India's seasoned GT racer Armaan Ebrahim made his Lamborghini Super Trofeo Middle East championship debut, driving the #24 Huracan alongside longtime partner Dilantha Malagamuwa.
With Ebrahim yet to announce his return to the one-make championship's Asian arm in 2017, the Indian was called up last-minute to compete in the final Middle East round at Dubai Autodrome.
The Indo-Lankan duo made immediate impact by topping the second practice session on Friday, in their preparation for the weekend ahead.
The qualifying for Race 1 saw Ebrahim end up second, a mere 0.693s separating the Pro-Am category driver with pole-sitter Rik Breukers (with Axcil Jefferies) from the Pro class.
Whereas, in the qualifying for the second race, Malagamuwa was 12th overall while fourth in class, as the other half of the #7 car, Jefferies took pole.
Podium in Pro-Am class in Race 1
The start of the first race saw Ebrahim challenging Breukers hard for the race lead, but the #7 GDL Racing driver managing to hold fort from the charging Indian in the #24 Dilango car.
But as the race progressed and a subsequent contact with the car of Marco Antonelli and Davide Roda, the Indo-Lankan pair lost significant time on the road.
Eventually, Malagamuwa brought the car home in ninth overall and third in Pro-Am class, taking a solitary poidum, as Breukers and Jefferies took yet another race win.
The FFF Racing team's #15 car duo of Richard Goddard and Carrie Schreiner fought all the way from 11th to finish second, ahead of third-placed Hendrik Still and Paul Scheuschner.
Another class podium for Ebrahim/Malagamuwa
The final race of the manufacturer's Middle East one-make series saw the Pro class champions Breukers and Jefferies taking a dominating win by over 20 seconds margin.
Series' runner-up duo of Goddard and Schreiner were placed second in the race with sister team's new pairing of Jack Bartholomew and Devon Modell completing the rostrum positions.
Modell replaced Indian Parth Ghorpade, who had competed in the #5 car alongside Bartholomew in the first two rounds. The Indo-Brit pair is slated to continue their partnership in the Asian championship.
The Pro-Am class saw Still and Scheuschner crowned champions after they finish ninth overall, and were second in class in Race 2 ahead of Ebrahim and Malagamuwa.
The pair scoring 23 points in the Pro-Am category on their debut as a duo in the season finale.
NGK Racing Series
Dragon Racing dominated the top half of the field with three striking entrants: a Ferrari 488 GT3 driven by Leon Price, a McLaren GT Sprint piloted by Josh Price and a Ferrari 458 Challenge in the hands of Chris Frogatt.
Even in qualifying it was clear that that captain Leon Price's Ferrari 488 GT3 had no peers, clocking in a best lap time of 2:05.588, which was a remarkable 2.89 seconds a lap faster than any rival, which happened to be another Dragon Racing Ferrari, driven by Frogatt.
Leon sailed from pole to chequered flag in Race One, taking a comfortable victory over teammate Chris in second place and Josh in third, securing a full podium for Dragon Racing. Leon sat out Race Two, which allowed Chris Frogatt to fight for the win, crossing the finish line 9.021 seconds ahead of Josh Price. Costas Papantonis, driving his Seat Leon Super Copa, trailed in for third place.
Dragon Racing wrapped up Classes Three, Four and Five while Papantonis of Mouhritsa Racing topped Class One, and Ian Roberts, behind the wheel of an open-top Caterham 7, took top honours in Class Six.
Ashan Silva was the clear victor in Class Two with a pair of wins, but the real battles took place in the sub-category Renault Clio Cup. Alexandros Annivas of Mouhritsa Racing suffered a severe setback to his championship hopes when a gearbox problem took him out of both races. His rivals took full advantage with Will Morrisson and Peter England each nabbing a class win.
Morrisson is now firmly in command of the Clio Cup with only one more round to go. England has moved into second place while the defending champ Annivas slid down to third. (Motors Sort and Menafn)
This is how Dilango celbrated the victory:
