FIA GT3 Championship

PHIL QUAIFE ENJOYS ASCARI CHALLENGE IN DUBAI DESERT                      

Phil Quaife enjoyed a hot weekend in Dubai with some top quality racing in this final round of the FIA GT3 Championship held last weekend. Thrilling racing was the order of the event and Phil was in the thick of the action in both races. A sixth place finish in the first race and a 14th place finish were the spoils for him for his efforts at this maiden GT3 event. 

Phil Quaife exchanged his regular drive of a Porsche GT3 for the Damax Ascari GT3 racer and gave his new ride the thumbs up after a highly competitive race weekend, driving alongside Phil Keen for this event.  

The duo started slowly, acclimatising themselves to the track, the heat and the car at the Dubai Autodrome, posting 16th quickest lap in the first session. They put the power down in the afternoon and started to show the potential of their racer, turning seventh fastest lap after the afternoon session of practice.  

Quaife and Keen carried this momentum through to qualifying with Phil Quaife putting in a strong time, just under two tenths off the lead Ascari, to line up in sixth for the start of the first race. Keen qualified in 22nd spot for the second race.  

The first of the two races, a one hour long endurance event tested both men and machine in the searing heat of the Dubai desert. Phil Quaife was the driver for the start of the race and with his third row grid slot, he was in a good position to challenge for the front. By the end of the first lap he had already put himself into a podium position, in third place. He led the race prior to pitting for the driver changeover. Both drivers drove consistently, fending off challenges throughout the race to finish sixth at the chequered flag.  

In the second race the team had their work cut out with their eleventh row start, but they were determined to improve on their grid slot. Keen took the driving seat for the start and by the time he handed over to Phil had brought the car up to 12th place. Following a strong pit stop he quickly took the car up to sixth place. A safety car period then gave him the opportunity to close up on the front runners and with a tight pack, Phil took fifth at the restart, racing hard with the Ascari works team and a Corvette, with the three cars trading places over the course of the ensuing laps. Phil Quaife pushed hard to reach third, but with less straight line speed than his rivals he struggled to maintain position down the straights. Lying fourth on the penultimate lap Phil Quaifev grasped a chance to try and take the final podium position, but with the car ahead also trying to make up a place, the two touched and Phil Quaife spun out. He rejoined to finish in a disappointing 14th place.  

Phil said of his trip to Dubai, "That was a great weekend! The car was fantastic; I really enjoyed driving it and mixing it with the front runners in both races was great fun. At the end of the second race we went all-out for glory and very nearly nailed it. It was a shame that our dying lap move to pass for third didn't work out. It was just one of those things, and with our worn tyres and slightly less power we just weren't able to clinch it, but overall it was a good weekend. My thanks to the DAMAX team for an excellent weekend, and a great car which I thoroughly enjoyed driving, I'm just a little disappointed for everyone that we didn't get that third.”

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