Paque Takes Surprise Pole at Michelin 24H Dubai
Dubai, UAE — In a stunning display of speed, Benjamin Paque of TFT Racing captured the pole position for the 2026 Michelin 24H Dubai, setting the stage for an exciting race ahead. Paque clocked a remarkable lap time of 1:55.597 in the #28 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO during the inaugural Top 10 Shoot-Out at the Dubai Autodrome, distancing himself from the competition by nearly a second.
Following Paque were Pierre Kaffer from Sainteloc Junior Team, who secured second place with a time of 1:55.849 in the #18 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, and Benjamin Goethe in the #74 Optimum Motorsport McLaren GT3 EVO, who qualified third at 1:56.533. The #777 AlManar Racing by Dragon Ferrari was disqualified from qualifying, paving the way for the McLaren’s participation in the Shoot-Out.
Winward Racing faced disappointment as Marvin Dienst dropped 1.101 seconds to Paque in the first sector, ultimately finishing sixth after starting strong in the earlier qualifying sessions. “I’m so happy to be on pole!” Paque stated. “I gave it everything I had. We worked together with the team, so we had a good car.”
Also rounding out the top contenders were Kelvin van der Linde in the #669 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO, taking fourth, and Luca Stolz in the #16 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG finishing fifth. Christopher Haase of WRT qualified seventh, while numerous competitors, including Pure Rxcing’s Alexey Nesov, had their Shoot-Out laps disqualified due to track limit infringements.
In the GT3-Am category, Paradine Competition’s #992 BMW qualified 12th overall, and HOFOR Racing’s Mercedes-AMG claimed the second spot. The competition was fierce, particularly for the Am teams, with the #87 Origine by CC Porsche leading early before finishing fourth.
In other classes, Red-Camel Jordans.nl secured pole in the 992 category with an average time of 2:01.434, while Leipert Motorsport claimed GTX pole position. The GT4 category saw the #445 Cerny Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 take the top spot, and Toyota Gazoo ROOKIE Racing dominated the TC class.
The race begins at 13:00 GST tomorrow, promising an exhilarating contest as teams vie for supremacy in the 24-hour endurance event.
Qualifying Results:
- GT3 Top 10 Shoot-Out:
- Benjamin Paque – #28 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO: 1:55.597
- Pierre Kaffer – #18 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II: 1:55.849
- Benjamin Goethe – #74 McLaren GT3 EVO: 1:56.533
- Kelvin van der Linde – #669 BMW M4 GT3 EVO
- Luca Stolz – #16 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG
- Marvin Dienst – #81 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG
- Christopher Haase – #27 WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO
- Alexey Nesov – #92 Pure Rxcing Porsche 911 GT3 R
- Oliver Goethe – #88 Dragon Racing Ferrari
- Loek Hartog – #10 Herberth Motorsport Porsche
The tension builds as teams prepare for tomorrow’s challenge.
