The traditional curtain-raiser event for the 24h Series takes place on 15-16 January in Dubai. Argentine Facu Regalia received a last minute call up from MSG Motorsport to take part in the 2016 24h Dubai race, to be held at Dubai Autodrome next 14-16 January. Regalia will team up with Felix Wimmer, Martin Konrad and Luca Rettenbacher at the wheel of the Porsche 991 Cup fielded by the Austrian outfit.

Following his positive first endurance outing at 24h of Paul Ricard last July, MSG Motorsport has been selected Regalia again to drive one of its cars at season opener. Dubai Autodrome, a 5.390km circuit with its high-speed straights and 16 corners, hosts the first of seven meetings throughout 2016.

Regalia will compete for 991 class honors in Porsche 991 Cup. Comparable prepared Porsche cars feature 3,800cc and 460hp.

Drivers will hit track for the very first time on Thursday with free practice and qualifying sessions. Race is due to start at 14.00 (local time. 11.00 CET) on Friday.

Facu Regalia: “It´s a nice way to kick off the season! I was offered the opportunity to join MSG Motorsport at Dubai 24 hours. Dubai, beside a traditional season opener, is a top endurance event with extremely famous teams and drivers. MSG Motorsport counts on me to be in win contention, so I´m very fortunate to be a part of this. I really hope for better luck, as at Paul Ricard we were hit by another car with only six hours into the race.

"At Dubai Autodrome, I´m stepping into the unknown, because it´s my very first time there. I know Felix and Luca and, despite I´ve never teamed up with Martin, I was told he is a very quick driver, so our driver line-up is rather competitive. I am looking forward to competing at Dubai. It is a good place to gain pace as my last race was six months ago. It will be additional mileage to prepare my 2016 season, whose plans we will announce later this month. I can´t wait to drive the car there. At the same time, I´m spending time in the gym because it is going to be a tough race due to hot temperatures. I hope to achieve a good result.”