The Gulf ProCar 2024/25 Championship and Enduro Cup arrived at the Dubai Autodrome for Round 7 and Enduro 4, on April 5th and 6th.

This weekend took place on the 3.56km National Circuit configuration and featured a return to daylight running, after Round 6 ran under the lights of the Dubai Autodrome.

With temperatures rising as the summer months approach, drivers’ resilience and endurance were tested in both the sprint and enduro races.

Round 7 marked the final event of the 2024/25 Championship season. Yet, the points standings were wide open at the start of the weekend, with multiple classes still to be decided as double points were on offer for the final round.

Enduro 4 saw the Enduro Cup Return for the first time in 2025, participation boosted as the drivers looked to test themselves and machine with a 60 minute race on Sunday.

Four classes were represented between 14 competitors at Saturday’s Round 7, another strong grid of cars to round out a fantastic season of racing.

Class 2Cup - the dedicated class for Porsche Cup machinery - equalled the largest single class grid of the year, featuring 6x Porsche 992 Cup Cars across 3 teams; Enrico Fulgenzi Racing doubled their usual participation as they brought in Andrea Girondi #17 to partner class points leader, Alex G #44, the dynamic Baron Motorsport duo of Shawki El Armali #82 and Rawad Sarieddine #37 arrived to mount a persuit on Alex G in the points standings. ARMotors / HRT Performance returned with the plan to run the usual 2 car entry of Alex Renner Jr. / Alex Renner Sr. in the #9 and Stanislav Minskiy / Thomas Kiefer in the #91, however a late change was made to bring in HRT Performance team owner Kim André Hauschild to replace Alex Renner Jr. who was struggling with illness and could not participate.

Class 86 included the regular trio of Nadim Haddad in the Desert Fox Racing #47, Avik Anwar in the #71 Racing DNA car and Naif Alshawaf in the #31 ROWE by Trackdays.ae. In addition, Nawaf Al Marzouq returned to the championship after his debut at Round 5, back in the #86 Toyota. Nadim, Avik and Naif were all in shot of the championship title, with only 24 points between them.

Class RC featured Ishayat Hossain in the #7 Racing DNA Renault Clio, making his return to the Gulf ProCar championship for the first time this season. Joining Ishayat was Marcel Kiefer in the #88 ARMotors / HRT Performance, returning for his second round in the Gulf ProCar championship.

Class 4 saw Krishna Reddy in his #11 Honda EP3 with the series debuting Karim Nadir Zuhour in the #12 Honda DC5. Krishna had confirmed his Class 4 championship success before racing commenced for Round 7 due the absence of Daniel Jones, his nearest class competitor in the standings. Karim embarked on not only his debut in Gulf ProCar, but also his first ever race in cars after building experience in karts during his junior years.

Round 7

Class 4

Qualifying

Karim Nadir Zuhour #12 set the pace in qualifying for Class 4, registering a fastest lap of 1:42.272 on his third lap. Krishna Reddy #11 was not able to match the pace of Karim, but persevered to clock a best lap time of 1:48.318. This time proved to be competitive with others in different categories, but Krishna would need to unlock some additional pace to challenge Karim.

Race 1

Karim Nadir Zuhour #12 made a clean start, showing his composure in his first ever race start in the thick of a 14 car grid. Karim ran a consistent race, improving on his qualifying best lap time with a 1:41.691. Karim Cleared the Toyota GT86 cars on lap one, pushing forward in chase of Marcel Kiefer in Class RC. Karim brought the car home as the winner of Class 4 and in 8th place overall. Krishna Reddy #11 gained a position at the start, making his way past the Toyota 86 of Nawaf Al Marzouq, these two traded positions in the following laps in an exciting fight before Krishna crossed the line second in Class 4 and 12th overall.

Race 2

Krishna Reddy did not take the start for Race 2, the blistering heat taking its toll and with the Class championship secured at this point, he took the sensible decision to enjoy the action from the sidelines. Karim Nadir Zuhour started from 14th place in Race 2, but made light work of the Class 86 and Class RC cars. Karim displayed immense pace during the session, keeping out of trouble and mastered two safety car restarts to finish 5th place overall and as the winner of Class 4.

Class 86

Qualifying

Nadim Haddad #47 led Class 86 in qualifying, posting a fastest lap of 1:42.154. Nadim’s time was 0.265 ahead of Avik Anwar #71, whose best time was a 1:42.419, good enough for second in Class 86 and tenth overall. Naif Alshawaf #31 qualified in third place, with a time of 1:45.580, not the easiest session for Naif as he was unable to match the strong pace of Nadim and Avik. Nawaf Al Marzouq rounded out Class 86 in qualifying, with a best time of 1:48.225. Nawaf started Saturday on the backfoot after limited running on Friday and an overnight gearbox change, giving reason to his defecit to the front of the 86 field.

