Shaun Juniper performs under pressure in Dubai

Shaun Juniper has further enhanced his racing credentials behind the wheel of his beloved Porsche 911 with a stunning result at one of the world’s most prestigious motor sports events.

The joint managing director of property developer Juniper Group finished fourth overall at Dubai’s Toyo Tires 24-Hour Race last weekend, with his four-man Juniper Racing team also snaring third in their class in their Porsche 911 (Type 997) GT3 RSR.

The performance, which also saw the team set one of the fastest two laps of the race, was ideal preparation for the 2008 Carrera Cup Championship, which commences at next month’s Clipsal 500 Adelaide.

Juniper said he and his fellow drivers – David Russell, Max Twigg and Paul Kelly – had been forced to call on all their years of racing experience in terrible weather conditions.

“Thunderstorms had a huge impact on the race, with the clerk of the course often forced to impose a maximum speed of 60km/h to allow stationary cars to be recovered from dangerous places or when visibility and conditions were too bad to continue at normal speed,” he said.

“But while many teams came to grief in the conditions, we managed to not only complete 496 laps in the 24-hour event but also finish only eight laps behind the winning car.”

The race, which attracted 90 entries from almost 20 countries, is the first of several international 24-hour events Juniper Racing will contest this year.

“Our team has gained great experience in endurance racing events during the past year and I feel we are forming a great foundation for when we race in Europe later this year,” Juniper said.

Other endurance events Juniper Racing will contest in 2008 include the ADAC Zurich 24h-Rennen at the legendary Nurburgring racetrack in Germany and the Total 24h SPA in Belgium.

The team will also make a return to the Merdeka Millennium 12-Hour Endurance in Malaysia where they finished second in their class in 2007.