DUBAI // The rumoured rain was nowhere to be seen, but it did not prevent Dutchman Nicky Pastorelli from dampening expectations after he put his Chevrolet Corvette on pole position for today’s Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai.
The Italian driver with V8 Racing posted the fastest time of the day with a lap of 1 minute, 57.28 seconds as the sun careened toward the horizon at Dubai Autodrome last night.
Jeroen Bleekemolen of Team Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon ensured his Mercedes SLS will start alongside the American muscle car on the front row after completing his quickest lap of the 5.4km circuit just .163 seconds slower.
Yet, despite the qualifying session proving the fastest in the nine-year history of the Dubai race, Pastorelli, a 30-year-old professional driver in a team of Dutch amateurs, was quick to play down his achievement, citing the inevitable technical issues that accompany endurance racing.
“Pole is not important at all,” he said. “Of course it is nice, because you always give your maximum in qualifying to see where you are compared to the rest of the field, but the race is so long that any number of things can happen – will happen, for sure.
“The one benefit is that the chances of you being in an accident at the first corner is smaller than when you are in the middle of the field.”
In a quirk of the regulations, Bleekemolen posted the second-quickest lap, as well as the fourth-quickest lap.
The 2008/09 Porsche Supercup champion is registered to compete today for both Black Falcon entries, as is Emirati teammate Khalid Al Qubaisi. “We’re not on pole this time, but we’re not worried because we’re the fastest of the potential winners here,” said Al Qubaisi, whose team competes in a Mercedes SLS AMG.
“The car in front of us has had its moment of glory and it may cost us some time in the race, but we’re looking at the big picture. We’re on the first row and everything is looking good: pace, drivers, car. The team is in very good shape.”
Al Qubaisi’s team are the reigning champions, having won the previous two iterations of the emirate’s annual 24-hour race, which marks the start of the endurance racing season.
The Porsche 997 of Swiss outfit Fach Autotech will start the race in third, while Jan Magnussen, the former Formula One driver and father of McLaren-Mercedes’ Kevin Magnussen, will start from sixth for Ram Racing, alongside X Team Schubert.
Lap57 and MODR drivers fancy their chances in their class categories
The Emirates-based Moutran brothers helped Lebanese outfit Memac Ogilvy Duel Racing post the fastest lap of qualifying in the A3T Class yesterday ahead of today’s Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai.
The English trio of Ramzi, Sami and Nabil, driving at Dubai Autodrome in a Seat Leon Supercopa, are competing in the annual event for the fifth consecutive year and will start today’s race from 50th place. They came into the weekend playing down expectations, but are now willing to believe this year could provide them with the result they crave.
In the A2 category, UAE outfit Lap57 finished fastest with Emirati pair Mohammed Al Owais and Abdullah Al Hammadi sharing responsibilities with Umair Khan of Pakistan, Japan’s Junichi Umemoto of Japan and Jordan’s Nadir Zuhour.
Following two practice incidents that saw a GC Automobile BMW catch fire and AF Racing International’s Lamborghini bending its chassis, it is expected 79 cars will contest today’s event, which starts at 2pm.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
Thanksgiving meals to try
World Cut Steakhouse, Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai. On Thursday evening, head chef Diego Solis will be serving a high-end sounding four-course meal that features chestnut veloute with smoked duck breast, turkey roulade accompanied by winter vegetables and foie gras and pecan pie, cranberry compote and popcorn ice cream.
Jones the Grocer, various locations across the UAE. Jones’s take-home holiday menu delivers on the favourites: whole roast turkeys, an array of accompaniments (duck fat roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in beef bacon, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots) and more, as well as festive food platters, canapes and both apple and pumpkin pies.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Address Hotel, Dubai. This New Orleans-style restaurant is keen to take the stress out of entertaining, so until December 25 you can order a full seasonal meal from its Takeaway Turkey Feast menu, which features turkey, homemade gravy and a selection of sides – think green beans with almond flakes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole and bread stuffing – to pick up and eat at home.
The Mattar Farm Kitchen, Dubai. From now until Christmas, Hattem Mattar and his team will be producing game- changing smoked turkeys that you can enjoy at home over the festive period.
Nolu’s, The Galleria Mall, Maryah Island Abu Dhabi. With much of the menu focused on a California inspired “farm to table” approach (with Afghani influence), it only seems right that Nolu’s will be serving their take on the Thanksgiving spread, with a brunch at the Downtown location from 12pm to 4pm on Friday.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
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The five pillars of Islam
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
MATCH DETAILS
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum (14), Oxlade-Chamberlain (52)
Genk 1
Samatta (40)
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
