Last weekend’s ninth edition of the 24h Dubai marked the start of the new racing season. Many were eager for some racing action after what seemed like a very long winter break. Among the competitors at the Dubai Autodrome were a few former contestants of the German Formula 3, including Bernd Schneider, Ivan Samarin from Russia, Dutchwoman Shirley van der Lof as well as her compatriots Jeroen Mul and Jeroen Bleekemolen. The latter finished third with his team! A fantastic place considering his competition: 130 teams from all over the world. The Dutchman actually secured the victory in both 2012 and 2013.
The winner of the Dunlop 24h Dubai drove across the finish line after completing more than 3,250 kilometres (2,019 miles) and 603 laps. It was the Stadler Motorsport team from Switzerland in a Porsche 997 GT3 R, followed by the German team ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport in a Mercedes SLS AMG GT3. The team Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon took the third place in the same type of car. Jeroen Bleekemolen was at the wheel for that team. The Dutchman is well-known in German Formula 3. He contested the series for the Van Amersfoort Racing team in 2000. The Dutch driver about his third place in Dubai: “Not the Dubai 24 hour race we wanted but still a great result. Our #1 car was leading the race until midnight when we hit trouble and eventually had to park it. Car #2 was running for victory too until we got a small problem during the night, dropping us down the order. But we never gave up and had a great recovery drive to P3! Thanks to everyone for another great weekend at Dubai.”
The 32-year old scored top podium places in the 2012 and 2013 editions of the 24h Dubai. Back then Bernd Schneider was among his team-mates. The driver from St. Ingbert delivered a fantastic performance in the German Formula 3 Championship in 1986 and 1987, scoring eight victories. He also became a living legend of the Deutsche Tourenwagenmeisterschaft. The 49-year old was recently voted “Driver of the year” in the sports car category by the readers of AUTO BILD MOTORSPORT magazine. Schneider’s team was forced to retire early from the Dunlop 24h Dubai due to technical problems.
Debut at the racetrack
With about 100 days to go until the start of the racing season for the ATS Formula 3 Cup, the preparations behind the scenes are already in full swing. Talks are held with team principals, drivers and many partners of the German Formula 3. A new addition to this year’s race calendar will be the Slovakia Ring. It has never hosted a German Formula 3 race before. The 5.922-km track will be the longest in the 2014 ATS Formula 3 Cup season. The engines will be roaring on a slightly modified circuit version from August 8th to 10th.