Race 1

All of the Class 86 drivers made a clean start for Race 1, mindful that mistakes could be detrimental to their championship points positions. Nadim Haddad #47 led the field away on lap one, but Avik Anwar #71 wasted little time in making his way past the #47 car and held this to claim victory in Race 1. Naif Alshawaf #31 ran a consistent race from start to finish, avoiding any trouble from the surrounding Class 4 and RC competitors to bring home a third place finish and a strong points haul. Nawaf Al Marzouq #86 engaged in an exciting battle with Class 4 competitor, Krishna Reddy, providing a valuable experience for Nawaf in his second career event. Nawaf finished fourth in Class 86 and 13th overall.

Avik Anwar #71 - Racing DNA / ROWE by Trackdays.ae

Race 2

An eventful second race played out in the 86 Class. Naif Alshawaf #31 elected not to take the race start, another driver that understandably battled with the high temperatures of the weekend. Nawaf Al Marzouq #86 made a clean start but unfortunately, a broken axle brought his race to an abrupt end on lap 2 which caused the first of two safety car interventions in Race 2. Nadim Haddad #47 led the way in the opening stages, before a misjudged overtaking move from Avik Anwar #71 put Nadim into a spin and last in the pack. Avik Anwar crossed the finishing line in first place, but subsequently received a 2 place post race penalty for the collision. Nadim Haddad was promoted to the win as a result of Avik’s penalty, securing the Class 86 Championship and Gulf ProCar Overall win for Nadim. A big congratulations to Nadim and the Desert Fox Racing crew!

Naif Alshawaf #31 - ROWE by Trackdays.ae

Class RC

Qualifying

Marcel Kiefer #88 set out in qualifying for his second career Gulf ProCar appearance, picking up where he left off at Round 6 by grabbing pole position with a best lap time of 1:39.915. Ishayat Hossain #7 was learning the Renault Clio Cup machinery on the spot, yet still delivered a respectable lap time of 1:44.045. Ishayat was keen to get out into the race and break down the qualifying deficit to Marcel.

Marcel Kiefer #88 - ARMotors / HRT Performance

Race 1

Race 1 saw Marcel Kiefer #88 assert dominance, with a determined drive to the chequered flag. Marcel enjoyed a close fight with Class 4 competitor, Karim Nadir Zuhour, on his way to secure first place in Class RC and seventh place overall. Ishayat Hossain #7 made a promising start to the race however, he quickly faced a technical issue with his car which forced him to complete the majority of the race in 4th gear alone. Ishayat’s resilience was commendable to still bring the car home for second place in Class RC.

Race 2

Ishayat Hossain #7 had a late change to a spare car ahead of Race 2, after the Racing DNA team deemed the issues faced in Race 1 to be non repairable in time. Considering this rush, Ishayat did not make it out to the grid and was forced into a pitlane start. Most importantly, he still made it into the race. Ishayat drove a great race and weathered the safety car interventions to finish second in Class RC and seventh overall. The story remained the same for Marcel Kiefer #88 in Race 2, an immense performance from the German to complete a Round 7 clean sweep in Class RC with another win. Marcel’s strong performance at the final round, grasping the double points opportunity fully, shot him up to the top of the points standings to secure the Class RC points championship. Congratulations to Marcel, a fantastic accolade to collect on his debut year of car racing!

Class 2CUP

Qualifying

Class 2Cup qualifying at Round 7 was one for the ages, multiple cars trading places at the top of the leaderboard with championship points positions on the line. As the chequered flag flew on the 20 minute session, it was the #9 ARMotors Porsche 992 Cup of Alex Renner Sr. / Kim André Hauschild on top with a time of 1:25.094, followed by the #91 ARMotors / HRT Performance car of Stanislav Minskiy / Thomas Kiefer a mere 0.076 behind with a 1:25.170 lap. The two Enrico Fulgenzi Racing machines occupied third and fourth, the first of which being Alex G #44 with a best lap of 1:25.516, and then Andrea Girondi #17 with a 1:25.633. Baron Motorsport’s Rawad Sarieddine #37 placed fifth with a time of 1:27.350 and his teammate, Shawki El Armali #82 rounded up the class 2Cup field with a 1:28.431. A thrilling pair of races was guaranteed, with the top four cars separated by only 0.533 of a second.

Andrea Girondi #17 - Enrico Fulgenzi Racing

Race 1

Thomas Kiefer took the reigns of the #91 car for Race 1, leading the field away with a perfectly clean race start. Andrea Girondi #17 quickly made his way up the field and into second position, his sights set on chasing down Thomas. Alex Renner Sr. piloted the #9 car, but struggled at the start and lost ground to the front runners. Alex had an unfortunate spin at turn 4 on lap 10, taking him out of contention for the podium. Alex G also moved backwards at the race start, but quickly rectified his errors to resume his starting position. Thomas Kiefer took the win, narrowly holding off the attack from Andrea Girondi, who finished only 0.982 of a second behind the #91, Thomas and Andrea were certainly in a league of their own this session as they formulated a thrilling fight for the win. Alex G rounded out the podium with a strong third place finish, claiming the fastest lap of the session in doing so. The #37 of Rawad Sarieddine and the #82 of Shawki El Armali crossed the line in fourth and fifth place, respectively. Alex Renner Sr. fought to make up the time lost during his spin, but had to settle for sixth place at the finish.

