Ferraris Sweep Front Row at Dubai 24 Qualifying

Rob Barff put the No. 12 FF Corse Ferrari 458 on the pole of the 2012 Dunlop Dubai 24 Hours, edging Nick Cadei in the No. 2 AF Corse Ferrari 458 by .294 seconds. Michael Krumm’s No. 32 JRM Nissan GT-R GT3 qualified third, 1.1517 seconds behind—not a bad result for a car running its first race.

The Dubai 24 has unique qualifying rules. The race is run more like a rally, where cars try to maintain a specified average speed, instead of going as fast as possible. Cars exceeding 2:05 in qualifying are penalized with added weight, raised ride height, and less fuel at each refueling stop.

Cars then have to maintain a pace equal to their qualifying time throughout the race, with only ten laps exceeding that target time, though drivers are allowed ten laps faster than that throughout the first 22 hours. This keeps Pro-Am cars with gentleman drivers competitive, which greatly increases the size of the field.

The pole-sitting Ferrari will have to carry 75 kg. extra weight, take 15 liters less fuel per stop, and raise its ride height 10 mm.

Because of the penalties, “We now have to race harder,” Rob Barff told RadioLeMans. “We need to go quicker, which means using slightly more brakes, slightly more tires and using the fuel a little bit more aggressively. It is what it is, but it’s good to be sitting on top of a quality field.”

Quality field, indeed: BMW works driver Jörg Müller, co-driving with last year’s winning team Saudi Falcons 1 by Schubert, told Radio Le Mans, “There are 30 cars which are ‘favorites’—there are 30 cars which could win the race.”

In all, 73 cars in six classes are entered for the event, which should create an entertaining amount of traffic on the 3.35-mile, 16-turn track.

The fastest A6 class is similar to the FIA GT class, for cars with engines larger than 3.5 liters, while A5 is GT with engines under 3.5 liters.

The GT3 Racing Dodge Viper topped the SP2 (GT3) class, while the Besaplast Porsche 997 GT3 cup was the fastest in the 997 class.

The JR Motorsport BMW E46 GTR led the A5 class, while Cor Euser’s Marcos Racing Lotus Evora was the quickest in SP3( GT4.)

The Dunlop Dubai 24 has grown from a regional race in 2006 to what is now the season’s first important international endurance race, with teams traveling from 30 countries to compete.

The 2012 Dunlop Dubai 24 Hours takes the green flag at 2 p.m. local time, 5 a.m. Eastern. Live timing and streaming video are available at http://live.24hseries.com. The race will also be covered in full on www.radiolemans.com.