2013/2014 UAE Motorsport. Dubai Autodrome Calendar

After a long (and hot) summer recess, the Dubai Autodrome is gearing up for another motorsport year and recently announced 2013/2014 season race dates.

Leading the charge is the re-formatted UAE Touring Car Championship which, like last year, shall be run under the NGK Racing Series banner. Grid numbers have yet to be determined (though last year’s favourites Gulf Petrochem/Mouritsa Racing, Duel Racing and Lap57 Racing are likely to be among the contenders once again), but the NGK Series will once again encompass touring cars, GT machinery and the UAE Clio Cup. The NGK crowd will run alongside the UAE Sportbike championship – which features the 600 Rookie Cup and the non-championship 1000cc category – as part of UAE National Race Day. The first event is scheduled to kick off on 8 November.

Formula Gulf 1000 returns for a third year of competition. With most of the 2012/2013 brood moving up the motorsport ladder this season – including GulfSport trophy winner Natasha Seatter and reigning FGulf champion Nicholas Canal – a fresh batch of faces are expected to put the Ralph Firman designed machines to the test. The Radical Middle East Cup also returns, the championship now conducted regionally after securing races in Qatar and Bahrain.

Saudi Falcons’ Abdulaziz Turki AlFaisal will be looking to take the Porsche GT3 Challenge Cup Middle East crown from Al Nabooda Racing’s Clemens Schmid, both teams expected to be jostling for Gold honours when the championship makes its Autodrome return as part of the Dubai Motorsport Festival on 14-15 February. Following on from its inaugural run last year as the NGK 300, another two-hour endurance event has been scheduled for 2013/2014. The first will run on 22 November, while the second takes place on 21 March.

Opening 2014 in style, the 9^th annual Dubai 24 Hours will take place on 9-11 January. More than eighty entrants have already been confirmed for the event, with Dragon Racing and SVDP Racing looking for a clean race on home soil and the Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon team looking to make it three wins on the bounce at the 24 Hours.

The 2013/2014 season at the Dubai Autodrome comes to a close on 11 April.

– Shots from last year’s UAE motorsport season courtesy of David Benson, 4WheelsofLux and Camden Thrasher