Team Car Collection kicked off the 2025 season at the 24-hour race in Dubai. Despite a premature retirement, the team made a positive impression with strong performances and impressive driver development.

The 24H Dubai traditionally marks the start of the season for Car Collection. The team has competed in 18 of the 20 events held to date, achieving one overall victory and numerous other successes. This year, the Hessian team once again entered a Porsche 911 GT3 R in the race. This time, however, the focus was less on winning and more on supporting new drivers.

Three debutants at the wheel

With Matej Knez from Slovenia and the two Russian drivers Victor Plekhanov and Damir Saitov, three drivers celebrated their debut in a GT3 racing car. It was also the first time for all three of them on the tough track in Dubai. They were supported by two experienced colleagues: Alex Fontana from Switzerland, who is one of car Collection’s regular drivers, and Roman Mavlanov from Russia. The latter has already competed for Car Collection on several occasions, including in Dubai.

In the private tests and free practice sessions, the focus was on gaining driving time. The aim was to familiarise the debutants with the car and the track. All drivers improved continuously and performed well. Alex Fontana and Roman Mavlanov repeatedly made their mark with fast lap times. Fontana even set the fastest time in free practice.

Challenging race and strong teamwork

In qualifying, in which the average time of all drivers of a vehicle is counted, the number 30 Porsche achieved 29th place, with Alex Fontana setting the third-fastest lap in his segment, although the team experienced a scary moment shortly beforehand when debris slightly damaged the Porsche.

As usual, the start of the race presented a real challenge. More than 60 vehicles on the track, which is just over four kilometres long, meant constant traffic and a high level of concentration. The team’s debutants mastered this difficult phase with supreme ease and brought the car into the night unscathed.

Problems with the vehicle electronics posed additional challenges during the darkness. The Car Collection technicians decided to replace the engine wiring harness – a repair in record time, but one that cost valuable minutes. The rest of the night and the next day, the race initially ran without incident. All five drivers completed their stints faultlessly and collected valuable race kilometres.

Accident shortly before the end

But just 3.5 hours before the end of the race came the sudden end: Roman Mavlanov collided with the crash barrier due to a misunderstanding while lapping. Fortunately, the driver was uninjured, but the severe damage to the vehicle made it impossible to continue.

Peter Schmidt, Team Principal: ‘Despite the retirement, we are very satisfied with the whole event. The Porsche ran superbly here and the team did another great job. I’m pleased that our debutants were able to improve a lot here, and the times of the experienced drivers showed that our car was in top form. A retirement just before the end of the race is bitter, but it’s just part of motorsport – especially in a 24-hour race.’