Matt Halliday leaves pit lane after a driver change in the Dubai 24-hour race. Photo / MRS Team
Yet another Kiwi is making a name for himself on the international racing scene.
Although Matt Halliday and his team didn't win, they made a damn good fist of it despite their problems in a big field full of top-notch drivers.
Normal transmission should resume next week.
New Zealand racing
driver Halliday finished his debut 24-hour sports car race in 14th place after a drama-filled event in which his team worked hard to overcome several setbacks in Dubai.
The Californian-based Kiwi driver shared his RMS Team PZ Aschaffenburg 2011 Porsche GT3 Cup R with fellow Porsche racers Will Langhorne (United States), Yadel Oskan (Turkey) and Francesco Castellac (Italy).
Halliday started the race and after the first hour was holding a comfortable 3rd place in the 90-car field but a later fuel stop delay set them back several places. Although the team fought back, further delays were encountered while technical issues were resolved.
Halliday enjoyed his first 24-hour race and feels the experience was invaluable as he is keen to contest more of the long-distance races.
He was also pleased to set three fastest lap times, including the fastest lap time for a Porsche.
"I appreciated the opportunity RMS gave me to compete in the Dubai race which has given me some enthusiasm for more long-distance races of this type. The team worked very hard with a new car and I'm pleased with the way I went especially while towards front of the field."
He will now concentrate on putting together his 2011 programme and hopes to give an indication of his plans within the next few weeks.
