Lisa Clark takes P7 in class at Gulf 12H at Abu Dhabi
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Three female drivers featured in the 2025 Gulf 12 Hours at Yas Marina, with Lisa Clark helping Pellin Racing secure seventh in GT3 ProAm.
Three female drivers took part in the 2025 Gulf 12 Hours at Yas Marina, as the endurance classic returned for its 15th running to close out the international GT3 calendar year. The split 12-hour race once again delivered drama, with mixed fortunes for the female competitors across the two race segments.
Among the entries was the MP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of the Gostner family, with sisters Manuela and Corinna Gostner racing alongside their father Thomas and brother David. Racing together is a long-standing family tradition for the Gostners, who have been mainstays of Ferrari Challenge competitions for years, with Manuela the reigning Ferrari Challenge Shell champion. In parallel with their Ferrari Challenge commitments, the family has raced part-time in Creventic’s 24H Series and has been a regular presence at the Gulf 12 Hours in recent seasons, one of the last major endurance events of the year.
Also on the GT3 grid was Ferrari Challenge veteran Lisa Clark, who joined the #27 Pellin Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 alongside Marc Muzzo, Jeffrey Westphal and Kyle Marcelli. Clark has competed extensively in Ferrari Challenge Shell AM across both North America and Europe and has also gained GT3 experience through select Creventic events over the past few seasons, making the Gulf 12 Hours another important endurance outing at GT3 level, in the ProAm class.
Qualifying featured a four-segment format, with cars fielding four drivers required to participate in Q1. Clark took the opening stint for the #27 Pellin Racing Ferrari, while Corinna Gostner was behind the wheel of the #58 MP Racing Mercedes. Clark posted a 2:03.836, placing sixth in GT3 ProAm, while Gostner recorded a 2:01.536 to go second in the GT3 AM class, with James Vowles proving quicker in the Garage 59 McLaren. Clark attempted a late improvement but was unable to better her time, remaining sixth in class.
The second qualifying segment saw Marc Muzzo take over the Pellin Racing Ferrari, with Thomas Gostner driving the MP Racing Mercedes. Muzzo delivered a 1:57.250, while Thomas Gostner set a 1:58.569, keeping both cars in the mix ahead of the final segments.
Manuela Gostner took over for Q3 and immediately made an impact, setting a 1:57.586. It was the fastest lap recorded by the MP Racing Mercedes across the first three sessions, improving the car’s average by a full second and placing it second in the GT3 AM class on combined times. In the same segment, Kyle Marcelli produced a strong run for Pellin Racing, stopping the clocks at 1:54.023 and lifting the Ferrari on combined times after three sessions.
The final qualifying leg featured Jeffrey Westphal in the #27 Ferrari and David Gostner in the Mercedes. Westphal lapped just shy of Marcelli’s benchmark from Q3, while Gostner recorded a 1:54.843, bringing the Mercedes’ average down to a 1:55.8, though it remained second in class throughout. At the end of qualifying, the Pellin Racing Ferrari lined up ninth in GT3 ProAm and 18th overall, while the MP Racing Mercedes of Manuela and Corinna Gostner was set to start second in GT3 AM and 20th overall.
Manuela Gostner and Lisa Clark took the start stints for their respective cars as the race got underway at Yas Marina. Despite the intensity of the opening laps, the field enjoyed a clean start, with close side-by-side battles through the opening corners.
Manuela made an excellent launch in the MP Racing Mercedes, immediately gaining positions overall and climbing up to 18th while maintaining second place in the GT3 AM class. Clark settled into her rhythm early in the Pellin Racing Ferrari, running 20th overall and ninth in ProAm. A close moment came for Clark when she made contact with a lapping car, resulting in a spin, but she was able to continue without damage. She soon found herself ahead of Altoè, who was dealing with issues.
The first hour brought the race’s first incident and a resulting Full Course Yellow. Manuela Gostner continued to make up ground through the midfield whenever racing resumed, consistently holding second in class. Pellin Racing opted to pit Clark, handing over to Kyle Marcelli. After the restart, with six-and-a-half hours remaining in the first part, further pit stops followed, with Manuela pitting and rejoining before handing over to Corinna Gostner.
Disaster struck shortly after, as Corinna was involved in a heavy crash and the MP Racing Mercedes sustained extensive damage. The incident effectively ended the Gostner family’s race prematurely, bringing an abrupt end to what had been a strong run in GT3 AM.
Racing resumed with five hours remaining in the first segment. Marcelli was running eighth in ProAm when he handed over to Marc Muzzo, though the team was now two laps down on the Razoon – More Than Racing Porsche. Jeffrey Westphal took over at the fourth pit stop and quickly matched Marcelli’s pace, lapping consistently in the 1:55s, though the Ferrari remained now three laps behind the Car Collection entry.
Lisa Clark returned to the cockpit for her second stint and ran solidly until an unfortunate contact with the Inception Ferrari damaged the front of the car. Clark was forced to pit for a front bumper change during the race’s third Full Course Yellow but was able to rejoin. She stayed in the car to complete the stint cleanly, handing over to Marcelli with two hours left in the first part. The team rejoined eighth in ProAm, now four laps behind the #21 Haas RT Audi.
Marcelli delivered a particularly strong run, setting a new team fastest lap of 1:54.199 on lap 156, the second-fastest ProAm lap of that tour. His stint was marked by consistency and strong pace, with the team having already completed its minimum stops for the first segment. Marc Muzzo took over for the final hour, and by the 200-lap mark the Pellin Racing Ferrari remained eighth in ProAm. The first part of the race ended with the team 15th overall and eighth in ProAm, having completed 212 laps across the opening eight hours.
After a 90-minute break, the race resumed for the final four-hour segment, with Lisa Clark once again taking the start for the #27 Pellin Racing Ferrari. The restart was clean, and Clark managed it well, holding position in class while gaining an overall spot after the #2 Into Africa Racing car failed to take the restart.
Clark steadily improved her pace over the course of the stint, lapping consistently in the 2:02s and maintaining a five-lap buffer to the Razoon – More Than Racing Porsche of Niels Koolen. She completed a full hour without issues before handing over to Muzzo for the second hour. Muzzo dipped under the two-minute mark and ran with strong consistency before Jeffrey Westphal climbed aboard with two hours remaining, immediately posting a 1:54.9 as lap times continued to fall.
The #2 Into Africa Racing entry recovered after its earlier issue and moved back ahead on the road overall, but the Pellin Racing Ferrari remained firmly eighth in ProAm, with a comfortable margin of more than 30 laps to the car behind and around six laps to the next competitor ahead. The team gained a position in class when the Tsunami RT car encountered problems and lost significant time in the garage.
Kyle Marcelli took over for the final 50 minutes from seventh in ProAm and delivered another strong closing stint. He set a new fastest lap for the team with a 1:54.786 before improving further to a 1:54.137. Marcelli also reclaimed 13th overall by passing the #2 Into Africa Racing car of Jefferies on track, wrapping up a competitive final run.
At the chequered flag, the #27 Pellin Racing Ferrari of Marcelli, Westphal, Muzzo and Clark finished 13th overall and seventh in the GT3 ProAm class, completing 331 laps. After a clean second part of the race, all four drivers delivered solid stints to bring the car home, salvaging a strong result from a demanding endurance contest, while the Gostner family’s promising effort ended early following their heavy accident in the opening half of the event, which most importantly saw Corinna Gostner emerging unharmed.