Former 24H SERIES champion Duel Racing will make its return to the Hankook 24H DUBAI in January with a brand-new Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and in a collaborative effort with TF Sport.  

Brothers Ramzi, Nabil and Sami Moutran, the driving force behind Duel Racing, will take on the event’s GT3-Pro category for the very first time in January, and are set to do so alongside Britons Charlie Eastwood and Sam de Haan. While de Haan will be making his series debut at the Hankook 24H DUBAI, Eastwood and the Moutran brothers are all former class winners of the event, the quartet having sealed a commanding 991-class win aboard a Duel Racing Porsche 991-I Cup in 2019. 

The 17th edition of the Hankook 24H DUBAI though will mark the first time Duel Racing has competed in the 24H SERIES with an Aston Martin. As shown in official release images, the Vantage will don Duel Racing’s traditional ‘night and day’ livery in tribute to its 2015 championship-winning season.  

The 2022 Hankook 24H DUBAI will also mark the 24H SERIES debut of TF Sport, for whom Eastwood and de Haan have competed since 2018 and 2021 respectively. Though most recently a competitor in the World Endurance Championship, taking four wins in 2019/2020 en-route to 2nd overall in the LMGTE-Am category, TF Sport is most well-known for its formidable record with V8, V12 and GT4 variants of the Aston Martin Vantage in the British GT Championship: between 2014 and 2020, the British team secured three Teams’ title in the GT3 ranks, two in GT4, and Drivers’ championships in 2016, 2019 (in two categories), and 2020. TF Sport also secured LMGTE Am class victory at last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“It’s great to team up with the Moutrans and have Charlie and Sam in the mix too!” explained TF Sport founder and principal Tom Ferrier in an official team release. “Ramzi, Nabil and Sami have a superb record in the 24H SERIES, Sam and Charlie stepped on the podium with us in 2021 and we know our way around a 24-hour race in the Vantage GT3, so all together, we are looking for a very strong result to kick-start our 2022 season.”

“As Duel Racing, we have been involved with the 24H SERIES for many years and had our fair share of success, winning two championships outright,” Sam Moutran continues. “We have been fortunate enough to have class wins at the [Hankook] 24H DUBAI in both a SEAT and a Porsche 991. 

“When we decided to step up to the top category, the choice of partner was a relatively straightforward one. We were looking for a team that could bring the same level of competitive spirit, winning culture and family values that we as Duel Racing have always had. TF Sport is at the top of the GT3 game, and that's exactly where we want to be. Add to that, the opportunity to partner with Charlie again and having Sam on-board, it was a no brainer. Let's see what happens when we put two championship winning outfits together!”

A long-time competitor in the 24H SERIES, Duel Racing secured two-class victories and three additional ‘A3T’ class podiums in 2015 – one of which was the season opener at the Dubai Autodrome – en-route to that year’s Overall Teams’ championship. Aboard their tenured SEAT León Cup Racer, the UAE-based Moutran brothers, together with Britain’s Phil Quaife, went on to claim three further class wins as well as the TCR-class title in 2016 with the SEAT before making their switch to the Porsche 991-I Cup in 2018. 

Following an impressive 991-AM class podium on the Porsche’s series debut in Dubai that year, the Moutrans and Charlie Eastwood went on to take the event’s ‘991’ win one year later. It remains Duel Racing’s most recent 24H SERIES race to-date.

Duel Racing is one of close to 90 entries to have been registered thus far for the 2022 Hankook 24H DUBAI, set to take place at the Dubai Autodrome on 13-14-15 January. Of these, 28 are set to take on the GT3 class. Notable entries include former outright winners Herberth Motorsport and Car Collection Motorsport, former class victors HRT, Leipert Motorsport and SPS automotive performance, and reigning Overall GT Teams’ champion ST Racing. Three-time Autorama Motorsport by Wolf-Power Racing is set to headline the TCE division.