The Dubai International Rally will have familiar backing, but a brand new route, when it brings the 2001 FIA Middle East Championship to a climax on November 15-16.
For the fourth year in a row, Dubai Ports Authority and Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority have been confirmed as official sponsors of the event, which has the full backing of the Government of Dubai, and concludes the eight-round regional series after previous rallies in Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Cyprus.
The Automobile and Touring Club for the UAE (ATCUAE), the national motor sport authority, today announced details of the new route, which falls entirely within the emirate of Dubai, and includes a succession of special stages not previously used.
While Mohammed Ben Sulayem has already clinched the FIA Middle East drivers’ title for a 13th time, both the manufacturers’ and Group N championships could be decided in Dubai.
Held under the patronage of H.H.Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Department, the 2001 Dubai International Rally will start and finish at the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel, the official hotel and rally headquarters.
“We’re indebted to the government for its vital support over the years to maintain the status of the Dubai International Rally as one of the Middle East’s top motor sport events, ” said event director, Derek Ledger.
“As the rally organizers, we’re committed to ensuring that the event continues to develop, and the added support we consistently receive from Dubai Ports Authority and Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority is allowing us to plan ahead, and seek ways to bring further improvements.”
Co-sponsored by GTS Recovery, official suppliers of towing services, the 2001 Dubai International Rally gets under way from the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel at 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, November 15, with the first of six special stages unfolding alongside Dubai Creek and offering excellent viewing for spectators.
The remaining stages on the day – all of them new – will be run in the Marmon and Margham areas, where all repairs and maintenance take place in a central service area. The cars return to the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel at 7 p.m. for a night halt.
Getting under way at 8.30 a.m. the following day, the second leg also begins with a Dubai Creek stage, before the cars set off for three more new stages, each to be run twice, in the Jebel Ali area, with a central service area based at Jebel Ali Free Zone.
At the end of a 575-km route containing 260-km of competitive stages, the first car will reach the finish back at the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel at 4.30 p.m.
Competitors will be allowed only a single day’s reconnaissance for each of the two legs on November 12 and 13, with official documentation and scrutinizing of all vehicles taking place on November 14 – Albawaba.com
Source: A press release by Tony Lewis, Press Officer, Dubai International Rally, Total Communications, PO Box 53009, Dubai, UAE, Tel: (9714) 3314412, Fax: (9714) 3314415.
e-mail to: [email protected]
Issued on behalf of the Automobile and Touring Club for the UAE, PO Box 5078, Dubai,
United Arab Emirates, Tel: (009714) 2284019, Fax: (009714) 2283159.
