2013/2014 UAE Motorsport. Yas Marina Calendar

Following swiftly on the heels of the Dubai Autodrome Motorsport Club’s 2013/2014 motorsport calendar, the Yas Marina Circuit has unveiled its schedule for the upcoming season.

Yas Racing Series rounds – an alternative to the DAMC’s National Racing Days – will incorporate the NGK Racing Series, Formula Gulf 1000, and provisionally the Porsche GT3 Challenge Cup Middle East, as well as the Pro Drag Racing Series, drift nights and the UAE Time Attack. Each series will alternate between Yas Island and the Dubai Autodrome.

Headliners at Yas for the upcoming season include the fifth Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 1-3 November and the third Gulf 12 Hours endurance race. The latter takes place alongside the final round of the Maserati Trofeo Cup on 12-14 December. For the second year in succession, the Gulf 12 Hours inexplicably clashes with the Dubai Motorsport Festival at the Autodrome.

Formula Gulf 1000 – which recently signed a new technical partnership deal with Gulf Oil – will headline the second round of the Yas Racing Series on 5-7 December before heading to its first ever non-UAE round at the Bahrain International Circuit on 17-18 January. The single seater feeder series returns to Abu Dhabi for the third Yas Racing Series event – alongside UAE Time Attack – on 30-31 January.

Pro Drag Racing kicks off on 27-28 February, with three more scheduled across March and April. The first round coincides with the UAE Rotax Max Challenge’s visit to Abu Dhabi. The regional karting championship was among one of the motor racing disciplines highlighted by the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) upon the launch of the 2013/2014 UAE motorsport season earlier this month as the institution continues to develop a grassroots base for motorsport in the region.

The fourth and final Yas Racing Series event will be on 27-28 March, which will feature the NGK Racing Series and the newly re-named Radical Middle East Cup, which extends its reach this year with races at the Bahrain International Circuit (17-18 January) and Losail, Qatar (31 Jan-1 Feb).

UAE Drift heads to Yas Marina on 17-18 April, which – together with drag and drift night – marks the end of competitive on-track action for 2013/2014, though Go Yas health and fitness training sessions will continue to run until 27-28 May.

– Shots from last year’s UAE motorsport season courtesy of David Benson