ABU DHABI // A racing car exploded on the starting line in front of hundreds of fans at Yas Marina Circuit but no one was injured.
At the Pro Drag Racing Series on March 30, a Camaro Pro Mod belonging to a Kuwaiti team went up in flames after the air duct on the bonnet expelled a blast of fire.
A video is being circulated on the internet, and has so far attracted more than 90,000 hits.
According to Yousif Al Sayegh, manager at Yas Drag Racing Centre, there could have been a range of reasons behind the explosion in the US$300,000 (Dh1.1 million) car, but he said the most probable was that fuel accumulated in the intake manifold.
In the video, the car rolls to the start line and the lights flash amber. A fireball shoots from the engine through the bonnet duct. The driver then turns off the engine. An engineer can be seen running up to the car immediately after and appears to blow into the duct, putting his head perilously close to where the flames were. A marshal approaches with a fire extinguisher.
"He looks like he cranked it [pressed the accelerator] with the ignition on," Mr Al Sayegh said. "A small flame came out and he should have released the pressure."
In the video, the engineer, who is not wearing a fire suit, then signals for everyone to move away from the vehicle, then opens the car door. While he is speaking to the driver, the engine explodes.
"It might have been the nitrous or the pressure," Mr Al Sayegh said.
The driver can be seen escaping from the car as marshals with extinguishers attack the flames on the now-blazing car. Part of the bonnet was blown about 10-metres away with the rest of it upright on the charred blue car.
More than 10 people were within metres of the car when it exploded, including race officials, team members and photographers.
The team from Kuwait were testing the car for the first time. It was one of several entries in this year's series which had six classes of professional racing including Pro Mod, 7.5 Index, Pro Bike, Super Street Bike, Pro 6 and Super Street 8.
Mr Al Sayegh said the damage was repairable.
Sam Zian, a Dubai-based driver who used to race dragsters in the US, said explosions in the sport were not unusual. "I've blown up many engines," he said.
Safety in drag racing, he added, is up to the team and not the circuit.
"Every drag team runs themselves. They build their own car, manage their own people. Everyone is responsible for their own level of safety. If that's his car, he's the mechanic or the owner," Mr Zian said of the man who put his head near the air duct.
"It is up to the owner to monitor his safety and behaviour."
However, he said that it may seem like common sense not to place one's head near a part of the car that shoots fire, if "he's a mechanic, he may know better".
All motorsport drivers outside of karting must wear fire-retardant gear.
In drag racing, the cars are primed for extremes that last only seconds, as opposed to most race cars which are built to race for hours.
"There is no way to say this is normal," Mr Zian said. "Nothing is normal in drag racing. Everything is on edge and over the limits trying new parts and bits. They are trying to get the best bit of torque out of the car, which is built for a very short time."
Factors that can affect the engines include changes in barometric pressure and even sea levels. "Even a three per cent humidity level can make a difference," Mr Zian said. "If you're running some kind of mix [of fuel] it has to be adjusted every time. A run in the morning to a run in the evening could take different settings and you would have to adjust the fuel map to get the max out of the car.
"Its like no man's land. Its experimental."
eharnan@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Pathaan
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Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
Result
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,950m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Adam McLean, Doug Watson.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,950m; Winner: Conclusion, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh100,000 1,400m; Winner: Pilgrim’s Treasure, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
4.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m; Winner: Sanad Libya, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,000m; Winner: Midlander, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
