DUBAI: Formula One appeals to the glitterati and pursuers of instant gratification but 24-hour endurance racing attracts the ‘marathoneers’ of the auto racing world willing to tough out a day and wakeful night of high speed, high risk chess. This is tough racing, and it all happens again when the Toyo Tires Dubai 24-hour endurance race flags off tomorrow for the fourth time at the Dubai Autodrome. The Toyo event is slick, fast and relatively glitzy but retains the gritty core challenge of keeping a race vehicle running and winning for thousands of kilometers over a whole day under the watchful eyes of thousands of knowledgeable fans.
The race, in the best traditions of the Le Mans and Daytona classics should produce another 24-hour epic as an expected 90 cars muscle up on the grid to do battle through day and night. Local team Khaleji Motorsports, who develop Arab racing talent in both National and International racing series, will be the official team to represent the UAE.
Saudi Arabian interest will revolve around the Al Faisal Racing team entries in the persons of Khaled and Abdulaziz Al-Faisal. The Al Faisal tam will be represented in two classes, A5 with the BMW Z4M driven by Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal while Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Faisal with Bahraini co-driver Sheikh Salman Al-Khalifa will pilot the team’s D class entry, a BMW320D.
Exclusive news from the pits yesterday ahead of today’s practice was that the Al Faisal cars are much improved since 2008 and the team is going all out for an overall podium position this year. “The cars are fitted with the latest technology and improvements as part of BMW racings process of continuous improvement,” said Paul Spooner, who trained the team drivers and many other of the younger competitors room the Gulf region. While he would not be drawn on the team’s chances, he noted hat a BMW Z4M won the event in 2007. “The gruelling nature of the race, those sort of continuous high speeds and the incredible stress on men and machines, it’s the sort of event where the smaller team can and does eclipse the best prepared factory entries. Anything can happen.” The Al Faisal’s fellow countryman Karim Ojjeh will be part of the Khaleji Motorsport two-car entry.
Swiss based Ojjeh is a businessman and racing driver with a vast experience in motor sport. He sports a distinguished track record in endurance racing, including a 3rd place finish at the Le Mans Series LMP2/2007, runner up in Le Mans 24h LMP2 class/ 2005 and a 3rd place in Formula Palmer Audi in 2004. He was voted rookie of the year in 2002. This weekend he will be piloting the 3,600cc Porsche 997 GT3 Cup with fellow drivers Cabell Fisher Jason Yates Franco Valobra and Karim Al Azhari under the Emirates banner.
The preliminary entry lists shows a great variety of cars and a healthy spicing of famous names, including ex-formula 1 driver Johnnie Herbert, from the ranks of national and international motor sport. Twenty different car brands form up on the grid, ranging from the tiny Ford Fiesta ST up to impressive machinery such as Porsche 997 GT3, BMW M3 GTR, Ferrari F430 and Creventic’s Audi CR-8. The race starts at 2 p.m. Dubai time tomorrow.
