Preview: TAM Auto Engineering UAE National Race Day 8 at Dubai Autodrome

It has been a long, hard season of UAE National motorsport, this weekend sees the culmination of the most successful season of track racing, in the Emirates, to date. The TAM Auto Engineering UAE National Race Day 8 will see the crowning of this season’s 2008/2009 Champions. Some titles are virtually done and dusted while others are up for grabs, setting up a grand showdown at Dubai Autodrome.

Emirati driver Mohammed Al Owais looks set to clinch the 2008/2009 Yellow Hat UAE Touring Car Championship with House of Portier overall title and has already clinched the Class 4 title in his “pocket rocket” Lap 57 Honda. His closest rival for the coveted overall UAE Touring Car Championship honours is Greek ace Costas Papantonis (House of Portier SEAT), who has already wrapped up the Class 3 title, but trails Al Owais by a mere 2 points. Papantonis, who had a 10 out 11 winning record, was beaten in the first race of Round 7 and suffered a DNS (Did Not Start) in the second race on the same day. This was enough to give Al Owais the break he needed – this weekend will decide the Champion in what should be a nail biting climax to the season.

The premier Class 1 title will also be decided this weekend with Karim Al Azhari (Al Nabooda Porsche) and the UAE’s Mohammed Al Falasi (Racing for Good Corvette) squaring up for what is arguably the most anticipated match-up of the day. Al Falasi has all to do as he trails Al Azhari by three points and really needs the fast and smart, reigning Champion, to falter with a DNF. Also adding sparks to this heady mix should be the return to action of Julian Griffin behind the wheel of the mighty DXB Racing Dodge Viper.

With Al Owais confirmed as Class 4 Champion, all eyes will be on the tussle for the runner-up spot between Zlatko Mulabegovic (Performance Racing Honda) and former HSBC Racing Academy driver, the UAE’s, Khalid Al Mutawaa (House of Portier Renault). The Emirati trails Mulabegovic by five points, with a maximum of ten points up for grabs in the two races on the final day. It will be a tough task for the Emirati but anything van happen in Class 4 which has witnessed some of the closest racing of the season.

Other titles already settled going into the finale are: Raed Hassan (Mitsubishi Evo 6) has wrapped up the Class 2 title by a fair margin over Harris Irfan (Alex Renner Motorsport Porsche) while Papantonis has pocketed the Class 3 title ahead of Jonathan Simmonds (DXB Racing SEAT). Abdulhamid Al Awadi was never seriously challenged on his way to claiming the Class 5 Championship, which in turn did not feature big enough fields to threaten the Emirati’s title ambitions.

One of the main attractions on the day is going to be the riveting UAE Sportbike Championship title decider between Juzar Motiwala (Honda) and Rod Scott (Al Yousuf Yamaha) in the premier 1000 Stock Class. The two have been at loggerheads throughout the year with Scott starting off well, but encountering some hiccups mid-season, while Motiwala has simply been a model of consistency, never out of the top three this season and as a result has a 3 points lead going into the Championship deciding races. With a maximum of 30 points up for grabs in the remaining two races, a humdinger of a showdown is on the cards between the leading two wheel protagonists..

Bahraini ace Hussain Al Kooheji (Al Yousuf Yamaha) needs a mere three points to claim the 600 Stock Class title after an impressive season which has seen him notch up 13 race wins in 14 races. He will be going all out to crown his season with another two victories, let alone the score the minimum points required. Jason Burnside (Honda) has virtually secured the runner-up slot while Andrea Capoccia (Yamaha) and Alan Boyter (Vendetta Racing Yamaha) will settle third place between themselves on the final day.

The Superstock Class was dominated by diminutive Swiss rider Pascal Grosjean (Liberty Kawasaki), who also boasts a 13 out of 14 record, clinching the title with two races to go. Likewise Tony Jordan (Yamaha) appears to have secured second place in the Championship ahead of Adriano Fusillo (Yamaha).

The Gulf Radical Cup Champion will be decided on the final day. With double points up for grabs, the question is: what can Fahad Algosaibi do to steal the title from Bassam Kronfli? All the ingredients are in place for an intriguing showdown between the two who have been the class of the field this season.

The final race day of the 2008/2009 season starts with practice and qualifying in the morning followed by six races, two per category, after the prayer and lunch break.

Reported by : Dubai Autodrome
Reported on : 21-Apr-09