With scarcely time to rest in between races, the United Autosports team left Dubai and travelled to the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi for the Gulf 12 Hours, which starts on Thursday, January 19, with one of its Audi R8 LMS GT3 cars for Scotland’s Ryan Dalziel and Venezuelan pair, Enzo Potolicchio and Alex Popow.

The Leeds-based team will be joined in Abu Dhabi by other race teams from around the world, the event featuring GT2, GT3 and GT4 cars, vehicles from one make series such as the Porsche Cup, FIA CN sports cars and touring cars.

The very first Gulf 12 Hours event – which takes the form of two six-hour races – will begin in daylight and end under the sparkling floodlights, creating the mystical atmosphere which has been made famous by the Formula 1 Grand Prix races in recent years. During the break between races, the teams will have just 40 minutes to work on the cars.

Having set some of the fastest laps during the Dubai 24 Hour race last weekend, Grand Am racer and winner of the prestigious 2010 Rolex 24 Daytona, US-based Dalziel is expected to produce a strong performance for the two races on Friday.

Dalziel’s regular Starworks Motorsport team mates, Potolicchio and Popow, proved to be two of the major finds of the 2011 Grand Am series, and were awarded the SPEED.com Rolex Series “Rookies of the Year” award last year.

All three drove exceptionally well in Dubai, setting fastest times while having their first experience with the rapid Audi R8 LMS, and they have their sightsset on a top result at the evocative Yas Marina Circuit. The #36 Audi is sponsored by Duncan Batteries, Taxand and Soloson in Abu Dhabi.

Richard Dean (GB), Managing Director & Co-Owner of United Autosports:

“We have arrived in Abu Dhabi and it is the most amazing facility! It is also amazing that as such a young team, United Autosports is competing at an event like this and on back-to-back weekends with the Dubai 24 hours. We have work to do but we are very confident and ready for the challenge.”

Source : United Autosports