Legendary F1 cars to compete in Gulf Historic Dubai GP Revival

MANILA: With five months left until the Gulf Historic Dubai GP Revival at the Dubai Autodrome, more than 30 outstanding racing examples have now been confirmed to compete.

Formula One legends including last year’s winner, James Hunt’s first Grand Prix winning car, and the 1981 Constructors’ Champion Williams FW07C, are among the competitors in the Dubai Autodrome race. 

Last year’s winner of the Gulf Historic Dubai GP Revival, the 1975 Hesketh 308b is an iconic example of British engineering and gave James Hunt his first win in Formula One. Following mixed results at the start of the ’75 season, including a second-place finish in Argentina, Hunt powered the Hesketh 308B to victory at the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

This led to a respectable fourth-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship before Hesketh closed its doors due to financial challenges and sold the 308B chassis to a privateer outfit. 

Powered by a Ford-Cosworth DFV engine and designed by Patrick Head, the FW07C picked up four wins throughout the season. Two wins in the USA and two more at Argentina and Belgium were led by  world champion Alan Jones and his teammate Carlos Reutemann to the 1981 Formula One Constructors’ Championship

The Benetton B192 is a significant piece in F1history. The B192 claimed victory at the 1992 Belgium Grand Prix — marking  the first of Michael Schumacher’s 1991 F1 victories. At the hands of Michael and his teammate, Martin Brundle, the car would be driven to third in the constructors’ championship, picking up 11 podiums along the way.

Outside of the cockpit, the B192 was graced with the input of legendary designers and engineers. Ross Brawn, Rory Byrne, Frank Dernie and Pat Symonds designed and built the race-winning car. 

Also an entry to the 1991 Formula One season was the Ferrari 643 that is powered by a 700bh V12 engine. With four-time world champion Alain Prost and his compatriot teammate, Jean Alesi. behind the wheel, the 643 picked up six podiums throughout the 1991 season, notably a second-place finish at Prost’s home Grand Prix, and a third-place in front of the Tifosi at Monza. 

Meanwhile at Le Mans, the Porsche 962 picked up plenty of silverware throughout 1986. Driven to victory at Le Mans by Derek Bell, Hans-Joachim Stuck, and Al Holbert, the 962 was also victorious at the Road America 500 miles and Spa 1000km, to name but a few of its triumphs. 

In the FIA GT Championship, the Maserati MC12 GT1 is a six-liter V12 beast that was driven to wins four times between 2005 and 2009. An important car in Maserati’s illustrious history, this Frank Stephenson-designed machine was developed to signal the Italian marque’s return to racing after 37 years. 

The first sports prototype racing car built by the French marque Pescarolo, the 01 was designed specifically with Le Mans in mind.

At the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Pescarolo 01 was driven to a third-place finish by Emmanuel Collard, Jean-Christophe Bouillon and Romain Dumas. Further success was to follow as well, with further podiums achieved at the Nürburgring 1000 km and Spa 1000 km.

Gulf Historic is part of GP Extreme, a Dubai-based motorsports company created in 2015. Two years later, GP Extreme took its collection of historic F1 cars to the Yas Marina Circuit, an event that became the genesis of Gulf Historic.

In a statement,  Managing Director of GP Extreme Pierre-Brice Mena commented on the upcoming Dubai GP Revival. 

“The addition of these iconic cars to this year’s grid brings an added level of excitement to the Gulf Historic Dubai GP Revival. These legends of the pinnacle of global motorsport promise to have fans on the edge of their seat, with their sheer speed and hair-raising sounds bringing history to life at the Dubai Autodrome. With more cars still to be confirmed, this year’s race will be a true spectacle for motorsport fans.

“As well as the races, the Gulf Historic Dubai GP Revival will offer fans a unique experience that blends the excitement of motorsport with luxury lifestyle. We have created an immersive event with activities for all the family, including music, a classic car concours and a gala dinner."

Photos from Gulf Historic

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