Race 2

As Race 2 grid positions are set by the driver’s second fastest qualifying lap time, there was a shake up to the Race 1 grid. Alex G #44 led the field away from pole in the warm and sunny conditions, with Rawad Sarieddine #37 close behind in the hunt for first place honours. Kim André Hauschild #9 made his way past Rawad on lap 1, whilst Andrea Girondi #17 was also a quick mover in the opening stages, gaining 2 places to reach third position. Kim lost out to Andrea and Rawad at the first safety car restart on lap 4, and as Kim and Rawad battled for third place on the road, the two cars made contact on lap 9 at turn 1 which forced the premature retirement of both the #9 and the #37. The Enrico Fulgenzi Racing duo of Alex G and Andrea Girondi engaged in an intense battle for first place, a fight that was perfectly fitting to see off the 20245/25 Gulf ProCar Championship season. Andrea Girondi came out on top, clinching first place, with Alex G finishing second, 0.487 behind Andrea. Shawki El Armali #82 rounded out the podium in third place, with Stanislav Minskiy #91 crossing the line in fourth place after a difficult race for the #91. Alex G was crowned the Champion of Class 2Cup with his result, congratulations to Alex on his triumph in his debut season of racing!

Another year in the books!

The 2024/25 Gulf ProCar Championship season was jam packed full of excitement and exhilaration. As displayed with multiple class honours being decided on the final day of the championship, the competition was close and the racing was sublime. A total of 39 drivers competed throughout the season, new and old faces, combining to create a historical year for the Gulf ProCar Championship under the management of GulfSport Racing LLC.

Congratulations to all teams and drivers for your hard work and dedication throughout the year!

The final classification of each class:

Enduro 4

Class 4, Class 86 & Class RC

Karim Nadir Zuhour #12 represented Class 4 in Enduro 4, setting a best lap time of 1:40.811 in the morning qualifying session. Karim was excited by the opportunity of the 60 minute endurance race, and he certainly relished this with a smooth performance to finish fourth overall, a credit to driver and team for their effort.

Nawaf Al Marzouq #86 chose to extend his weekend with the inclusion of Sunday’s Enduro. Nawaf’s fastest lap in qualifying was a 1:50.462, which placed him in eighth place on the grid. Despite some additional pitstops to address a technical issue, Nawaf was able to bring the car home in 6th place with a clean drive to the flag.

Marcel Kiefer #88 not only showed his resilience to the high temperatures of the weekend, but also his grit and determination by adding Enduro 4 to his double campaign weekend between Gulf ProCar and Gulf Radical Cup. Marcel set a fastest lap time of 1:42.373 in qualifying, good enough for seventh place on the starting grid. During the race, Marcel got his head down and enjoyed a battle with Class 4 competitor of Karim Nadir Zuhour, finishing in 5th place overall.

Class 2Cup

Six Porsche 992 Cup cars entered into Enduro 4, unfortunately only five of these made it on track on Sunday morning, losing the #9 ARMotors car due to damage sustained at Round 7 on Saturday. The #91 ARMotors / HRT Performance machine of Stanislav Minskiy / Thomas Kiefer set the pace in qualifying, snatching pole position with a 1:24.263. The Enrico Fulgenzi Racing drivers Andrea Girondi #17 and Alex G #44 followed in second and third. Rawad Sarieddine qualified in fourth place in the #37 Baron Motorsport car, closely followed by teammate Shawki El Armali #82 in fifth.

Moving into the race, drivers knew they needed to look at the bigger picture, for many this being their first experience of an endurance format race, where the race is not won on the first lap but can certainly be lost with over-aggression. Each driver clearly understood this, keeping things clean and sensible in the opening stages with the first target being to reach the mandatory pit stop window. It was Alex G who made his way to the front of the field on the opening lap, showing his Enduro Cup experience from earlier in the year. Andrea Girondi followed his teammate to the front of the field, and the two worked together to build a buffer to the other cars. The mandatory pitstops went mostly untroubled for the drivers and teams, however Shawki El Armali decided to call it a day at this point, retiring the car on Lap 24. From the end of the pit window, the finishing order was already set. Alex G took crossed the line in first, with Andrea Girondi finishing second. Stanislav Minskiy / Thomas Kiefer finished third and Rawad Sarieddine came home to finish fourth. This was not the end of the drama though, with both Enrico Fulgenzi Racing cars receiving time penalties for pitstop related infringements. Andrea Girondi was promoted to the race win, and Alex G demoted to second place. In addition, the #91 car of Stanislav Minskiy / Thomas Kiefer was disqualified from the final classification due to a technical infringement, promoting Rawad Sarieddine to third place.

Looking towards Enduro 5

As the Enduro Cup grids grow, the final event of the 2024/25 season will be Enduro 5 on April 19th at the Dubai Autodrome. Enduro 5 will run on the Internation Circuit layout, featuring a 120 minute race with a 4 minute mandatory pitstop, as part of the SuperEnduro format.