Date set for all-GT3 Gulf 12 Hours, additional race announced

The next edition of the prestigious Gulf 12 Hours will be an all-GT3 contest taking place on 10 December 2023 at the glamourous Yas Marina Circuit.

Following the 11th running of the event at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix venue last weekend, which featured the most significant grid of GT3 cars ever assembled in the Middle East, promoter Driving Force Events has confirmed next year’s race will retain its traditional December slot.

Since the first Gulf 12 Hours in 2012, the event has set new standards for endurance competition in the region and last week joined an elite group of the world’s top GT3 races when it hosted the season finale of the 2022 Intercontinental GT Challenge.

A capacity all-GT3 entry list is expected to be reached early next year following unprecedented demand, with organisers committed to maintaining the Gulf 12 Hour’s exclusivity as well as its exceptional team and driver experience.

With GT3 entry requests exceeding availability in 2023, combined with an increasingly professional grid, organisers have created an entirely new additional race, inspired by the Gulf 12 Hours’ roots as a multi-class contest originally targeted mainly at gentlemen drivers.

The inaugural Yas Island 6 Hours will take place under lights on the evening of Saturday 9 December 2023  when cup cars, such as Porsche 911 GT Cup (992), KTM X-Bow GTX, Lamborghini Super Trofeo and Ligier JS2R, will be able to fight for overall victory.

Andrea Ficarelli, head of Driving Force Events, said: “It is fantastic to see how the event has evolved into a continuous 12-hour race, with the highest quality GT3 field ever. But it is also important to create something equally special for other types of cars, such as those which participated in previous Gulf 12 Hours. So, to a certain extent, we are going back to our roots with the Yas Island 6 Hours, which will add to the spectacle of the 2023 Gulf 12 Hours.”