The Lenovo Gulf 12 Hours witnessed an intense battle on the track. Sainteloc Racing emerged as the leader, carrying a comfortable lead through their commanding performance during the initial eight hours. Zhou Bihuang, Dennis Marschall, and Gilles Magnus took charge from the very start, gaining the lead in the opening hour and maintaining it throughout. Their checkered flag at the end of the first eight-hour segment showcased their superiority, with a lead of over a minute over the No. 69 Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.

Key Moments in the Race

The Start and Early Stages

The No. 25 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II started the race from seventh on the grid but a strong opening stint by Magnus propelled them into second. They engaged in a battle with Garage 59’s Louis Prette in the No. 8 McLaren. Prette held off Magnus for a while but was later held up in traffic and lost out around Turn 1. Sainteloc effectively controlled the first part of the race, aided by a setback for rival squad 2 Seas Motorsport.The two-time Gulf 12H winners were the only team to take the first of their six mandatory 100-second pitstops at the end of the opening lap. This put Jules Gounon, Stephen Grove, and Brenton Grove a stop ahead on the cycle. However, their advantage was short-lived as the No. 4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo was hit by the No. 44 ARC Bratislava Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo in the fourth hour, causing damage to the car's left-front suspension. The resulting repairs left 2 Seas 22 laps off the lead.

Middle of the Race

Optimum’s No. 69 McLaren finished in second after eight hours, with Frederik Schandorff's charging drive bringing the car up into second overall. Aaron Telitz then maintained that position to take the checkered flag. The British squad engaged in a strategic pit stop during each of the race’s three safety car periods to install Bronze-rated Todd Coleman.The first safety car intervention came when the No. 17 Enrico Fulgenzi Racing Porsche 992 GT3 Cup of Alessandro Giannone stopped on the track. Shortly thereafter, a second safety car was called after Toro Verde GT driver Graeme Mundy hit the barriers at Turn 11. It took more than an hour for the safety car to make another appearance, which was needed after Adam Konopka crashed the No. 44 ARC Bratislava Lamborghini on the exit of Turn 4.

Final Stretch and Overall Results

Proton Huber Competition took the checkered flag in third with its No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Sven Mueller, Sergey Stolyarov, and Sergei Borisov. They led the GT3 Am-category, having recovered from a puncture in the opening hour that had dropped them down the order initially.The pair of Garage 59 McLarens took fifth, with the No. 59 car of Mark Sansom, Miguel Ramos, James Jakes, and Benjamin Goethe leading GT3 Pro-Am.Alessandro Cozzi, Eliseo Donno, Marco Pulcini, and Giorgio Sernagiotto will start the final four hours sixth in the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3, leading the No. 8 Garage 59 McLaren by Alexander West, Louis Prette, Philippe Prette, and Adam Smalley.Sainteloc Racing’s second Audi took fourth in the Pro-Am class and eighth overall with Jim Pla, Paul Evrard, Benjamin Ricci, and Michael Blanchemain at the wheel.The overall top ten was completed by a pair of Ferraris from Rinaldi Racing and Kessel Racing, respectively. The No. 91 QMMF by HRT Performance Porsche driven by Ghanim Salah Al Madheed, Abdullah Al Khelaifi, Ibrahim Abdulghani, and Julian Hanses led the GT Cup class.After a two-hour break, the remaining four-hour segment of the Gulf 12H will commence at 7 p.m. GST (10 a.m. EDT), with live coverage on YouTube.