Dubai Autodrome is gearing up for two days of track action and paddock activities this weekend.
The National Race Days (NRD) Power Weekend will highlight top regional championships including: the NGK Racing Series, the UAE Sportbike Championship, the Radical Middle East Cup, Formula Gulf Academy and the all new F4 UAE Championship.
Racing will take place on the 3.56 kilometre National Circuit configuration.
The Grandstand and Race Paddock will be open to the public on Friday and Saturday. In addition to the racing, spectators will be able to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere in the paddock, which will accommodate food and beverage stands, a BMW car display, a kids play area and a host of racing teams with their pit crews and drivers.
Many of last season’s champions will be back to defend their titles. Dragon Racing returns in full force, led by Leon Price in his Ferrari 488 GT3 to take on the elite contenders for the NGK Racing Series crown. Bill Martin will contest Class Five in a new Porsche GT4 Clubsport and teammate Tani Hanna will compete in Class Four with a Ferrari 458 Challenge.
Mouhrista Racing also has reigning champions set to race this weekend. Costas Papantonis will prepare his Seat Leon Super Copa in defence of his Class One title. His son Alexandros Annivas will hope to return to his winning ways in Class Two and retaining the Clio Cup title.
For the last two seasons Abdulaziz Bin Ladin on a Kawasaki ZX6R has been riding near perfect in the UAE Sportbike Championship, and will certainly be the man to beat for any challenger. Mahmoud Tannir on his Honda CBR600RR chased close behind Bin Ladin in the previous season and he will now be looking to conquer the top step of the podium.
In the three remaining race series, the championships are wide open.
Veterans Sergey Shalunov and “the Flying Finn” Jani Hjerppe will be the favourites to challenge for the Radical Middle East Cup, but will share the grid with plenty of capable competition, including Ollie Smith and his new teammate Dragos Dumitrascu, as well as the 2014-2015 Top Radical Rookie, Catalin Voicu.
The Formula Gulf Academy will feature young talent in an unpredictable start of the championship. Making his debut with the series, young Emirati karting star Saeed Al Ali will be one to keep an eye out for.
Considerable attention will be focused on the new F4 UAE Championship powered by Abarth, with the first points scoring round to take place this weekend at Dubai Autodrome. 2016-2017 marks the inaugural season for the series, which makes the championship fair game for all drivers involved. There will be some distinguished contenders, including Amna Al Qubaisi, Sean Babington and Saif Ben Sulayem, son of the legendary rally champion Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
NRD Power Weekend qualifying will commence on Thursday morning at 10:35. The first race will flag off on Friday morning at 10:10, and racing will continue throughout the weekend until 14.00 on Saturday.
The general public will have free access to the Grandstand and Race Paddock at Dubai Autodrome, a statement said. – TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Autodrome gears up for race weekend
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