Mohammed Ben Sulayem with Prince Abdulaziz Al Faisal's Saudi Falcons Team
12-13-14 January 2012 at Dubai Autodrome- Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA vice president and ATCUAE president, admitted that the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai is one of his favourite races and wishes that during his heyday facilities such as Dubai Autodrome existed for him to ply his trade.
Speaking at the press conference ahead of the seventh edition of the race Ben Sulayem said, “We in the UAE are privileged to have two great races in the country. Of course the Abu Dhabi GP is a fantastic event but as you can image, it comes with quite a lot of stress. Then we have the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai which has a huge field and the atmosphere is fantastic, without the stress. I really enjoy coming here during the 24 hours weekend and take in the ambience. It makes me wish that when I was racing there were facilities such as this for me to race.”
“I would also like to wish all the drivers and teams good luck during the practice, qualifying and race. I wish everyone has a safe and enjoy the unique hospitality that we in the UAE are famous for. I also have a special spot in my heart for the UAE drivers and teams who I hope to see on the podium on Saturday afternoon.”
Ben Sulayem took time out to pose with the Prince Abdulaziz Al Faisal led Saudi Falcons Schubert BMW team and the all ladies Racing Divas squad who will also be lining up on the grid.
Also speaking at the press conference was Dubai Autodrome board member Essa Bin Hadher who said, “We welcome the international teams to Dubai. I believe there are over 400 drivers and a couple of thousand team engineers and crew members. We have done our best to deliver a high standard venue for a race which our team is proud to be associated with.”
Creventic organiser Huub Vermeulen
On behalf of Creventic, the race organisers, Huub Vermeulen said, “Dubai Autodrome is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world. It has a challenging layout for drivers and is ideally suited for 24 hours races as it is a long and flowing track with quick access to stricken or stranded vehicles. Top teams and drivers enjoy competing here and this has added to the success of this event.”
Official track action starts tomorrow (Thursday) with the first free practice at 11.30am with first qualifying at 15.00pm, amounting to over 8 hours of track time, on the day, for teams to prepare their cars for the race and battle for grid position.
On Friday at 2pm 74 cars are set to begin their 24 hour adventure and this year the quality of the field is of the highest standard ever. Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, Audi, Mercedes, Lotus, Lamborghini, Ginetta, Aston Martin are just some of the legendary marques set to do battle in one of the world’s biggest endurance race events.
For fans entry is free throughout the entire weekend with access to superb views from the main grandstand and free admission to the paddock area where they can get close up to the teams, drivers and the machines.
For families there is a myriad of activities on the sidelines of the race including food and beverage points, a UAE heritage village and a wide variety of entertainment. At 8pm on Friday night, six hours into the race, there will be a spectacular fireworks display.
The race will end at 2pm on Saturday afternoon and will be followed by the podium presentation for the overall winners and class winners.
– Official timetable click here
