The penultimate UAE National Race Day of the 2012-2013 season takes place at Dubai Autodrome this Friday, 29 March with races for Motorcity UAE Sportbikes, NGK Racing Series and Formula Gulf 1000.
The title battle in the Motorcity UAE Sportsbike Championship is in full swing with reigning champion Mahmoud Tannir chasing series leader Surya Raja, only 14 points separate the duo at the top of the 600 Class score sheets.
Yamaha rider Raja has emerged as a force on the local scene, having won the Rookie Cup last season, he has stepped up to the premier class with the clear intent of challenging for the championship. He has won races on four occasions, including last time out and will be aiming for top spot on the podium this Friday.
Tannir, who comfortably won the championship last year, has had a string of misfortunes this season on his Duseja Motos Triumph, of which a couple of non-scoring results have not helped his title ambitions. The Dubai based Lebanese rider has nevertheless notched up three wins in the ten rounds to date and is determined to make up the deficit. He can be expected to push hard to retain his title in the four races that remain – two of which take place this weekend.
Triumph mounted Rob Nicholas is another rider who has shown flashes of brilliance, winning twice so far this season and has a mathematical chance of snatching the title, although the 43 points gap to the top of the table is starting to appear increasingly unattainable.
Dubai based Irishman Joe Oxley, on his Ducati, has tasted victory once this season and is capable of mixing it among the title contenders and surprising them in the process. Watch out for him this time out.
Oxley’s team mate Omar Naji has been an example of consistency on his Kawasaki, scoring in every round thus far, and has been eyeing the top step of the podium which he will no doubt be fighting for on race day to secure what would be a maiden win in the series.
Others to watch include Erikas Savickas (Yamaha), Leon Chad (Yamaha) Mike Down (Honda) and newcomer Gautam Mayilvaganan (Yamaha).
The Rookie Cup, race within a race, has evolved into a two way battle between Neil Hawke (Kawasaki) and Dominik von Poelnitz (Suzuki) with Hawke leading by nine points and on a high after winning the last two races on the trot. Von Poelnitz has won three times this season, but a couple of non-scoring rounds have hurt his title hunt. He will be looking to make amends. There will be two races for Motorcity UAE Sportbikes on the day.
Costas Papantonis heads the small but quality field which will line up on the grid for the two NGK Racing Series sprint races on the day. The Fujaiarah based Greek driver will be the man to beat in his Gulf Petrochem SEAT.
Behind him is where all the action will be as Honda take on Renault in the Class 2 battle, while the race within a race Clio Cup has developed into an intriguing battle for top honours.
Ramzi Moutran in the Duel Racing Renault Clio leads Class 2 standings by a mere three points from Alexandros Annivas in the Gulf Petrochem Renault Clio. The pair have benefitted from the mid-season demise of class frontrunner, Lap57 Honda driver, Rupesh Channake who started the season with five straight wins but then endured five non scoring rounds, before bouncing back last time out to claim victory once again.
Channake is all but out of contention for the title, although the maths suggests he could sneak in if luck goes his way and misfortunes strike his main rivals. Nevertheless the Dubai based Sri Lankan is sure to be the man to beat in Class 2, while Moutran and Annivas slug it out for the title while they challenge him.
As if this is not enough to keep fans happy, the same pair – Moutran and Annivas – are tied on 218 points in the Clio Cup standings, which fill add spice to their forthcoming battle with two prestigious titles up for grabs and one driver likely to emerge the winner of both.
Others to watch on the day include Jonathan Mullan (Honda) and Will Morrison (Renault) along with newcomers Guillaume Simonnet (Renault) and Mohammed Al Hammadi (Honda)
Track action on Friday starts with qualifying for the NGK Racing Series at 9.45am, with the first race for Motorcity UAE Sportbikes to be flagged off at 11.15am. The final race is scheduled to end around 16.45pm.
There will also be Bike Track Day sessions during the course of proceedings for those wanting to run their machines in a controlled and safe environment, while savouring the unique race day atmosphere.
Entry for spectators is free throughout the day with access to the Dubai Autodrome pit garages and grandstand, including the new viewing stand at the Bowl area. Food and refreshments will be available from the Pitstop Lounge
