The windy and rainy conditions did not prevent spectators from watching a successful and action packed Friday afternoon at the Dubai Autodrome Motor Sport Club Raceday 3. The third race day consisted of three championships; Gulf Radical Cup, Toyo GTI Cup and UAE National Superstock Bike.
The day started in the morning with practice followed by qualifying sessions to determine the grid positions for the races in the afternoon. On this event there were two races for each championship.
In the first Toyo GTI Cup, Mennu Kuus steered his car to first place beating Ricardo Brkovic who took second place. Third place went to Ryan Trutch. The second race witnessed a real battle between Brkovic and Kuus as less then a second separated the two throughout the ten lap race. At the end Brkovic had the upper hand as he crossed the finish line ahead of Kuus while Trutch rounded the podium again.
In the Gulf Radical Cup, pole position was taken by 2004 BARC F. Renault Champion, Nicky Wilson (INMA Arabia) in the 360 bhp Radical SR8, but it was Karim Al-Azhari (Team Al Nabooda Racing) who won the first race after Jean-Yves Mallat (Race World) fluffed the start, leaving Robert Simpson to do all the chasing, setting fastest lap in the process and finishing only two seconds behind Al-Azhari. John Stanley finished third with Mallat fourth.
Race two, run in atrocious conditions with wind, rain and poor visibility, saw a perfectly executed rolling start which gave Al-Azhari the opportunity to pull away from the pack. Again, Simpson tried as he might to catch the front runner, but was unable to do so, and had to contend with Mallat in his mirrors that had got past Stanley.
In the UAE National Superstock Bike Championship, rider Grant Morgan Yake made the best of qualifying as he managed to take pole position. Yake put a solid performance and won race 1 at a gap of 29.7 seconds over Johnnie Pienaar who finished second place. Third place went to Saudi rider Abdul Aziz. The final race of the day was scheduled for the UAE National Superstock Bike championship. The bikes formed up on the gird, the race was started and on the second lap the race was stopped due to the strong winds and deteriating weather conditions.
Trophies were presented by H.H. Sheikh Marwan Bin Rashed Al Mualla Chairman of the Emirates Motor Sports Federation. The next round of Motor Sports Club Race Day will take place on March 31. Admission for the general public is free.
About the Dubai Autodrome
Dubai Autodrome is the region's first fully integrated motor and motorsports facility. The Autodrome is a state-of-the-art complex featuring an FIA sanctioned 5.39 km track, ultra-modern 7,000-seat grandstand, hospitality suites for corporate guests and parking for up to 10,000 cars. There are six track permutations, while three can work simultaneously, which gives unparalleled options for track users.
The complex, which is a part of the Union Properties development MotorCity, includes a racing & driving school, a CIK-approved go-kart track and is ideal for concerts and corporate entertainment. Dubai Autodrome also acts as a social destination and tourist attraction for overseas visitors.
