Oryx Racing at Lime Rock earlier this month

Thursday 21st Jul 2011: Abu Dhabi racing driver Humaid Al Masaood is looking to build on a highly successful debut in the famous American Le Mans Series (ALMS) when he takes his place on the starting grid at this Sunday’s Mobil 1 Grand Prix of Mosport in Canada.

Following an impressive third place finish in his first race in the Series, the Emirati is confident of another strong performance at the Mosport International Raceway, which is recognised as the Canadian home of motorsports.

Looking forward to the race, Al Masaood said:

“The whole team is really excited about this weekend. We were very happy with our performance at the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix, and feel that we’re not far off the pace of the quickest drivers. So not only do we expect to finish, but we’re looking to record another podium finish.”

Abu Dhabi-based Al Masaood is competing against some of the world’s top sportscar drivers in an LMP1 Mazda Lola Coupé, alongside British teammate Steven Kane. By making his debut in the series two weeks ago at Lime Rock Park, he became the first Emirati to take part in top-flight international sportscar racing, elevating him to the highest level of any Arabic, circuit-based driver.

Humaid Al Masaood

“Since our first race, we’ve carried out a lot of work to ensure that the car is properly prepared for Canada, and that we don’t experience any electrical or reliability problems,” said Al Masaood, speaking about the team’s preparations. “We’ve also been carrying out detailed research on the track to ensure that Steven and I are as prepared as possible – We know that it’s going to be fast, and a very different race from Lime Rock Park.”

LMP1 cars are regarded as the leaders of sports prototype racing, and are the front running cars in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, the European and American Le Mans Series and the legendary Le Mans 24 hour race.

The Mobil 1 Grand Prix of Mosport is Canada’s biggest sports car race, last year drawing a crowd of more than 70,000. It is also the only north-of-the-border stop for the ALMS. With average lap speeds in excess of 210 km/h, the Mosport International Raceway’s 3.96km circuit can lay claim to being the fastest in the Series.

This Sunday’s race is the fifth of the 2011 ALMS and gets underway at 23.05 UAE-time (15.05 EST), following practice days and qualifying on Friday and Saturday.  To keep up with all the action, UAE motorsport fans can visit the Oryx Racing facebook page, which will carry regular updates from the team.

Al Masaood and Kane are contesting the final seven rounds of this year’s ALMS in the No. 20 Mazda Lola Coupé. Run by ALMS Teams points leader, Dyson Racing, in conjunction with Al Masaood’s Oryx Racing team, this LMP1 category car is fitted with a turbocharged Mazda MZR-R engine, which delivers over 500 bhp and over 400 lb-ft of torque. This means it can hit a top speed of 320 km/h, and accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.2 seconds.

More information is also available on the Oryx Racing website –www.oryxracing.com – and the ALMS website, www.americanlemans.com