The new Lumina CSV Championship was the highlight of the fifth round of the UAE's premier motor racing series, the Dubai AutodromeMotor Sports Club national raceday, held last Saturday the 24th of February on the 4.29 km international circuit of the Dubai Autodrome.
The Lumina CSV Championship ME joined the national raceday series for the first time, at a event which also involved two races from the three other regular championships: The UAE National Superstock Bike Championship, Motorworks GTI Cup and the Bartercard Gulf Radical Cup.
The qualifying session of the Lumina CSV, featuring 380 hp Chevrolet Luminas powered by a mighty 380 hp engines, saw Tarek El Gammal grabing pole position with a time of 2:01.179 followed by Abdulaziz Al Yaeesh with 2:01.382 and Roy van der Weijden on the third position of the grid. Both races where in turn won by the pole positional Tarek El Gammal followed by Abdullah Al Yaeesh and Roy Van Der Weidjden in the first race. Second race headed by Tarek El Gammal saw Roy Van Der Weijden in second position and the Racing Algosaibi team third on the podium.
The Motorworks GTI Cup was equally thrilling with Neil Greer capturing pole position for the first time in a season marked by the domination of Costas Papantonis, who was second on the grip with a time of 2:03.439, a mere 0.143 second behind Neil Greer and 0.417 seconds lead over Yazan Rijleh in third position. But Costas returned forcefully by winning both races followed by Neil Greer in second place and Yazan Rijleh in an identical podium position in both races
The Bartercard Gulf Radical day was yet again completely dominated by the exceptional driver Karim Al Azhari qualifying on pole after clocking a fastest lap time of 1:40.178 minutes, followed by Mohammad Al Owais in second with 1:42.024 minutes, while Bassam Kronfli managed third with a time of 1:42.537. First race sow Bassam Kronfli in second place and Mohamed Al Owais in third. Second race saw Jon Simmonds in second and Andrew Lemon in third when Bassam Kronfli, Mohammad and Oman Al Owais failed to finish.
Andrew Flint set the fastest lap time in the qualifying session of the UAE Superstock Bikes with 1:48.563 minutes a 0.117 second lead over Robert Nicholas, while Saudi rider Abdulaziz Bakr was third with 1:49.346 minutes. Both following races were then won by the pole positioner Andrew Flint followed by Johnnie Piennar in the first race and Graig Murihead in the second race. Third place went respectively to Craig Murirhead and Abdulaziz Bakr in the first and second race.
The next national raceday is on Friday the 9th of March, and admission for the general public is free.
About the Dubai Autodrome
Dubai Autodrome is the region's first fully-integrated motorsports facility. The Autodrome is a state-of-the-art complex featuring an FIA sanctioned 5.39 km track, There are six track permutations, with three of them being able to work simultaneously, giving unparalleled options for track users. The complex, part of the Union Properties MotorCity development, includes a Race & Driving School, a CIK-approved Kart track; is ideal for concerts and corporate entertainment. Dubai Autodrome also acts as a social destination and tourist attraction for overseas visitors.
