Dubai – Almost certain GT3 AM class victory and a stunning outright GT3 podium in the weekend’s Michelin 24H DUBAI cruelly slipped through the fingers of Ahmad al Harthy and the Paradine Competition team with only half an hour to run on Sunday, January 18, as a result of late-race brake failure.
From GT3 AM class pole position, achieved with a fantastic combined performance from the Omani and team-mates Darren Leung and James Kellett in qualifying, the trio – plus fourth driver Anthony McIntosh – didn’t put a wheel wrong throughout the twice-round-the-clock encounter.
In the battle for the outright podium for 23 and a half hours with a perfect showing, and leading GT3 AM for the bulk of the race too, as the No.992 BMW M4 GT3 EVO headed into the final 30 minutes – with Kellett at the wheel – the front-left brake disc exploded, also puncturing the tyre.
Although the Briton managed to coax the car back to the pits, the damage caused was far too extensive for the team to be able to get the BMW back into the race in a safe condition. Having been third overall and leading GT3 AM at the time, the squad ultimately ended its race in the pits fourth in class and 16th position overall.
Outstanding performance from Al Harthy and Paradine
Qualifying on Friday, 16th January, marked Al Harthy’s first competitive running of 2026 and in the opening session the OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman and Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth supported driver was third in GT3 AM and 12th overall.
Team owner Leung lapped strongly and at the end of session two the car was fourth in class on average times. Kellett took the third and final run and with a fabulous lap of 1m56.591 seconds he secured GT3 AM pole on aggregate times, 12th on the overall grid.
He took the first stint of the race, which began at 13.00 local time on Saturday, January 17, and made a rocket-ship start to surge through the order from the sixth row. Storming into the outright top four, he soon broke into the overall podium placings while holding the GT3 AM lead.
Only five seconds from the outright race lead by the end of hour one, Kellett then made the team’s first pit-stop, Al Harthy getting behind the wheel. After a Code 60 cautionary period the Omani was seconds in class and through the next few driver-changes and fuel stops the team impressed.
As the various strategies and pit-stop cycles played out, the BMW stayed in the thick of the overall podium battle and into the night phase of the race everything was working to plan. Still on course for AM victory and circulating within the top three overall on Sunday morning, with just two hours to go Al Harthy was in the class lead and a fantastic outright second position.
Driving beautifully, the Omani remained in the car into the final hour before handing over to Kellett for the run to the flag. But with 30 minutes to go, as Kellett headed along the start-finish straight, the dreams of all at Paradine were shattered when the front-left brake disc exploded and shredded the tyre – bringing a cruel end to an otherwise supreme performance.
Ahmad Al Harthy:
“I’m speechless! From the start of the race we were so competitive, we wanted to win GT3 AM but our goal was actually the overall podium the whole time. It’s one of the longest 24 hour races I’ve done, the most stints – in total I think I completed 9 hours. It’s so disappointing with the brake failure but I’m super-proud of everybody in the team to have done such an amazing job.
“Our lead was so great in GT3 AM we still finished fourth, so I think we all take the positives from that. I’m really happy with how we approached the weekend and how we all performed, it’s still a very positive way to begin the 2026 season for me and I think everyone who watched would agree.”
