As we hit the halfway point of 2012, the motorsport devotees among us in the UAE may already be thinking about next year’s Dubai 24hrs. And there are some solid reasons why.

Let’s take the depth of competition as read, plus the fact that the event marks the first major international motorsport event of the year following the cold months of the off-season. If our coverage of the 2012 event proved anything – and as these images from the 2012 Dubai 24hrs will show too – it’s that a lot can happen in twenty-four hours, especially when so many people are looking to kick-off their season with a bang.

And early signs hint that this year’s event will be no different. Creventic – promoter of the Dubai 24hrs and its corresponding endurance marathons in Bathurst, Barcelona and Hungary – have confirmed over 80 provisional entries and for the race, boasting 25 different manufacturers between them.

Within this 80, we have competitors from 19 different countries –yep, including right here in the UAE – making the journey across to the Dubai Autodrome for the event’s eighth running over the 10-12 January 2013 weekend. We’ve already espied a few familiar names.