At this year's 24h Dubai, Proton Huber Competition was unable to meet its own expectations. Team principal Christoph Huber is self-critical and sees room for improvement.

Proton Huber Competition's 2025 racing season kicked off at the 24h Dubai – the traditional season opener for international endurance racing. The team from Bayrischer Hofkirchen entered a Porsche 911 GT3 R, driven by two-time World Rally Champion Kalle Rovanperä. Together with Rovanperä, Jukka Honkavuori, Jani Käkelä, Bashar Mardini and Joel Monegro took turns in the cockpit of the GT3 racer. In addition, the team, in collaboration with Duel Racing, entered a 911 GT3 Cup for the three Moutran brothers Nabil, Ramzi and Sami with British GT ace Phil Keen and Porsche junior Theo Oeverhaus.

Jani Käkelä from Finland brought another special feature to the GT3 race car of Christoph Huber's team. The former motorcycle racer can only use one arm to a limited extent after a serious accident in the IDM, so he only steered the Porsche with his right arm. To make this possible, Proton Huber Competition swapped the car's steering wheel during the pit stops so that Käkelä could steer and shift gears with one arm. However, this meant an additional loss of time each time during the pit stops.

The drivers of the GT3 racing car started the two-hour race from seventh place in the GT3 Pro-Am class. The drivers delivered a flawless performance at the Dubai Autodrome. After 24 hours, the car with starting number 969 finished in 17th place overall, which also meant fifth place in its class.

Team principal Christoph Huber was self-critical after the race: ‘I have to admit that we made some minor strategic mistakes during the Code 60 phases, which added up over the course of the race and meant we couldn't catch up. It was also clear to us from the outset that we would lose time at the pit stops with Jani. Joel has only been involved in motor racing for a year and was competing in his first endurance race and his first race in a GT3 car. He improved a lot over the weekend. Bashar, on the other hand, has a lot of endurance racing experience, which was a great help to us. I rate him as one of the best amateur drivers. Unfortunately, Jukka was unwell over the weekend, which is why he was unable to build on his top performance.’

‘I don't have to say much about Kalle: considering that he had hardly any preparation, he drove outstandingly and was the fastest driver on the car,’ said Christoph Huber, praising two-time world rally champion Kalle Rovanperä. ’But in the end, I have to honestly say that he didn't compete to finish 17th in the overall standings. I hope we get another chance to work together!"

Proton Huber Competition was able to demonstrate its qualities in the class for Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars, as newly appointed Porsche junior Theo Oeverhaus set the fastest race lap in the class over a long period. After a flawless performance, the Duel Racing by Huber car took eighth place in the strong field.

‘As a team with experience in the Porsche Carrera Cup and the Porsche Supercup, we have to admit that endurance racing is a completely different world. The teams that compete in the entire Creventic championship season were much better prepared for the race and showed us how to successfully complete an endurance race. Our drivers didn't make any mistakes in the race, but it was made very clear to us that it doesn't work in this strong field without testing. However, we see this only as an incentive for the future and we will do everything we can to return stronger in the future,’ concludes Christoph Huber.

Proton Huber Competition will not be taking a breather after the Dubai 24 Hours. This coming weekend, the Porsche racing team will be competing in three race series on two continents. Part of the team will remain at the Dubai Autodrome, where the third race weekend of the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East will take place. The GT3 department will travel 105 kilometres to the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Jörg Dreisow and Manuel Lauck will start their programme in the 24-hour race at the 6-hour race there. The packed weekend will be rounded off by the season opener of the Porsche Sprint Challenge Southern Europe at Portimão. The Bavarian team will enter a number of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars at the rollercoaster race track on the Portuguese Algarve coast.