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If a 24 Hour race happens with no discussion on Ten Tenths ... can it really be said to have happened at all?
Well I know it did happen because I was there. And it was lots of fun.
You can read proper race reports on Dailysportscar; I'll just describe a bit of the experience.
This is a very low-key event. 90% of the spectators were ex-pats with kids taking selfies on iPhones. There was virtually no signage to the car park and very little guidance about where to go in the circuit. So I adopted my usual rules of (1) go anywhere unless a sign or a person says I can't and (2) ask nicely.
It turns out you can get to about 90% of the track, albeit with some walking over hard and sandy ground. The sand gets everywhere, I was caked in it and all my clothes are completely coated. But it is worth it: there is a pretty lax attitude to use of marshal access grills and plenty of large fence photo cut-outs in places which would have UK circuit management waking up in a cold sweat.
The track itself is quite interesting: a good mix of long and short straights and bends with more elevation changes than I realised from prior TV viewing. You can see a lot of it from the main stand, along with the incongruous sight of a major highway and beyond that the towering skyline of the city (the Burj Khalifa was just about visible in the distance, through the omnipresent haze). There was a big screen and the RSL commentary over the PA.
It officially got dark at 1745 and light at 0700. But with twilights it was properly dark from about 1830 to about 0630, still a long night session (and enough time for me to get a solid 7 hours' kip in the back of my car, parked about 30m from the side of the track - oh to sleep to the rumbling thunder of a Corvette more often!).
The race itself was enjoyable. 74 cars is less than they have had in the past but in my view still too many for a 5.4km/3.3m track. It means everyone is either over-taking or being over-taken the entire time. It's not just two speeds either, there are a lot of classes. Personally I'd lose the 991s, 11 identical and quite underwhelming small GT cars don't add much (though of course their owners add plenty to Creventic's annual income and I appreciate this is very much an amateur series).
The variety was also a little lacking. Good to see a Corvette, a Vortex, a couple of GT-Rs and two tiny Lotus Elises (man did they look small compared to the big GT3s). But no Astons or McLarens in GT3 or GT4. Only one Ferrari. No RS.01 or random Viper. Largely a parade of admittedly awesome but very familiar German machinery. The 2019 Audis look very strong.
Overall this was a very enjoyable experience. Perhaps not one to do every year, but definitely one to do every now and then. If anyone is interested in the logistics/costs of the trip then send me a PM.
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