Testing at Magny-Cours for Gulf Racing Middle East

The Gulf Racing Middle East team tested, day and night for two days at Magny-Cours with two Lola-Nissan prior to the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship​​. The team who are entered in the colours of the United Arab Emirates, have moved up from LMGTE Am to the LMP2 class for the 2012 season.

Both Lola B12/80 were delivered shortly before the 12 Hours of Sebring, and Gulf Middle East Racing had just time to complete a shake-down before flying to Florida. A track exit during the night session meant that the #28 car could not take part in qualifying, while the sister car #29 started from the back of the grid, having failed to achieve a timed lap during the qualifying session.

The two-day test at Magny-Cours was very welcome to both driver crews. Fabien Giroix, driver and team manager, Maxime Jousse, Julien's younger brother and veteran Stefan Johansson, who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1997 (with Tom Kristensen and the late Michele Alboreto), will share the wheel of the #28. The crew of the sister car also remains unchanged from Florida with Frédéric Fatien, Jean-Denis Delétraz, who was with the Giroix Racing Team at Le Mans in 1995 and 1996 with a McLaren, and Keiko Ihara, the only female driver.

Photo : MAGNY-COURS (NEVERS, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DE NEVERS MAGNY-COURS, TUESDAY 24th APRIL 2012, PRIVATE TESTING. Gulf Racing Middle East did two days of around the clock testing.