Crowdstrike by APR wins opening Asian Le Mans race in Dubai

It was a dramatic end to the first four-hour race of the weekend in Dubai after three safety car periods mixed up the order, with a 21-minute dash to the checkered flag at the end of the race.

After winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona last weekend, the Crowdstrike Racing by APR team finished off a superb week, with Louis Deletraz powering to the front of the field in the final quarter hour to take the checkered flag and stand on the podium with teammates George Kurtz and Malthe Jakobsen.

“Initially I was on bad tires against people on good and then it swapped around, so I had a big smile; it was nice to move forward," said Deletraz. "Overall, the whole Crowdstrike Racing by APR team did a great job today. We made the calls on strategy, and, in the end, we're here on top and some good points for the championship.”

The LMP3 victory was secured on the last lap by the No. 13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier-Toyota. Henry Cubides was having a door-to-door battle with Luciano Moreno in the No. 29 Forestier Racing by VPS Ligier, with the lead changing several times on the final couple of laps, but it was Cubides that took the lead to take the checkered flag.

“The last few laps were stressful. If I was nervous, I can’t imagine what my team were going through," said Cubides. "It was a rough couple of laps, especially with the traffic, which was a big factor. But the pace was there in the car. We were always in front. Even with the car on high fuel, I think we were managing the tires very well."

It was also the second win of the season for the No. 74 Kessel Racing Ferrari, to extend the Swiss team's championship lead after Dennis Marschall took the lead by passing the No. 66 JMR Corvette of Alex Sims at the restart at the end of the final safety car period.

“There was a little bit of chaos in the beginning," said Kessel's Scott Blattner, who shared the car with Marschall and Chris Lulham. "The Mercedes were super quick in this race, and I think it was just a matter of trying to stay as close as possible, even though they were super quick. Ultimately, I think we just had a lot of luck, as well as stellar strategy as well."

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