George King showed his burgeoning versatility as an endurance driver after a late call-up to contest the Dubai 24 Hours, only to have his pace-setting appearance curtailed by a mechanical failure.
The Briton maintained his recent role as a talented addition alongside an established driver line-up, only receiving the invitation to join Jeroen Bleekemolen, Emely de Heus and Keith Gatehouse in the WS Racing team at the eleventh hour, prompting a rush to be ready for what would be his fourth appearance in the twice-round-the-clock event.
Despite missing the opening practice session to attend an extra ‘emergency’ driver briefing for late additions, King wasted little time in getting down to business and impressing his new team-mates by not only being the fastest of the WS Racing quartet, but also amongst the fastest drivers in the entire GT4 class, setting a 2min 10.548secs lap as he pushed the team’s #470 BMW M4 to within 0.046secs of top spot on the timesheet. The Essex native — who spends his winters coaching drivers in the UAE — only had five laps to get to grips with the BMW before qualifying started, but continued to play his part as the line-up’s combined efforts secured second fastest time in class, improving his best mark 2mins 10.221secs on his run to all but match team leader Bleekemolen.
“Although my practice session was short and sweet, I was feeling extremely happy with my pace and how the car was handling,” King reported. “To be on the same pace as some serious pro drivers like Jeroen was amazing — and second in GT4 would be my highest starting position in four attempts at the Dubai 24 so it was a great start to the weekend.”
Bleekemolen, latterly a sportscar specialist but with a racing CV as long as his arm, started the race at the wheel of the #470 machine and immediately showed his experience by taking the lead and extending a comfortable gap to his pursuers. With Gatehouse then preserving the car through the second stint, King got his chance with the BMW sitting fourth in class amid a flurry of different strategies. Behind the wheel for 90 minutes, the Briton — who spent the 2024 season competing as reigning champion in the UCS European Endurance Prototype Cup — again proved to be one of the fastest drivers in class and duly regained the lead for WS Racing before stretching the team’s advantage over second place.
Having handed the car back to Bleekemolen while still first in class, King was eagerly anticipating his second stint when disaster struck the #470. The car had been fighting for the lead from pit-stop to pit-stop before, with F1 Academy star de Heus at the wheel, it caught light and had to pull off the track with flames licking from the engine bay.
“I was ready and waiting to jump back into the car when I looked up at the monitors and saw it on fire!” the 24-year-old sighed. “While I was obviously glad to see Emely emerge unscathed, it was heart-breaking to see our chances of victory slip away in such dramatic fashion, especially with all four drivers performing so well.
“If I can take any positives from the weekend, it was great to be able to compete in my fourth Dubai 24 Hours — and being on the pace of the leading pro drivers felt even better. While I’m obviously frustrated by the outcome, I was happy with my performance, and showing my pace in a very different car to the one I usually drive hopefully shows the progress I have made as a racer. Thanks to all at WS Racing for the opportunity. It was great while it lasted!”
King continues to pursue a full-time sports prototype campaign, either in Europe or America, for 2025.
