ALL KESSEL RACING CARS ON THE PODIUM AT THE “12 HOURS ABU DHABI”

With victory in the "12 Hours of Abu-Dhabi", Kessel Racing’s long competitive season of 2017 ended officially. And it could not have finished better, with three podiums, an absolute first place and two category first places in the endurance race on the Yas Marina Circuit.

The end of the year endurance is now a fixed reference point in the international competition calendar and marks the end of the competitive season. As in recent years, Kessel Racing aimed to be a protagonist in the Emirates race with three Ferrari 488 GT3s which measured up against cars of different classes, from the prototypes of the LMP3 class, to the gran turismo subdivisions in various categories, based on technical characteristics.

The race, given the panorama of International Endurance presents, as usual, a unique format with two phases lasting six hours, divided by a technical break of two hours and thirty minutes, during which, the teams can carry out any necessary work on the cars after the first phase. Broniszewski-Rigon-Molina defended the colours of the Swiss team with the number 11 car in the "PRO" category. In the "PRO-AM", the team was represented by Ferrari number 77 of Schiavoni-Andrea Piccini-Pianezzola, while with car number 39, under the banners of Kessel Racing and TP12 / HubAuto, Bhirombhakdi-Chen- Foster-Roda took to the track. The qualifications stage on Friday immediately showed the superiority of the 488 GT3 of Broniszewski-Rigon-Molina, who took pole position. Fifth row for the other Ferraris of Kessel Racing, with Schiavoni-Piccini-Pianezzola in front of Bhirombhakdi-Chen-Foster-Roda.

The first part of the race saw the success of the number 11 car with Broniszewski-Rigon-Molina, absolute first, as well as first in the "PRO" class. Among the "PRO-AM" mixed crews, in the first six hours of the race the Kessel Racing 488 GT3 of the Schiavoni-Andrea Piccini-Pianezzola crew reached second with Bhirombhakdi-Chen-Foster-Roda reaching third in their class. After the technical break, in the second phase, the superiority of the number 11 car of Broniszewski-Rigon-Molina was rewarded with a victory, just as it was last season. Kessel Racing went on to success also in the "PRO-AM" class with Schiavoni-Andrea Piccini-Pianezzola in first place in the category, and with Kessel Racing-TP12 / HubAuto of the Bhirombhakdi-Chen-Foster-Roda crew, taking third.

Ronnie Kessel (Team Owner): "The checkered flag just waved on the Yas Marina track has a double meaning for Kessel: we triumphed in the 12 Hours of the Gulf 2017 and brought a long and complex season to a close, in the best possible way. We close a season which has seen throughout us protagonists in all the categories in which we competed. For these results, I want to thank our drivers, the whole team and each of the many people who have put in the maximum effort, for another season. Now it is time to go home, in time to celebrate Christmas and then it will be time to focus on 2018 which is already here before us. But in the meantime, we wish the best Season’s Greetings to everyone".