2023/24 Gulf ProCar Season Review

As the 2023/2024 Gulf Pro Car Season has come to an end, we look back on another great year that was full of excitement. This season’s grid was comprised of experienced drivers boasting strong results in seasons past, along with drivers fresh to the series and others new to competitive motor racing. 

The beauty of the Gulf ProCar concept was on full show this season with Class 2 (Cup and Challenge), Class 3 (GT4), Class 4 (2.0L - 2,000CC), Class 5 (2.0L+ - 2,000CC+), Class RC (Renault Clio) and Class Proto (Silhouette) all represented across the 7 rounds. Driver and car combinations produced close battles, along with some surprise packages, throughout the season.

Racing kicked off at Yas Marina Circuit for Round 1 of the Gulf Procar 23/24 season, a venue which featured another two times on the calendar for Rounds 4 and 5. The remaining 4 rounds of the Championship were held at the Dubai Autodrome. At both of these venues, the variety of track layout configurations was utilised to create a new and challenging experience for the grid at each event.

Class 5

Class 5 was solely represented by Gulf ProCar regular Ricky Coomber, however his season participation was sparse. Starting the season in his Honda DC5, and finishing his season in his stunning Alfa Romeo 156 GTA, under the entry of RKC - Autotech Garage. Unfortunately, both cars suffered from technical gremlins, but Ricky showed great resilience in these rounds to maximise his efforts.

Ricky Coomber - RKC Autotech Garage Alfa Romeo 156 GTA

Class 4

Krishna Reddy Pati was a fresh face in the Gulf ProCar series, embarking on his first season of racing. Krishna entered in a Honda EP3 with RKC - Autotech Garage. Although technical issues hindered some of his performances, podiums came consistently throughout the season for Krishna, taking P3 in the Class 4 Championship.

Avik Anwar, in his VR1 Racing Toyota GT86, asserted dominance in Round 1 with a points clean sweep. Unfortunately, Avik was unable to attend Round 3 and 6 but later picked up two more class wins at Round 7 to add to multiple podium finishes, which was enough to secure P2 in the Class 4 Championship.

Ahmed Al Khaja built familiarity with his Rowe Oil Trackdays Toyota GT86 whilst learning the ropes of competitive racing with this season being his first, but he impressively took victory in both races at Round 2 along with another win in Race 2 of Round 3. Ahmed rounded up a great debut season by finishing as Class 4 Champion!

Ahmad Al Khaja - Class 4 Champion - Rowe Oil Trackdays Toyota GT86

Class 3

Gulf ProCar series returnee Vasily Vladykin collected maximum class points at Round 1 in his Toyota GR Supra GT4 Evo, bearing fruit from an active summer racing campaign in Europe. Run by Continental Racing, Vasily picked up three more wins and one podium finish but his season concluded after Round 3, in order to prepare the car for its European campaign. His points tally from three strong rounds resulted in a P3 finish in the Class 3 Championship.

Ryan Jurgensen joined the 23/24 Gulf ProCar season from Round 3, competing in his McLaren 570s GT4 run by the vastly experienced Greystone GT team. Ryan displayed a fantastic progression of performance throughout the season, taking home his fair share of podiums and race wins, as he worked towards qualifying for an International License. Ryan’s results earned him P2 in the Class 3 Championship.

Keith Gatehouse entered into his first full season of racing in his GPM Racing / Dragon Racing Mercedes AMG GT4, with his eyes firmly set on the Gulf ProCar Championship. Keith is a strong character in the paddock, and he coupled that with some stellar performances on track this season. Evidently, his training over the summer prior paid dividends to his performance in the Gulf ProCar, racking up 7 wins from the 12 races / 6 rounds that Keith entered. As the flag flew at the Round 7 Season Finale, Keith finished as the winner of the Class 3 Championship and the Overall Gulf ProCar Champion!

Keith Gatehouse - Class 3 Champion & Overall Champion - GPM Racing / Dragon Racing Mercedes AMG GT4

Class 2

Masoud Jaberian had a strong showing in the 23/24 Gulf ProCar season in his Dragon Racing Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, this being his debut into car racing. Of the two rounds that he contested, Masoud achieved three wins and a second place finish. These results earnt P3 in the Class 2 Championship for Masoud.

Khaled Al Marzouq boasted a similar set of results as Masoud Jaberian, also contesting in Gulf ProCar in his Dragon Racing Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, taking 3 wins and a second place finish from two rounds. Khaled was able to edge ahead in the standings from the points he took for pole positions and fastest laps. Khaled ended the 23/24 Gulf ProCar season with P2 in the Class 2 championship.

Gurunath Balasubramanian chose the Gulf ProCar Series to mark his comeback to car racing after some time away from the sport, contesting in his Porsche 992 Cup Car with assistance from Dragon Racing. Joining the season from Round 2, Gurunath was put on to the back foot on his pursuit of the Class 2 Championship after contact with fellow Class 2 driver Tanni Hanna in Race 1, causing a DNF and damage that was unrepairable for Race 2. Despite this, Gurunath fought back in the remaining two rounds that he participated in to take both race wins in each of these. Gurunath finished as the Class 2 Champion!

Gurunath Balasubramanian - Class 2 Champion - Dragon Racing Porsche 992 Cup Car

Class RC

Alex Renner Snr brought a new car to competition this year, his Renault Clio Cup V, taking delivery only two days prior to the first round of the 23/24 season. Run by his own outfit of AR Motors, Alex delivered a dominant performance in Round 1 by taking pole position for both races, and converting these into race wins. Various commitments along with handing the reins of his car to his son, Alex Renner Jnr, for Round 7 meant that Round 1 was Alex’s only participation in Gulf ProCar this season. Alex’s significant points scoring in Round 1 was enough to earn him P3 in the Class RC Championship.

James Greenwood’s season got off to an unlucky start, suffering from technical issues in his EBCX Motorsport Renault Clio Cup V. Nevertheless, James battled through these issues to claim third place in both races at Round 1. With these problems resolved for Round 2, James was able to better his previous results to a pair of second place finishes. Consistent podium finishes resulted in a P2 finish in the Class RC Championship for James.

Charlotte Simmonds returned for another season in Gulf ProCar, competing in her EBCX Motorsport Renault Clio Cup V. Charlotte was able to display great pace all season, taking 4 race wins and 2 second place finishes, along with claiming pole position for 4 of the 6 races that she entered. Amongst these fantastic results, Charlotte rounded off the 23/24 Gulf ProCar season with a complete clean sweep weekend at Round 7, where double points were awarded. Charlotte finished as the Class RC Champion!

Charlotte Simmonds - Class RC Champion - EBCX Motorsport Renault Clio Cup V

Class Proto

Ian Roberts was the sole representative of the Proto Class in the 23/24 season of Gulf ProCar, in his Praga R1 supported by Dragon Racing. Ian partook in Round 1 at Yas Marina Circuit, fighting for overall victory against the contrasting Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo cars. Ian finished both races in third position. 

We look forward to sharing information for the 2024/2025 Gulf ProCar Season in the coming months, starting with the imminent release of the calendar. We can’t wait to welcome drivers back to the paddock next season, for what will be another great year of racing.