Saintéloc Junior Team celebrated a GT3-Am podium finish at the Hankook 24H DUBAI, but was left to rue a missed opportunity for its pole-sitting #18 entry after power steering issues took hold early on. 

Saintéloc, the outright winner of last year’s Hankook 12H SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, finished 2nd in GT3-Am and 7th overall, a performance that, as the team phrased it in an official news release, “rewards a studious week perfectly managed by the crew and the technical team.” Indeed, heading into the final 15 minutes of the event, the #26 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, driven by Merafina family members Wilfried, Thomas and Mattéo – the only three-driver line-up in GT3, and back for their first Hankook 24H DUBAI since 2022 – worked its way past Haas RT for the GT3-AM runners’ up spot in the closing moments. 

After qualifying a solid 15th overall and 2nd in GT3-Am, Wilfried Merafina made a cautious start in the low traction conditions, dropping to an unrepresentative 7th in-class and out of the top 20. On the cusp of half-distance however, the #26 Audi had worked its way back into the top 10 and 3rd in-class, aided, as the team mentioned, by “avoiding incidents on the track and major mechanical problems.” Saintéloc even took the GT3-Am lead shortly afterwards. 

Though unable to keep pace with Century Motorsport’s BMW M4 GT3 – the eventual GT3-Am winner – Saintéloc was involved in a close fight for 2nd in-class with Haas RT for the remainder of the event. Heading into the final two hours, Haas RT, which also dropped back during the early Code 60s, had recovered from over a minute down to move into 2nd place and thereafter pulled a 30-second gap on the #26 Audi. Both teams, ironically, would end up making their final pit stops at the same time, with 75 minutes left to go. 

With Mattéo Merafina – who, like Thomas, was making his first start in the team’s GT3 Audi – now at the wheel, the Frenchman started to close-down Thomas Kiefer by upwards of two seconds per lap, and with just 11 minutes left on the clock, Saintéloc moved back past Haas RT to take 2nd in GT3-Am. So close had the battle been, the pair were split by just 6.8 seconds at the flag.

Saintéloc’s lead #18 Audi R8 meanwhile, driven by 2022 GT3 Drivers’ ‘Europe’ champions Michael Doppelmayr, Elia Erhart and Pierre Kaffer, together with long-time teammate Swen Herberger, endured a disappointing run in Dubai. Despite being struck by a power steering problem in the final four minutes of qualifying, the #26 Audi secured the Saintéloc Junior Team its first outright pole position at the Hankook 24H DUBAI. 

Though Erhart maintained the lead heading into turn one, and even held off Getspeed’s charging Fabian Schiller and, ironically, Haas RT’s Mathieu Detry until the last corner, the power steering issue struck once again barely three hours into the race. The #18 was retired after completing just 77 laps. 

Despite the frustrating run, the Sainteloc Junior Team is once again expected to compete at the Hankook 12H MUGELLO 22-23-24 March, at which the team took its first 24H SERIES podium last year.