The Dubai 24 Hours represented the first challenge of the 2025 season for Alex Fontana. After a short winter break, the Swiss driver reignited his engine at the Dubai Autodrome, the setting for the first round of the 24 Hours Series. A major event in the beating heart of the Middle East with no less than 64 cars entered, 31 of them in the GT3 category, in which Fontana took part at the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) entered by the Car Collection team.
A partnership which has officially entered its third year and which has seen the Lugano-based driver as the point of reference for the #30 crew alongside the Russian trio composed of Roman Mavlanov, Victor Plekhanov and Damir Saitov, but above all which saw the GT3 debut of the AF Academy driver Matej Knez.
Following his efforts with Centri Porsche Ticino in the GT Cup-AM class of the Italian Gran Turismo Endurance Championship (CIGTE), the Slovenian driver made his debut on the international scene when he was introduced to the Dubai circuit in the collective tests on Wednesday, continuing to familiarise himself with the track and what was a new car for him in free practice and qualifying. All this under the attentive and ever-present guidance of Alex Fontana, who in addition to his role as driver continued to coach his teammate.
Alex was consistently the fastest driver in the Car Collection crew, collecting the third best time in his qualifying session, which took place at dusk on the Friday. Starting from 29th position among the GT3s on the basis of the averageof the times set by the three drivers during qualifying, the #30 Porsche boys saw Matej take the first stint, handling the slower cars in the middle of the pack well. After Plekhanov and Saitov, it was Mavlanov who drove in the afternoon, but halfway through his stint the Porsche suffered engine overheating problems and had to return to the pits. Once the damage had been repaired, Car Collection sent the Russian back out onto the track. At the end of the double stint he handed over to Fontana, who together with Mavlanov and Knez managed the car during the tricky nightime hours.
After recovering to as high as 30th overall, with 2 hours and 40 minutes to go and Mavlanov at the wheel, a chicane entry error in the last sector during a double stint saw the Russian lose control of his Porsche and crash into the barriers, irreparably damaging the car. At that point the #30 crew was in 21st position among the GT3s and in the top-10 of the Pro-Am class.
The Dubai 24 Hours, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Emirates racetrack, opened the Middle East Trophy of the series organised by Creventic, but it was also a good test bench for Alex Fontanas next engagement, as he will be returning to Dubai on 8-9 February for the second round of the Asian Le Mans Series.
Alex Fontana
“Coming back to Dubai after my karting victory in 2006 was a great experience. The city has blossomed throughout, horizontally but especially vertically. At that time the track was in the middle of the desert, today we are in the urban context of one of the biggest metropolises in the world. It was great to start the engines again and to meet up with the guys from the team, as well as friends and fans who took advantage of the mild weather to make the trip. The attendance at the track and during the parade was also above expectations, a great way to celebrate 20 years of the Dubai Autodrome, as was the invitation to the gala dinner in partnership with Michelin. As is often the case with a 24 Hours , the race was exhausting. Unfortunately, the end came for us just hours before the chequered flag and this is perhaps the only regret we take home from Dubai. Car Collection worked very well on the car, which during my overnight stint allowed me to match the pace of the works Porsche drivers. Obviously taking part in the Pro-Am category left room for the non-professional drivers, but even on this occasion there was no lack of satisfaction. Matej made his debut in a GT3 on a track unknown to him after only a year of racing in Italy. He didn’t make any mistakes and was steadily improving throughout the weekend, despite the high temperatures. It was a good way to start the season.”