu Dhabi having once again demonstrated his ability to deliver when it matters most — under pressure, under lights, and on one of endurance racing’s toughest stages.
Header Image: Tigani Motorsport
