BENJAMIN GOETHE STARTS THE SEASON ON THE PODIUM AT THE 24H DUBAI
- Benji celebrates second place with Team WR
- The ROFGO Junior driver completes a faultless race
- The 17-year-old claims his third podium in GT’s
Benjamin Goethe started the 2021 season on the Asian continent, competing in his first 24H of Dubai with Team WRT. The young German shared the #31 Team WRT Audi R8 LMS with GT aces Kelvin van Der Linde and Dries Vanthoor, fellow Semi-pro driver Frank Bird and AM racer Louis Machiels.
The WRT squad had a flawless run-up to race day, without any technical issues. They qualified in P10 in a session dominated by Porsches and came in 3rd place in the warm up on Friday morning.
Van der Linde took the start in the #31 Audi and quickly moved up to fifth, handing over to Louis Machiels, followed by Frank Bird. Benji started his first stint five hours into the race in pitch dark, did a fantastic job by adjusting to the tricky conditions on a track which he has never raced before. At only 17 years old, the Bullet Athlete was the youngest GT3 driver on the grid.
The high number of Code 60 caution periods made it hard for the WRT quintet to close the gap on the frontrunners, but thanks to a spectacular charge by 2020 GT World Challenge Sprint Cup champion Dries Vanthoor, they climbed all the way up to third by the halfway point of the race.
As a result of an amazing team effort, a well-chosen strategy and perfectly executed pit stops, the faultless WRT squad crossed the line in second place, as the best-placed Audi team.
“I’m very happy with my first podium of the year here in Dubai,” - said the ROFGO Junior driver. “Big thank you to the entire team and all my teammates. I’ve learned so much from them. I can’t wait to come back here next year to fight for the win, but for now my focus is on the season ahead and finishing my final year at Millfield School.”
Benjamin now returns home to carry on with his studies remotely – since Millfield School- just like all other schools in the UK –remains closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Benji’s 2021 racing program will be announced soon.
Photo credit:
Bullet Sports Management
For further information or to discuss sporting, partnership or media opportunities with Benjamin please contact:
maria@bulletsportsmanagement.com
