Former Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and Ginetta G50 racer Tony Hughes is pleased to announce the Stockport based, Hughes/Speedworks team will be competing in the 2014 Dubai 24hr race, January 9-11 2014, at the wheel of his former Ginetta G50 Championship racer following a full upgrade to GT4 specification by Ginetta Cars.
The Hughes Safety Showers boss will himself be racing, this time accompanied by Speedworks team principal; Christian Dick, whose team will run the car during the 24 hour endurance challenge, and be backed principally by Hughes Safety Showers.
Neither of them is a stranger to a Ginetta G50 after Tony raced for three seasons in the BTCC supporting G50 Championship before taking the leap up the ladder into Touring Cars. Christian, meanwhile, has previously taken class honours at the wheel of a Ginetta G50 in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship, winning the GT4 title in 2010.
“I’m really excited about getting out to Dubai” explains Hughes, “I’ve already whetted my appetite competing in the Britcar 24hr race at Silverstone back in 2010. I’ve had the privilege of racing at the top level of motorsport in the UK and now I’m looking forward to the challenge of competing on a global stage at one of the most challenging events in the world”
Tony, whose Bredbury based Safety Shower manufacturer does business in the Middle East added; “It’s been a natural decision in many ways to pick the Ginetta to compete in. Not only is it probably the best GT4 car in the world but the great relationship we have with the guys at Ginetta Cars meant it was pretty much a foregone conclusion”.
The Hughes/Speedworks team won’t be the only British contingent to be competing in the Middle East, with a variety of other cars from the UK making the journey. Among them will be other Ginetta G50’s from Team Parker Racing and Optimum Motorsport, as well as a G55 GT3 car entered by the works’ Ginetta LNT Team.
Since the inaugural event in 2006, the Dunlop 24H Dubai has become firmly established as the first international endurance race of the year for GTs, Touring Cars and 24hr Specials. The event, which will be televised entirely live on Motors TV, will take place on the 5.39km Dubai Autodrome Grand Prix Circuit made famous by the Formula One World Championship and raced at by the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. The purpose built facility is one of the most modern racing circuits in the world; it is also one of the most challenging, as it has a combination of technical and high-speed corners with 19 turns in total.