DETERMINED Carmarthen racing driver Rhys Lloyd got his wish at the Dubai 24hr race at the weekend with a well-deserved place on the winner’s rostrum.

Frustrated but resolute driver Rhys, aged forty, grabbed a third place in his category at the gruelling all day and all-nighter event in the United Arab Emirates.

The west Wales driver had competed twice before in the testing endurance race but had fallen short each time.

The multi-talented Welsh driver Rhys, who believed that he was in the best shape ever, both mentally and physically, to compete at the highest level with varied motor racing experience gained over many years under his belt, was determined to do better this time.

And he did, getting a place on the podium to boot.

Exhausted Rhys, speaking on the ‘plane back from Dubai, said: “The aim of the weekend was to get to the end of the event and see what the outcome was. To come third in class and also being so close to getting 2nd place on the last lap after 24hrs of racing, was just brilliant.

“The event was fantastic to be part of and we gave it everything we could as a team and personally. The car was incredible and didn't let us down through the 24hrs which is such a great test for the vehicle.”

Part of a four-man French team, Circuit Toys with Toyota Gazoo France, Rhys was the only Welshman competing in the race among almost 286 drivers in 68 cars.

Rhys was competing in a Toyota Supra GT4 Evo2 against drivers from as far afield as America, Australia, Japan and mainland Europe.

The Dubai 24 Hour is an endurance motor race first held in 2006 at the Dubai Autodrome in the United Arab Emirates. The race was created as a winter endurance event, giving teams of four to five drivers, especially from Europe, a major race during the off-season.

Carmarthen-based property businessman and multi driving trophy winner Rhys said: “Our aim was to finish and complete the event so to come away with a result like this was really nice.

“The weather in Dubai was warmer than usual for the time of year for the event and the level of competition was the highest for many years with the biggest entry. The general race pace over the 24hrs was high.

“I felt quite relaxed going into the event with me having some experience from the previous two years of competing. I had a reasonable level of expectations and knowing what to expect over the race period.

“The night and dawn were particularly challenging times of the race with many incidents at these times of the race to navigate through.

“We are now finalising plans for the start of the 2026 season in April. We are hopeful to be able to continue with a programme with Toyota for the season. Our next aim will be to compete in the 12hr of Mugello in Italy.”

The Dubai 24 hr is a major global endurance motor race which over the years has seen some of the top drivers from across the world compete over the 24-hr event.

The race is regarded as being one of the toughest 24hr races on the calendar due to it being listed on the darkest 24 hours in the calendar with sunset at 5.30pm and sunrise at 7.15am meaning that more than 14 hours of the race is in darkness.

Over the years major manufacturers such as Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, Audi, BMW and Ferrari have all competed and won overall honours.

By the 2010s, the Dubai 24 Hour had established itself as the traditional season opener for international GT endurance racing and remains a key fixture on the global motorsport calendar.”

Rhys competed in 2020 and 2021 In the Dubai 24hr but on both occasions the team failed to finish, once due to a mechanical issue and the other time due to a retirement as the result of an accident.

From the start, the Dubai 24hr Race was open to a wide mix of cars, ranging from GT3 and GT4 machines to touring cars and amateur entries, which helped it grow quickly in popularity. This multi-class format made the event accessible to professional teams as well as semi-pro-outfits.

Rhys Lloyd has had a varied and evolving motorsport career spanning rallying, saloon cars and endurance racing in TCR and Britcar competitions. The entrepreneur is the founder of Dragon Sport, a racing team that competes in national endurance and tin-top championships and runs a driver development scholarship.