Gulf ProCar returned from the mid-season break to make its final appearance at the Yas Marina Circuit for the 2025/26 season. Round 4 utilised the 5.281 km GP layout of the UAE’s Formula 1 venue, featuring the first night race of the season to mark a fitting conclusion to Gulf ProCar’s 2025/26 activity in the Capital.

Five classes were represented at Round 5 with a blend of season regulars and new drivers across the field.

Class 1 featured Fu Songyang who made his Gulf ProCar debut, with support from the European powerhouse of AF Corse. Fu entered with a stunning Ferrari 296 GT3, excited by the opportunity of competing at a world renowned motorsport venue.

Class 2Cup regular, Stanislav Minskiy, returned to resume his charge for the Class championship after grasping control of the standings with the recent absence of closest competitor, Rawad Sarieddine. Rawad and Anton Yachmenev were unable to participate at Round 4, providing Stanislav with a glaring opportunity to extend his points lead.

Class 3 and overall points leader, Maxim Volynkin, returned in the #47 Big Red Racing Porsche 981 Cayman GT4 with the aim of continuing his flawless campaign to this point.

Class 5 featured Nick Wiltshire in the Werks Motorsport built Volkswagen Mk7 Golf GTI, joined by Kieran Hope who made his Gulf ProCar debut in another Volkswagen Mk7 Golf GTI.

Class RC included the sole entry of Avik Anwar in the #71 Racing DNA Renault Clio Cup Gen5, looking to extend his Class lead as we reach the mid-way point of the 2025/26 season.

Qualifying

Qualifying for Round 4 took place in the fresh early morning of Saturday, with the drivers taking to the track to commence their competitive weekend on the front foot. Despite the challenge from Fu Songyang in a higher class car, it was Stanislav Minskiy that claimed a dominating pole position with a best time of 1:59.628 in the #72 Enrico Fulgenzi Racing Porsche 992 Cup. Fu locked in his spot on the front row with a 2:03.921 in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. Maxim Volynkin claimed third overall in the #47 Porsche 983 Cayman GT4, recording an impressive time of 2:05.412. Unfortunately for Maxim, a 5-place grid penalty awaited him for Race 1 after pit lane infringement in Warm-Up.

Nick Wiltshire claimed fourth overall and first in Class 5 with a respectable time of 2:16.378 in his #45 Volkswagen Mk7 Golf GTI, his first visit to Yas Marina Circuit and bearing the fruits of remote setup guidance from TCR legend, Rob Huff. Avik Anwar took fifth place overall with a best time of 2:22.101 in the #71 Racing DNA Renault Clio Cup Gen5, followed by Kieran Hope who made his long awaited debut in the #83 Volkswagen Mk7 Golf GTI and posted a time of 2:24.701 to position himself second in Class 5 and sixth overall.

Sprint Race 1

With the drivers taking their positions in the mid-day sunshine, it was Stanislav Minskiy that lead the field away as the start lights extinguished in the #72 Enrico Fulgenzi Racing Porsche 992 Cup. Stanislav held off any threat from the #51 Ferrari 296 GT3 of Fu Songyang to settle into his rhythm and build a gap to the cars behind. Fu showed improvement with every passing lap and ran a tidy race from start to finish. Maxim Volynkin quickly made amends to his grid penalty, working his way up to third position before the inaugural lap had concluded.

Nick Wiltshire, Avik Anwar and Kieran Hope sensibly refrained from challenging the attack from the faster machinery of Maxim Volynkin, knowing that was not their race. Nick ran a fast and consistent race, taking an enormous 5 second chunk out of his qualifying best lap as he continued to build familiarity with the circuit and his #45 Golf GTI. Avik Anwar showed his experience and composure to hustle the #71 Clio through the 25 minute session with little drama, amongst the more powerful Class 5 cars. This weekend was openly about research and development for Kieran Hope, with limited testing in preparation for his debut in the #83 Golf GTI. Despite this, Kieran persevered throughout Race 1 to bring the car home for valuable class points.

As the checkered flag flew to mark the end of Race 1, Stanislav took the overall win and Class 2Cup maximum points with an astonishing 40.544 second gap to Fu Songyang, who claimed a well deserved second place overall and maximum Class 1 points. Maxim Volynkin claimed third place overall and full points towards his Class 3 standings, followed by Nick wiltshire in fourth overall and as the Class 5 winner. Avik Anwar crossed the line in fifth place overall to extend his Class RC points lead, followed by Kieran Hope in sixth overall and second place in Class 5.

Sprint Race 2

With the grid positions unchanged, barring Maxim Volynkin - freed from his Race 1 penalty and starting third on the grid - drivers were prepared to tackle the 5.281 km GP layout under he lights of Yas Marina Circuit for the final time of the 2025/26 season. Stanislav controlled the race start once again, but it was Maxim Volynkin that impressed the most by snatching second place from Fu Songyang at turn 1 despite the deficit in power. Fu tucked in behind Maxim and patiently waited for the back straight to reclaim second, turning his focus towards Stanislav ahead.

Further back in the field, Nick Wiltshire held position in fourth overall and first in Class 5 whilst Avik Anwar and Kieran Hope engaged in a close battle for fifth and sixth overall in the opening stages. Disaster struck after 2 laps for Nick with a clutch issue forcing an early retirement, an uncharacteristic blip for the Werks Motorsport built Volkswagen. Coincidentally, Kieran Hope also pitted on the same lap as Nick to resolve an electrical issue that sent the car into limp mode, but a quick ctrl+alt+del cleared the fault and Kieran rejoined. Avik Anwar maintained a clean performance, avoiding any implication for the trouble-ridden Class 5 cars. Kieran was forced into an additional 2 stops throughout the session, but was determined to get the car to the finish line.

As the 25 minutes elapsed, Stanislav finished first overall in his #72 Porsche 992 Cup to completed a clean sweep weekend with a full set of impeccable performances against faster machinery. Fu Songyang showed immense progression throughout the weekend at the wheel of the #51 Ferrari 296 GT3, closing the gap to Stanislav in race 2 but settling for second overall. Maxim Volynkin crossed the line in third place overall after another consistent performance in the #47 Big Red Racing Porsche Cayman GT4, thoroughly enjoying his early battle with Fu. Avik Anwar claimed fourth place overall, rounding off a solid weekend where he squeezed every inch of pace out of his #71 Renault Clio Cup Gen5. Kieran Hope wrestled his #83 Volkswagen Mk7 Golf GTI to a fifth place finish overall and Class 5 win, whilst Nick Wiltshire was classified as a DNF after his early technical issues.

All eyes on Round 5

As the Gulf ProCar series moves towards the sharp end of the 2025/26 season, the championship standings are still wide open ahead of Round 5 at the Dubai Autodrome on February 28th. This round will be unique due to the presence of the holy month of Ramadan, resulting in a schedule that will include a plethora of night racing action as drivers tackle the International layout of Dubai’s flagship motorsport venue.