Heart of Racing by SPS’ “newly formed” team weathered technical issues at the Hankook 24H DUBAI to secure 5th in GT3-Pro/Am, the American-German alliance’s third consecutive top five finish in-class at the event. 

Splitting its resources between both the Hankook 24H DUBAI and Daytona, the Heart of Racing by SPS Mercedes-AMG GT3 was driven at the Autodrome by team mainstay Gray Newell (also on-board for the team’s GT4 and GT3-Am podium finishes in 2022 and 2023 respectively), three-time Le Mans class winner and Aston Martin factory driver Darren Turner, and Daniel Mancinelli and Pierre Kleinubing, “some of whom were driving a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in competitive conditions for the first time.” 

While this year’s Hankook 24H DUBAI marked the first 24H SERIES outing for Mancinelli, both Turner and Kleinubing made their event returns in 2024. Kleinubing last competed with Brookspeed International Motorsport in GT4 in 2018, and, interestingly, the Brazilian made his first GT3 start since 2015 this past weekend. Turner meanwhile, an overall podium finisher in Dubai in 2013, ended a 10-year hiatus at the Hankook 24H DUBAI, having ‘most recently’ entered the 2014 edition with Craft Racing AMR.

The team impressed with a solid 12th on the grid – 7th in-class – and was running comfortably in overall top 10, well in contention for a GT3-Pro/Am podium, at half-distance. 

Sadly, a technical issue, suspected to be gearbox-related (a similar gremlin struck several other front-running Mercedes-AMGs in Dubai) ended up dropping Heart of Racing by SPS back down to 26th overall, last of the remaining GT3-Pro/Am runners, and 22 laps behind eventual winner Eastalent Racing at two-thirds distance. A miscommunication meant the #27 Mercedes was also handed a combined 52-second time penalty for repeatedly exceeding the speed limit during a Code 60. 

Despite the issues, Heart of Racing by SPS had worked its way back up to 18th overall at the chequered flag and secured a top five finish in GT3-Pro/Am. A result SPS automotive performance team principal Stephan Sohn hopes they can improve upon next time out. 

“First of all, I have to compliment the entire team. Everyone did a good job this weekend. Unfortunately, a technical issue prevented us from achieving a better finish. We hope that we can get a better result in Bathurst.”