Amna Al Qubaisi contends for GTX podium on Dubai 24 Hours debut before late DNF ends Rossa Racing’s podium fight
- RACERS
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
Amna Al Qubaisi was the protagonist of a highly convincing debut at the Dubai 24 Hours, running at the front of the GTX category for much of the race in a serious challenge for a podium finish, before an unfortunate accident for one of her teammates brought a premature end to a hugely promising first appearance in the iconic endurance event.
Amna Al Qubaisi was the protagonist of a highly convincing debut at the Dubai 24 Hours, running at the front of the GTX category for much of the race and helping Rossa Racing mount a serious challenge for class victory and a podium finish, before an unfortunate late accident for one of her teammates brought a premature end to a hugely promising first appearance in the iconic endurance event.
The 21st edition of the Dubai 24 Hours marked the opening major endurance race of the season and the flagship event on the Creventic calendar, once again attracting a massive grid and a high-level international field across multiple categories. Among the most interesting entries was the #797 Rossa Racing Rossa LM GT, entered in the GTX class, with Amna Al Qubaisi making her debut in the race and in her first ever 24-hour contest.
The appearance carried special significance for the Emirati driver, following in the footsteps of her father Khaled Al Qubaisi, one of the most successful drivers in the history of the Dubai 24 Hours. After several seasons in single-seaters, Amna has transitioned to endurance racing in 2025 through the Ligier European Series, where she immediately secured podium finishes in prototypes. Dubai represented her first major endurance classic and a key step forward in her growing sportscar career.
Rossa Racing showed competitive form from the outset. Evgeny Kireev took the wheel for the first qualifying segment and immediately placed the car among the front-runners, setting a 2:01.980 lap to go second fastest in GTX.
Former F4 racer Ismail Akhmedkhodjaev from Uzbekistan handled Q2 and initially ran second as well, before an issue forced the Rossa LM GT to stop on circuit, bringing out a red flag. He was able to restart the car and return to the pit lane, but the interruption limited his session and he ended fifth with a 2:02.284.
Viacheslav Gutakin completed qualifying duties and delivered the strongest lap of the trio, posting a 2:00.557, the best time for the Rossa entry, placing the car fourth in the GTX class on combined times and firmly in the fight.
Roman Rusinov took the start of the race as the 21st running of the Dubai 24 Hours got underway. In a hectic and action-packed opening lap, contact among several cars triggered the first Code 60 almost immediately. Once racing resumed, Rusinov began carving his way forward, quickly moving into fourth in GTX before passing the Leipert Lamborghini to claim third.
By lap seven, Rusinov had surged into the class lead, running almost a second per lap quicker than the chasing Lamborghini as the Rossa LM GT established itself as the early pace-setter in GTX. After the first hour, positions began to settle, though strategy was soon thrown into disarray when a stranded Mercedes triggered a Code 60 directly during the pit window, forcing some teams into double stops.
Kireev took over from Rusinov during the pit sequence and maintained Rossa Racing’s control of the class. Another Code 60, this time for a stranded Porsche, again interrupted the rhythm just before the two-hour mark, followed soon after by a dramatic engine failure for the Ajith RedAnt Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, which neutralised the race once more.
Despite the interruptions, Rossa Racing continued to dominate GTX. Kireev eventually pitted from the class lead and handed over to Akhmedkhodjaev, who rejoined fourth but quickly moved forward. A crash at Turn 1 brought another caution, under which Akhmedkhodjaev pitted and emerged third in class.
Back under green, he settled into a good rhythm, and by the four-hour mark had climbed back to second before pitting again on lap 99, this time handing the Rossa LM GT over to Amna Al Qubaisi for her first ever stint in a 24-hour race.
Al Qubaisi immediately looked at home in the car, delivering consistent opening laps in the 2:05 range before quickly dipping under the 2:05 barrier. As daylight began to fade, her confidence grew, and she steadily gained time on the Lamborghini ahead.
She soon improved further into the low 2:03s, with a 2:03.4 showing the pace she was extracting as she built experience lap by lap. Her smooth stint kept Rossa Racing firmly in podium contention as the sun set over Dubai.
Rusinov returned to the cockpit on lap 130, resuming second in GTX. Around the six-hour mark, a Code 60 for debris triggered another round of pit stops, but Rossa Racing remained in the fight, now around 40 seconds behind the class-leading Ginetta.
Another neutralisation followed when the Winward Mercedes came to a halt, and Rusinov reclaimed the GTX lead once pit stops cycled through. Gutakin then took over and quickly re-established Rossa Racing at the front, even passing Nico Prost’s Ginetta to build a new class advantage.
As the night progressed, Kireev rotated back into the car, briefly running second before retaking the GTX lead as pit strategies unfolded. Even as leading cars in other classes hit trouble - including a heavy accident for one of the Red Camel Porsches - Rossa Racing continued to execute a determined, front-running race.
The team’s run was however interrupted when Rusinov suffered an electrical issue that brought the Rossa LM GT to a halt on circuit, requiring a Code 60 and a tow back to the pits. A quick repair effort followed, as Rossa Racing's mechanic worked relentlessly to resolve the problem and return the car to the race.
Rusinov rejoined fourth in GTX, now three laps down on the third-placed Vortex, but immediately began an aggressive recovery, setting laps in the 2:02s and gaining several seconds per lap. After a Code 60 for another stopped Mercedes near the 14-hour mark, Rusinov completed the comeback on lap 343, passing Philippe Bonnel’s Vortex to reclaim third in class.
Following the next stop, Gutakin took over and again swapped positions with the Vortex before restoring Rossa Racing to third. As the sun rose over Dubai, painting the circuit in orange light, the #797 was once again firmly in the podium fight.
With six hours remaining, Amna Al Qubaisi returned to the cockpit. She delivered another collected and consistent stint, navigating multiple Code 60 periods cleanly and keeping the Rossa LM GT in third place.
Near the end of her run, a puncture caused the car to spin, damaging the front bodywork. Al Qubaisi managed to bring the car back to the garage, where the team rapidly replaced the nose and assessed the damage. Rusinov took over as the car rejoined the race still holding third in GTX, with a five-lap cushion over the next competitor.
Shortly after the race went back to green, disaster struck. In a heavy multi-car incident under braking, a misunderstanding between three cars saw a Porsche moving towards Rusinov, who went straight into the inside barrier before he bounced back into the path of an oncoming Porsche. The impact destroyed the Rossa LM GT, tearing away much of its side bodywork.
The crash immediately triggered a Code 60, and while the accident was severe, Rusinov thankfully emerged unhurt and climbed out under his own power - a powerful demonstration of the safety of the Rossa LM GT.
The damage, however, was terminal. Rossa Racing’s race was over, ending a remarkable run at the front of the GTX class while battling for a podium finish.
While the final result was a heartbreaking DNF, the performance of Amna Al Qubaisi and the Rossa Racing team stood out as one of the stories of the race. On her first appearance at the Dubai 24 Hours, and her first ever 24-hour race, Al Qubaisi spent significant time leading her class, ran consistently among the front-runners, and played a key role in the podium challenge.
Despite the ending, her debut was highly positive, once again showing how quickly she is adapting to endurance racing: after a strong start to her sportscar career last year, Dubai marked another major step forward as she continues to build experience and reputation in top-level endurance competitions.
