DUBAI // More than 90 cars of various shapes and speeds, all dodging and weaving and trying to overtake, all desperate to avoid a collision, but all willing to take a risk should it mean they reach their destination that little bit quicker, were crammed into a 5.4-kilometre stretch of road.
Last night, Dubai Autodrome made Sheikh Zayed Road at rush hour look more like a parkway of politeness as qualifying for the city’s annual 24 Hour Race began.
It was testament to the talents of the 400 or so racing drivers that the circuit remained safer than several of the asphalt arteries winding through the Emirates.
The Autodrome was refreshingly untroubled yesterday.
There were a few shunts and bumps and even a couple of bigger smashes during the six hours and 15 minutes the cars were on track, but endurance racing is by its nature a war of attrition.
Today’s race will feature a record entry field of 95 cars, yet there was no reckless driving last night.
Instead, there was just discipline, respect and a relentless will to safely post the fastest time possible – Porsche 997s passed Volkswagen Golfs passed Ferrari 458s passed Seat Leons passed Lamborghini Gallardos passed Mini Coopers.
Austrian Martin Ragginger, behind the wheel of a 4,000cc Porsche 997 GT3 R and representing Fach Auto Tech, clocked the fastest lap of the day of one minute, 57.562 seconds to have his Swiss team starting on pole position.
He said, though, that his biggest challenge had not been driving competently at speeds in excess of 165kph, but rather “finding the balance between being aggressive and being careful in the traffic”.
“With so many cars, it is not easy, but with respect and rhythm it is not a problem,” Ragginger said.
“Everybody wants a good lap time, but for that you have to be careful in the traffic and read it correctly – otherwise you may have a very short race.”
One of Ragginger’s three teammates at Fach Auto Tech is Sven Muller, a 22-year-old German who is making his 24-hour debut.
He received the nod to replace Connor de Phillippi only last month when the American confirmed he would instead contest the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.
“It is my first time racing 24 hours and my first time here in Dubai, so starting on pole is not bad,” Muller said.
“It is difficult because with more than 90 cars you have so much traffic and must try to avoid damage to the car. You must be very consistent every lap. That is our goal now because if you destroy the car earlier, you will obviously be finished earlier.”
Rob Barff, an Englishman competing with Dragon Racing, said because the speed difference throughout the field was so large – more than 65kph separated the fastest and slowest cars in the morning practice session – it was incredibly difficult to post a clean lap, but “everyone is in their own fight, so you have to respect that”.
Mercedes, with 12 cars in the field, had arrived this week as the favourites, but while they secured six of the top 10 positions on today’s grid, their Black Falcon 2 missed out on pole by 0.322 seconds.
Last year’s winning team, Stadler Motorsport, were third fastest taking their Porsche around in 1:58.096, while the much-fancied two-times winners Abu Dhabi Racing Black Falcon struggled amid traffic and will start from sixth.
“It is a long race and we are well positioned for the start,” said Khaled Al Qubaisi, the team’s Emirati driver.
“We have a very strong team and the goal is to win the race for a third time. Of course, there is pressure because it’s our home race, but I’m confident we can push for victory.”
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at SprtNationalUAE
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30, December 1-2
International Vets
Christina Noble Children’s Foundation fixtures
Thursday, November 30:
10.20am, Pitch 3, v 100 World Legends Project
1.20pm, Pitch 4, v Malta Marauders
Friday, December 1:
9am, Pitch 4, v SBA Pirates
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Uefa Nations League
League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania
League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
WandaVision
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Rating: Four stars
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