New Malden’s Tom Onslow-Cole admitted it was an easy decision to sign up for a 24 Hour Series drivers’ championship title defence with RAM Racing.

The 28-year-old kicks off a second season with the team in the Dubai 24 Hours event this weekend and is joined in the team long-standing partner Paul White and new team-mates Stuart Hall and German driver Roald Goethe.

The Silverstone Park-based team will be one of two teams to run the new AMG GT3 – the car’s debut race outside of the works outfit – despite having only taken delivery of the car in late December.

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Out with the old: Tom Onslow-Cole's RAM Racing Mercedes last season

The AMG Customer Sports team, programme manager Thomas Jaeger and RAM’s Dan Shufflebottom will be the the team behind the team.

The new Mercedes AMG GT3 is based on the Mercedes GT road car, which replaces the gull-winged Mercedes SLS.

With a slightly shorter wheel-base, the race car is more nimble than its predecessor, and more competitive on tight complexes.

And Onslow-Cole, who got a tast of the new car in free practise on Wednesday, is convinced the complete package will be hard to beat again in 2016.

“After winning the 2015 24H Series in the Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 with barely any issues, we were keen to explore the new AMG GT3,” he said.

“We were incredibly impressed with AMG Customer Sports throughout last season.

“With their expert advice on hand and a great relationship with programmes manager Thomas Jäger, it was an easy decision to make.

“The SLS was a fantastic bit of kit so we knew that the AMG GT3 would be, too.

“It seems they have taken what was already one of the best thought-out, most reliable and successful GT3 cars on the market and improved it even further.

“I can’t wait for us all to race it.”

Onslow-Cole’s new team-mates, Hall and Goethe first raced together in Dubai 24 Hours back in 2012.

They went on to join Aston Martin Racing in the World Endurance Championship where they became the GTE AM class title holders in 2013.

“Stuart and I have known each other a long time and Paul and I are really pleased to welcome him and Roald into the team,” added Onslow-cole.

“Not only are they a great driver pairing, they are fantastic guys, so I think we'll have success and fun in Dubai.”

Dubai 24 Hours, which is the opening round of 24H Series, takes place on January 15 and 16, 2016 at the Dubai International Autodrome.

24 Hour Series calendar: Dubai (January 14-15), Italy (March 18-19), Britain (April 2-3), Holland (May 6-7), France (July 16-17), Spain (September 3-4), Czech Republic (October 14-15).