The 2025/26 season of the Gulf ProCar Series came to a close last weekend at Round 7, utilising the National configuration of the Dubai Autodrome for the Season Finale. Although the majority of Class and the Overall standings looked to be wrapped up, a double points opportunity at this round left the door ajar for late upsets.

Amidst the seasonal weather instability of Dubai, the forecast was mixed across the weekend with a chance of showers to add another layer of challenge to the already high-stakes event.

Qualifying

After the morning’s Warm-Up session, drivers and cars were dialled in ahead of the 20-minute Qualifying session. As we have become familiar with in previous years, the National configuration of the Dubai Autodrome proposes a high risk high reward scenario in the context of track limits in the corkscrew section of sector two, where drivers look to maximise the surface area to return the best lap time possible - this was certainly a hot topic in Qualifying and would prove to be a major factor in the races to come.

Henry Clausnitzer piloted the #47 Big Red Racing Porsche 981 Cayman GT4 to pole position overall and in Class 3 on his Gulf ProCar debut, posting a respectable time of 1:32.024 by the end of the session. Nick Wiltshire returned in the #45 Volkswagen Mk7 Golf GTI after a turbulent Round 6, posting a best lap of 1:39.569 during the session to claim second overall and pole position in Class 5. Fellow Class 5 competitor Kieran Hope was unable to participate in the qualifying session due to technical gremlins that stemmed from an overnight turbo swap, shifting focus to rectifying the issues in time for the race later in the day.

Another weekend of spectacular Class RC action was in store with the entry of three Renault Clio Cup Gen5 cars in the form of overall and class points leader Avik Anwar in the #71 Racing DNA car, Rahil Taneja in the #9 KAA Motorsport car and Steve Wilson, who returns after an outstanding debut at Round 5, in the #78 ARMotors car. Despite losing three laps to deletion for exceeding track limits, Steve Wilson took pole position in Class RC with a best lap of 1:41.667, a mere three tenths ahead of Avik in second after he too lost lap times due to track limits. Rahil Taneja kept it clean during the session, avoiding track limits infringements to post a 1:42.706, only seven tenths behind Avik and displaying the highly competitive Class RC field at Round 7.

Race 1

As Race 1 rolled around in the late morning, the cars lined up on the grid prepared to battle for the penultimate time of the 2025/26 season. Unfortunately, one grid slot was left vacant with Kieran Hope unable to fix the troubles on the #83 Volkswagen Mk7 Golf GTI in time for the session. Nevertheless, an exciting race was in store with a brief rain shower ahead of the session left the surface damp. As the lights extinguished and Henry Clausnitzer lead the field away, the tension built as drivers weighed the risk of advancing position versus protecting points accumulation. Nick Wiltshire loaded the pressure on to Henry in the opening stages, benefitting from the front wheel drive configuration and cut slick tyres on his Volkswagen in damp conditions, but was unable to plant an overtaking move on the Big Red Racing Porsche. Steve Wilson, Avik Anwar and Rahil Taneja were incredibly close in the early laps, before Steve and Avik made the breakaway from Rahil who was suffering from a technical issue that he was unbeknown to at the time.

Avik was able to make a decisive move for first place in Class RC at the mid-way point of the session, but Steve remained glued to the rear bumper of the #71 Renault, fuelled with determination to reclaim his lost position. Henry extended the gap over Nick as the surface dried, utilising the performance advantage of his Porsche 981 Cayman GT4 to cross the line with over a minute advantage. Nick’s incredibly consistent performance earned him second overall and a full points taking towards his Class 5 championship charge. Amidst their scrap for the Class RC race win, Avik and Steve collected 10 second penalties for track limits abuse but of course, the equal number of infringements prevented a change in finishing order, as it was Avik who crossed the line third overall and as the Class RC winner. Following closely at the line was Steve in fourth overall and second in Class RC and Rahil Taneja with a stellar effort to bring the car home in fifth overall and third in Class RC despite the technical issues with the car.

Race 2

Race 2 brought fresh opportunity for multiple drivers as the grid was set for the final race of the 2025/26 Gulf ProCar season. Stakes remained high and the added pressure of a rain shower at the race start. With the track significantly more wet than in the first race, caution was required as the race began with the majority of the field electing to tackle the race start on full slick tyres, knowing that the presence of rain would be short lived. Kieran Hope was finally able to take up his allotted grid position for race 2, with the issues resolved and the car running as smoothly as ever. Nick Wiltshire flexed his muscles at the race start in the #45 Volkswagen Mk7 Golf GTI, wasting no time in making his way past the overall pole sitter of Henry Clausnitzer, utilising the advantage of his car in damp conditions. Not only did Nick swiftly move into the overall lead, but was able to build a gap to the Big Red Racing Porsche in the opening quarter of the race. Further back, it was Avik who started Race 2 on pole position in Class RC, with Steve Wilson and Rahil Taneja close behind and eager to take home the final class win of the season. Steve unfortunately found himself facing in the wrong direction at turn one after being caught out by the damp conditions, but thankfully Rahil Tanjea was able to avoid contact. Steve continued and set out to hunt down Rahil and the remainder of the field.

As the session progressed, the Class RC battle was slightly less intense than seen in Race 1 with Avik dominating to build a buffer to his competitors, trading an in-class battle for an exciting challenge against Kieran Hope in the #83 Volkswagen Mk7 Golf GTI. The pair were extremely well matched on pace despite the disparities in weight and power between the Golf and the Clio. Steve was able to catch and pass Rahil by the midway point of the race, both producing clean performances to remain on the fringes of the battles ahead, armed to attack should the opportunity arise. As expected, the rain shower passed and the track surface quickly dried as a result of the warm temperatures, hindering Nick but providing the upper hand to Henry in the #47 Porsche 981 Cayman GT4 in terms of lap time. Henry was able to slash the gap built by Nick to reclaim the overall lead in the closing stages of the race, and bring the car him to take home another overall and Class 3 victory. Nick stayed composed, despite the frustration of losing the lead, to finish second overall and as the Class 5 winner followed by Avik in third overall and as the Class RC winner after a masterful drive to keep Kieran at bay. Kieran collected fourth overall and second in Class 5 with Steve Wilson in fifth overall and second in Class RC and Rahil Taneja rounding out the field with sixth overall and third place in Class RC.

The 2025/26 season comes to an end

That wraps up another fantastic season of the Gulf ProCar Series which saw a total of 41 drivers take part in a wide range of machinery across the seven rounds of the 2025/26 season. After another strong weekend, Avik Anwar in the #71 Racing DNA Renault Clio Cup Gen5 was crowned the 2025/26 Overall Gulf ProCar Champion in addition to the Class RC Championship, closing out the year with a staggering total of 350 points. Congratulations to all of our Champions, Drivers and Teams and we cannot wait to share details of the 2026/27 in the coming months… Stay Tuned!

The full list of our 2025/26 Champions is below: