After over a month layoff UAE National racing resumed, with the second half of the 2009/2010 Championship this Friday (29 January 2010) at Dubai Autodrome. Close racing, with a tinge of controversy, were the order of the day.

Total UAE GT Championship
There was much hype going into the Total UAE GT Championship race as number of potent new and improved entries were taking to the track, especially in the GTA Class. Raed Hassan was out in a Ginetta, Andrew Donladson was a new addition to the grid in the Muhlner Motorsport prepared Cytech Porsche GT3 Cup S, Khaleji Motorsport had taken delivery of another Porsche GT3 Cup S and DXB Racing had found some more pace in their constantly developing Dodge Viper. All were out to dethrone series leader Karim Al Azhari in the House of Portier Corvette. Al Azhari grinned at the prospect and merely said, “Bring it on….”

By the time the flag dropped, on an admittedly uneventful race, it was Al Azhari in the immaculately, TAM Auto Engineering, prepared Corvette who again took top honours for fourth time in a row this season. Behind him the DXB Racing Dodge Viper, which goes from strength to strength, was expertly driven to second place overall despite a drive through penalty. Saif Al Assam (Porsche GT3) drove a solid race to take third and hence scoring his best result to date. Ibrahim Salloum (Porsche GT3) was equally impressive on his way to fourth, also his best result in the series.

Donaldson, who finished second on track, was gutted when it was found that the Cytech Porsche failed the minimum ride height and was subsequently disqualified after a strong debut showing. It was also disappointment for Cabell Fisher and Tarek Elgammal in the Khaleji Porsche which developed fuel problems and recorded their first DNF.

Al Azhari was clearly satisfied with the result, “The Total UAE GT Championship gets stronger and stronger every time with five or six really strong entries battling in the GTA Class and this is great for the sport. Despite this House of Portier and TAM Auto Engineering again gave me a fantastic car and winning for them is a pleasure, as it is the result of hard work and team work.”

In the GTB Class Paul Denby (Porsche) took a comfortable victory over second placed Frederic Gaillard (DXB Racing Aston Martin) and privateer Harris Irfan in the ARM prepared Porsche taking third ahead of Rafael Unzurrunzaga making his debut at the wheel of a Renault Megane.

During the course of the 45 mini-enduro race three drivers were given drive through penalties for misjudging their pit stop limit times, these were Griffin, Irfan and Unzurrunzaga.

UAE Sportbike Championship
The biggest field, ever seen at Dubai Autodrome, of 31 superbikes lined up on the grid for first UAE Sportbike Championship race. Missing from the line-up due to lack of funding for his campaign was reigning UAE 1000 Champion Juzar Motiwala.

Once again it was set to be South African Champion Arushen Moodley (Aprilia) versus British veteran Scott Smart (Kawasaki) in the battle for top honours in the 1000 Class. Both vastly experienced professional riders have an edge over the locally based contingent and have no qualms driving home this advantage. Moodley in particular took full advantage of his pace setting Aprilia to post a convincing win over second placed Smart who said, “Arushen is riding really well. I had probably a quicker bike on the day but we are struggling out of the corners.”

The focus was on the battle for third which turned out to be the highlight of the race with the local brigade including Rod Scott (Yamaha), Hussein Al Kooheji (Yamaha), Hennie Sauerman (Kawasaki), Abdulaziz Binladin (Aprilia) and Rob Nicholas (Honda) fighting off Qatari ace Yousuf Al Malki (QMMF Honda). There was little to separate these riders in the early stages. But as the race dragged on Al Malki and Scott pulled away and engaged in their own battle. At the flag it was Malki who took third place on his first visit to Dubai Autodrome, with Scott fourth ahead of Sauerman and Nicholas. Binladin did not finish due to an incident with a slower rider which saw him crash out.

In the 600 Class perennial pace setter Pascal Grosjean suffered clutch problems which dropped him down the field. At the front Jussi Hoikka (Yamaha) had a titanic scrap with Jason Burnside (Honda) with Hoikka edging over the line to take the win with Burnside beside him, in second, as they took the chequered flag. Bahrain’s Omran Al Sayed (Kawasaki) was third with Grosjean 0.1 seconds adrift in fourth.

In race 2 Moodley was again up and away from the start and never looked to be threatened despite Smart’s attempts to keep the South African in check. Moodley made it another double 1000 Class win on the day with Smart runner-up on both occasions. Behind them the battle for third was the highlight of the day with Malki once again taking third with Binladin, making amends for the earlier race disappointment, taking fourth ahead of a resurgent Al Kooheji and Sauerman who enjoyed one of his better days of the season.

Moodley said of his two wins on the day, “Aprilia have again delivered a fantastic bike which is a pleasure to ride out here. There were times, with the big gap I had on the rest, that I lost concentration momentarily. So this was really my only problem on a good day for me and my team.”

Grosjean was back to his winning ways in the 600 Class race 2. Hoikka, finished second, but again had a torrid time fending off Burnside and Al Sayed who finished third and fourth respectively.

Cytech UAE Touring Car Championship
The highlight of any UAE national race day is the Cytech UAE Touring Car races. Friday’s UAE National Race Day 4 was no exception. In Class 1 the three way SEAT Supercopa battle, or rather war, resumed between Khalid Al Mutawaa (House of Portier), Jonathan Simmonds (DXB Racing) and Khaled Bin Hadher.

When the lights turned green it was Simmonds who got the hole shot into Turn 1 but by the end of the first lap Al Mutawaa led from Bin Hadher and Simmonds. The order remained unchanged for a few laps upon which Simmonds managed to squeeze into second place and started to pursue the leader. But at mid distance the DXB car came into the pits with problems leaving race winner Al Mutawaa and runner-up Bin Hadher unchallenged to the flag.

Both Al Mutawaa and Bin Hadher were adjudged to have jumped the start and were given drive through penalties which Al Mutawaa adhered to but Bin Hadher did not and as a result he was disqualified from the final standings.

The track action is equally fast and ferocious in Class 2 where several drivers are capable of stealing victory including the likes of the Lap 57 Honda pair Omran Al Owais and Umair Khan, a2b Motorsport duo Spencer van der Pal and Jason O’Keefe, Aslam Moola (Honda), Zlatko Mulabegovic (Honda), Essa Bin Hadher (Honda) and the lone Renault Clio in the pack of Hondas with young up and coming Emirati driver Mohammed Al Mutawaa behind the wheel of the House of Portier car.

As soon as the race started this bunch were slugging it out. Essa Bin Hadher was the first casualty dropping out with technical problems while at the front Moosa and Al Owais were edging ahead with Al Mutawaa settling into third and this is how they finished when the chequered flag dropped. Moosa beating Al Owais by a hair’s breadth – less than a quarter of a second. Third went to Mohammed Al Mutawaa with O’Keefe fourth, Vanderpal fifth and Khan sixth.

Khalid Al Mutawaa was fired up for Race 2 and powered to a well controlled flag to flag victory in Class 1 in the TAM Auto Engineering prepared SEAT. Simmonds gave chase but had no answer to the former HSBC Racing Academy driver’s pace. Khaled Bin Hadher crossed the line in third but was once again penalised for a rule infringement by the officials. This promoted Martin Baerschmidt (VW GTi) to third place.

Al Mutawaa said after the race, “House of Portier and TAM Auto Engineering have given me a great car and I thank them for this. I survived a drive through penalty to win the first race and had a strong second race which also resulted in a win. It was a very big battle throughout the day with Bin Hadher and Simmonds. We also had some tyre issues, nevertheless at the end of the day a double win is very satisfying.”

Al Owais turned the tables on Moola in Class 2. The two were the toast of the field as they slugged it out on every corner and straight on the challenging International Circuit configuration. Behind them Emirati teenage sensation Mohammed Al Mutawaa was again impressive as he drove a mature race to finish third and made it two podiums in two races on the day. O’Keefe was fourth, Khan fifth and Mulagebovic sixth in class..

GulfSport Radical Cup
Controversy struck early during the first Gulfsport Radical Cup race of the day when AUH Motorsport drivers Jordan Grogor and Christophe Hissette were penalised for “ignoring a drive through penalty” issued by the Clerk of the Course Fraser Martin. This came about as a result of what was deemed by officials to be a start infringement by both drivers.

Out on track Grogor was once again in top form, despite starting third on the grid, he was in command by the end of the first lap with Hissette soon in his mirrors having started fourth on the grid. The order stayed this way until the chequered flag. But officials had their say and the two pace setters were relegated out of contention. David Field who was third before the penalties were handed out, thus inherited victory ahead of Bob George in second and Henry van den Heuval taking third place.

With Grogor and Hissette relegated to the back of the grid, for race two, fireworks were expected and duly occurred as the two scythed through the field with Hissette leading the charge and Grogor on his tail. After a handful of laps Hissette and George, who was leading early on, engaged in a heart stopping duel. The two made contact and as a result fell down the order before they recovered and resumed.

Meanwhile at the front Grogor took the lead with reigning champion Bassam Kronfli in second place ahead of Field, in third, who soon had George and Hissette filling his mirrors. At the end of a nerve wrecking race it was Grogor first, Kronfli second and George third.

Grogor summed up his day, “It was a day of mixed emotions. I crossed the line twice as the winner but was disqualified by the officials in the first race. A decision I accept. Despite this I still feel that I drove a good first race. I am glad I won race two. Perhaps I was a little fortunate because the guys in front touched, but then that’s racing. Winning the final race after the disappointment of race one is vindication and good for my championship goals.”