De Beer Automotive Coating Shines in Dubai’s 24-Hour Race

What drives nonstop for 24 hours and comes across the finish line looking as beautiful as when it started? The Valspar Donkervoort D8 GT race car coated with Series 900, one of the most userfriendly, water-based coating systems on the market today. The car won first place in the Special Cars category in the 24 Hours of Dubai 2011 race.

Joop Donkervoort, chief engineer and owner of the small, family-run business that built the car, was in Dubai to see the exciting finish. “This is the second year we participated with Valspar as our coatings sponsor,” said Donkervoort. “While we slightly reengineered the car for this race, the one thing we didn’t change was the coating. The De Beer water-based coating is easy to apply and very high quality. This coating held up well under the extreme conditions of heat, sand and fierce competition.” Dutch-based Donkervoort has been in the car manufacturing business since the 1970s and has built a relationship with Valspar’s European office in the Netherlands. “Even though Valspar is a large company, they offer the personal service, dedication and commitment of a family business…from technical support to customer service,” he said.

The 24-hour race was choreographed to deliver a winning performance. The Audi engine delivered the power and speed, while three drivers rotated to stay fresh and alert. Denis Donkervoort, Joop’s son, was one of the drivers. The car delivered other winning performances: it spent the least time in the pit area out of 85 teams, and the team broke the record for the fastest pit stop of the season.

“Seeing the Valspar flag flown by the Donkervoort team welcoming their number one position at the checkered flag after 24 hours of endurance was a moment to remember...a very proud moment indeed,” said Rami Abiad, director of Valspar’s Middle East operations. The timing of the race coincided with the opening of Valspar’s office in Dubai, providing an opportunity to highlight Valspar’s expansion in the Middle East. “The Dubai race provided an excellent venue to interact and engage with some of our key regional customers,” said Theo Wemmers, EMEA general manager for Automotive. “Having access to the Valspar Donkervoort team further elevated the experience and impressed upon our customers how serious Valspar was focused on promoting our brand.”