UAE National Racing: Al Azhari, Simmonds and Ghanem crowned Champions in GT series

28 March 2011 – Yas Marina Circuit hosted the final rounds of the Cytech UAE GT and UAE Sportscars championships, while also playing host to the penultimate round of the Total UAE Touring Car championship on Saturday, 26 March, as part of the FIA GT1 World Championship race weekend bill.

Cytech UAE GT Championship: Al Azhari, Simmonds and Ghanem are champions

It was a big day for House of Portier on the Yas island circuit as Karim Al Azhari clinched the 2010/2011 Cytech UAE GTA Championship title, his seventh UAE title. Merely lining up on the grid guaranteed him the country’s top road racing accolade. Paired with Fabien Giroix the two did enough to claim the big prize without finishing the race.

Giroix explained, “We had some issues with the car in practice and we knew we only needed to do the start of the race for Karim to win the title. We did it and I am very pleased because it has been a good season, great fun.”

Al Azhari was elated, saying, “What a great year. Fantastic effort by the House of Portier team and TAM Auto Engineering. I am really proud of what we have achieved. This is a just reward for the hard work we put into this season. A special thanks to Glenn Portier who put this great team together.”

Julian Griffin, at the wheel of the NFS Dodge Viper, ended the season as he started it – with a win. He was challenged around Yas in the early stages of the race by the MSW Ginetta of Raed Hassan and Bassam Kronfli, with Hassan in the cockpit during the first stint leading early on. However he was having gear shift problems and the on lap 11 the Ginetta was out with a broken axle, leaving Griffin to coast to the chequered flag and setting the fastest lap in the process.

There was controversy in the GTB class which ultimately had was decisive in deciding where the title went. On the day the House of Portier Corvette of Mohammed Al Mutawaa and Jiri Skula crossed the line first and the pair celebrated on the top step of the podium, the general belief was that teenager Al Muwataa had done enough to secure the title.

But after the race their title rivals MSW Racing, whose Porsche driven by Jon Simmonds and Phil Quaife crossed the line second, lodged a protest which resulted in the House of Portier car being penalised 30 seconds by the stewards, who deemed that they had gained an advantage by running off track with Skula at the wheel.

The revised result saw Simmonds/Quaife promoted to first and Al Mutawaa/Skula demoted to second. Thus Simmonds was declared 2010/2011 Cytech UAE GTB Champion.

With his main GTC rivals not starting the final race of the season Joe Ghanem did just what was required, finishing fourth in class in his GulfSport prepared Ginetta, to be crowned 2010/2011 Cytech UAE GTC Champion.

At the front it was a great birthday present for Saeed Al Mehairi who along with Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum powered the Yas Marina Circuit Aston Martin to its first victory. Double delight for it to happen on home soil with two promising Emirati drivers doing the business.

Oliver Grimm taking second in the NFS Lotus on his debut in the car, Saad Salman shared his KTM X-Bow with Rasheed Nashashibi to take third place with fourth going to Humaid Al Masaaod in the Maserati.

Total UAE GT Championship: Bin Hadher and Khan are the championship

It was a day packed with high drama in the Total UAE Touring Car Championship which started almost immediately in the first race as pole sitter Andre Ramdhanny, in the MSW Seat, managed a superb start only to lose control at the top of the hill in Turn 2. He spun but ended up in the middle of the track stationary, Mario Dias and Youssif Bassil were unsighted and plunged into the stricken Seat. Bassil’s car caught fire and the race was red flagged. None of the drivers were injured.

In the second race the two Class champions of the 2010/2011 Total UAE Touring Car Championship finished first and second.

Khalid Bin Hadher scored his 10^th Class 1 victory of the season in his Emirates Racing Team Seat and taking the premier touring car title in the process. The Emirati driver was elated afterwards, “I really feel honoured to win this championship. It has been a very tough season with some very strong competitors. I want to thank our team for their support. Adding Class 1 championship to the Class 2 title we have already won is fantastic.”

In second place overall, and taking maximum points in Class 2 was Umair Khan in the Lap 57 Honda who scored his seventh class win of the season to take the title in a hotly contested championship. On the day Zlatko Mulabegovic came home second in the Emirates Racing Team Honda, his best result of the season. Third place went to Jonathan Mullen in a Honda Civic.

One more race remains on the Total UAE Touring Car Championship when they take to the track at Dubai Autodrome on 14/15 April.

UAE Sportscars: Grogor makes it two out of two championships

There were few drivers this year who could run with Jordan Grogor in the 2010/2011 UAE Sportscar Championship. The Dubai based South African won eight out of sixteen races, sitting out four in the process. On the final race day of the season for UAE Sportscars Jordan finished second and first in the two races to bag the title, his second in a Radical in two years.

In race one it was another Grogor who took the spoils, Wesley Grogor was having a one-off race in the series and took top honours with Jordan Grogor second and Aldous Mitchell taking third.

In race two (Jordan) Grogor took top honiuyrs to end his season in style, with Mitchell second and Sean Stevens third. All drivers were driving Radical SR3 cars.

Report submitted by Dubai Autodrome