Like the season finale of the Audi R8 LMS Cup held over the past weekend, the Gulf 12 Hours was equally as dramatic, with Team AF Corse taking a slim win over defending champion Team Abu Dhabi Racing Black Falcon by a gap of just three seconds.

A spin from Team Kessel Racing's Ferrari 458 GT3, piloted by Jorge Lorenzo, brought out the safety car in the final moments of the 12-hour race. And with just 30 minutes remaining on the clock, Michele Rugolo, driving the AF Corse Ferrari 458 GT3, seized the chance to take the win.

At the helm of Team Abu Dhabi Racing Black Falcon's Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 was Bernd Schneider, who was driving with Khaled Al Qubaisi and Jeroen Bleekemolen. 

Third place went to Von Ryan Racing's McLaren 650S, which was driven by Kevin Estre, with Rob Bell and Alvaro Parente. It was a commendable effort for the team as the Gulf 12 Hours marked the competition debut for the McLaren 650S GT3, as part of the final phase of the car's development programme.

Notably, it was the McLaren that took the pole position in the first half of the race. The lead, however, was quickly snatched up by Bleekemolen in the Mercedes, who started the race in third position, in the first corner of the race. Michele Rugulo, who was at the wheel of AF Corse's Ferrari, also demonstrated tremendous pace, climbing back to second after slipping through the field to seventh position earlier. 

The 458 GT3 from Team AF Corse continued its charge and took the first place before the end of the first part of the race. And it was Davide Rigon who started on pole position for AF Corse for the second part of the race, with Bleekemolen of Team Abu Dhabi Racing Black Falcon starting alongside on the front row. 

Bleekemolen managed to put the defending champion off to a flying start once again, opening a gap of 4.5 seconds at the end of the first hour and hanging out front with a 16-second lead by the third quarter of the race. Unfortunately, a slew of events saw the defending champion completing the race in second position.

Held annually at the Yas Marina Grand Prix Circuit in Abu Dhabi, the Gulf 12 Hours is in its fourth year running, and saw 25 teams participating this year.