Dubai is traditionally the place where FACH AUTO TECH kicks off its season. The Schwyz-based race team entered two cars in the 24H Series race with Huub van Eijndhoven, Paul Meijer, Jop Rappange and Ralph Poppelaars successfully securing a hard-fought third place in class. The crew in the sister car also mastered the challenging endurance race at the Dubai Autodrome finishing with flying colours.
“This race demanded a lot from our team and drivers. We are happy we reached the finish and of course the podium,” sums up team principal Alex Fach. “The team had to overcome some difficulties over the 24 hours, but they fought until the end and were rewarded for it.” Right from the start Huub van Eijndhoven, Paul Meijer, Jop Rappange and Ralph Poppelaars proved that they were in for a top result. With a strong performance in the first hours of racing, the quartet moved up to second place. Not much later, the #962 car even took the lead in the 992 class.
However, the 24-hour race did not run entirely without incident. Repairs in the first half of the race initially threw the #962 crew off the podium again. It was thanks to strong stints by the drivers during the night and flawless pit work by the team that the quartet was back in the fight for the podium in the morning hours. As the race progressed, the team continued this excellent performance and didn’t allow themselves to be fazed by the onset of rain. At the finish, Rappange, Poppelaars, Eijndhoven and Meijer were rewarded with third place in the 992 class, which also meant 13th place overall in the competitive field.
The drivers of the #961 sister car showed equal fighting spirit. Also not completely spared from repairs, Michael Hinderer, Marc Devis, Yves Scemama, Christian Traber and Nico Verdonck set a consistent pace to bring the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup to the finish after a demanding 24 hours.
“The crew can definitely be very happy with their race. For Michael, Marc, Yves and Christian, it was their first endurance race of this kind. They normally race in historic cars and have always dreamed of completing a 24-hour race in a modern car,” explains Fach. “Together with them and their coach, we worked step by step to make this dream come true and we did it. To see the chequered flag after such a hard race with this strong competition is an achievement to be proud of.”