Miss racing season? Specifically, endurance racing? The Roar Before the 24 is nice, but it is just a test weekend. Luckily, the 24H Series has their flagship 24 Hours of Dubai event all day today. Better yet, you can watch the entire thing on the 24H Series site starting at 4:30 AM EST.
If you're unfamiliar with the 24H Series, don't fret: it's only been around since 2006, and there are zero dates in the United States. What it lacks in 'Murican accessibility it makes up for in awesomeness, though. Everything from FIA GT3 cars to small touring cars like the Seat Leon Supercopa and from Ginettas to E46 and E92 M3s shows up. There's an entire class dedicated to Porsche 911 Cup cars, just in case there weren't already a million places to race a Cup car. Take a look at the gigantic ninty-five-car entry list: it's a wonderfully diverse collection of tin-top race cars.
Thing is, the 24H Series' regulations make it easy for a car that typically runs in another series to find a home in the 24H Series. The series' emphasis is on keeping costs and other barriers to entry down, so they've flourished accordingly.
The 24H Series was founded by amateur racers as a pro-am series, open to both amateurs and professional drivers alike. According to Sportscar365, the series just received full international status from the FIA, meaning that drivers will accumulate championship points for their finishes in every race.
Wackiest of all, drivers are allowed to drive in two cars for this event. Only their highest scoring car will count in the points, but it's still crazy to think that some drivers will attempt to fill their downtime on one team with more seat time in another car...for a full 24-hour event! Most people I've known who've done longer, overnight races just want to nap between stints by the mid-point of the race, not hop in a second car.
As mentioned, you can stream the whole thing starting at 4:30 AM EST on the 24H Series' website, complete with live timing right there on the page. Radio Le Mans will also be covering the entire race, with the pre-race coverage starting right now at 4:00 AM EST.
Miss endurance racing? Here's the first major race of the new year. Enjoy.
Photo credits: Eric Teeken/24H Series