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British Touring Car champion Jake Hill has been going the extra miles in the Creventic Middle East Trophy, with back-to-back events in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Sharing driving duties with team-mates Dwight Merriman, Kyle Tilley, Ryan Dalziel and Olly Bryant, Platts Heath racer Hill piloted Era Motorsport’s Ferrari 296 GT3 for the first time at the Michelin 24 Hours of Dubai, impressing in his first-ever GT3 qualifying session where he ended up second-fastest in his group and fastest Ferrari driver.
Friday's 45-minute qualifying saw Merriman, Hill and Dalziel each hit the track for 15 minutes, with the average lap time across the three deciding grid position. The squad lined up 23rd.
When Hill took the wheel for his first stint, the team ran in 17th overall and fifth in the Pro-Am class. He handed the car over in 13th before returning for a double stint in the early hours when he set the car’s fastest lap. Just after 8am Merriman took over but spun, damaging the car and forcing the team to retire.
A week later the action switched to Yas Marina - home of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - for a six-hour race. Hill, Merriman and Tilley were the drivers in action this time.
Merriman set 10th-fastest qualifying time in the Pro-Am class, Tilley improved to eighth and Hill raised the bar further with third and fifth overall. The combined times saw their No.81 car start 22nd.
Hill took the start and at the end of the first hour ran third overall, heading the Pro-Am class 17 seconds behind the leading Mercedes GT. When the cars ahead took their fuel stops, he led the race overall.
However after four hours problems with the high-pressure fuel pump forced the team to change their strategy. Additional stops for fuel were needed and the team finished 25th overall, 11th in the Pro-Am class.
“[It was] such a shame,” said Hill. “I think we would have had a really solid finish, maybe even a Pro-Am podium, but the fuel pressure issue just cost us way too much time.”
The Trophy now moves to Europe, starting on March 21-22 at Mugello. Before then, Hill will head to colder climes in early February as he joins the Ice Drive Sweden team driving on frozen lakes in preparation for his BTCC title defence, which begins in April.
"It's going to be so exciting racing at tracks I know with Dwight and Kyle,” he added. “We have three 12-hour races together including Mugello plus Spa-Francorchamps and Paul Ricard, then another 24-hour race at Barcelona in September to round off the series.
“Unfortunately the race at Misano in May clashes with my race in the BTCC at Snetterton so I will miss that one, but I am really, really looking forward to continuing my GT journey with Era soon.”