Motor Sport November 2007

One track

Local and international drivers rev up for the Dubai Motorsport Festival reports Tommy Simmons.

Petrol-heads from Dubai and beyond will be keeping the weekend of November 16-17 free for an action-packed two days of world class motorsports.

The star attraction of the Dubai Motorsport Festival will be the running of the final rounds of the GTC European Championship where 11 manufacturers will be seen burning rubber on the Dubai Autodrome track. Speed machines from Lamborghini, Ferrari, Corvette, Aston Martin, Porsche, Jaguar, Ford and Dodge will be on show and the teams will represent 17 nations.

The eyes of the motor racing world will also be on the Dubai festival because it will be the first time the city hosts a round of the Speedcar International Series. The stockcar series started in Bahrain on November 1 and over the course of the eight-race series, the drivers have battled it out in Bahrain, Dubai and Indonesia.

Former international stars will be taking part, such as Johnny Herbert and Jean Alesi as well as a few young guns. One of the true personalities on the circuit who’ll be racing in Dubai as part of the Speedcar series will be 25-year-old Indonesian driver Reno. F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has given the series his seal of approval with the F1 organisation providing the TV feed.

For keen followers of the local motor racing scene, the Formule Renault Campus Championship will be of special interest with three Emirati drivers – Khalid Al Mutawaa, Mohammed Al abdooli and Thani bin Thani - from the HSBC Academy keen to prove they have what it takes to compete on the world stage. After finishing up with a 13th place, a 14th place and Did Not Finish in Pau, France, earlier this year, they will be keen to trouble the chequered flag a little more convincingly this time around, especially as they’ll be driving in front of their home crowd.