DSC’s Daily Notebook (02/08/2023)

81 cars register for Gulf 12 Hours

81 cars from 49 teams have been pre-registered for the 2023 Gulf 12 Hours, a record for the event.

This level of demand means the 12th running of the race at Yas Marina is set to run at maximum capacity, with 36 GT3 cars, meaning the organisers will have to turn a number of teams away.

Due to the huge number of teams filing for entries, the event organsers will give priority to teams racing with “at least one bronze-ranked driver”. This, according to the Driving Force Events, is to “maintain the mix of gentlemen and professional competitors which creates a unique Gulf 12 Hours atmosphere.”

The process of confirming the final entry list has now started.

“The strong response to pre-registration for the 2023 edition is further proof that the Gulf 12 Hours has established itself as the go-to event for GT3 drivers, teams and manufacturers,” said Andrea Ficarelli, head of Driving Force Events.

“We are of course aware that several teams that have registered their interest will not necessarily be able to formalise their entries, but nevertheless the level of interest this year is truly record-breaking. We therefore expect to achieve sold-out status very soon on the way to another capacity Gulf 12 Hours grid.”

Significant interest for the Isotta Fraschini ‘Pista’

The order book for Isotta Fraschini’s track-only Tipo 6 LMH Pista is almost full.

Just 25 of the track-day-focused model will be built, with Isotta planning to deliver each car within 12 months of the order being taken.

This news follows the on-track public debut for the Pista at Monza, where Isotta completed demo runs with both the Pista and its FIA WEC-bound LMH Competizione model.

The order book for the road-going version of the Tipo 6, the Stradale, is also now open, with the delivery time also set at 12 months.

Corvettes in Competition exhibit to open this weekend

A new Corvette exhibit is set to open this weekend at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California. The exhibit is titled “Corvettes in Competition: Racing America’s Sports Car,” and will focus on some of the most iconic Corvette track cars in history.

Highlights of the exhibit include the 1995 Chevrolet Corvette Callaway LM, which won the 1996 SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge Series, the 2001 Chevrolet Corvette C5.R driven by Dale Earnhardt at the 2001 24 Hours of Daytona and the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7R which won its class at the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring in 2015.

Track-only Maserati MCXtrema now sold out

Maserati has revealed that brand new 730-horsepower track-only ‘MCXtrema’, which was previously referred to as ‘Project24’, is sold out.

62 examples will be produced worldwide and Maserati has already stopped taking orders ahead of its formal unveiling.

The Maserati MCXtrema will be revealed at The Quail on 18 August, during the prestigious Monterey Car Week 2023.