The Dubai Autodrome is an FIA endorsed 5.30 km motorsports circuit situated in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was opened in October 2004 with the concluding round of the Super Racing Weekendfeaturing the final rounds of the GT Championship, Euro Touring Car Championship and 2004 Formula Renault V6 season, Dubai Autodrome was the first division of the Dubai Motor City development that was available for use. The venue also featured the December 2005 A1 Grand Prix and the Championship from 2004 to 2006. The track record at the greatest configuration was set by Kamui Kobayashi with a time of 1:41.220 in a GP2 Asia car. The circuit was designed by Clive Bowen of Apex Circuit Design.
Ever since 2006 the Autodrome has been home to the Dubai 24 Hour, a GT, sports car and car automobile endurance race open to both professional and amateur teams. Some of the world’s most famous drivers have driven competitively the circuit including the likes of Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Nelson Piquet, Romain Grosjean, Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg, Sebastien Buemi, Jean Eric to name a few.
The circuit – which has four configurations and two additional sections(Non racing) – was designed to meet the stern safety requirements and is the first FIA-approved circuit to include wide asphalt run-off areas. The digital surveillance system provides entire coverage of all areas of the track and is allied to the Race/Safety control room for monitoring and saving on recorders. This means that each incident along the track throughout a race or event can be watched by the clerk of the course. Most facilities are housed in a ultra modern complex facing the grandstand. The VIP Suites offer a stunning view of the exhilarating action with cars fleeting only meters away. The underscore of the motorsport calendar for local racing has been the Dubai Motorsport Festival on a distinctly local aroma with the catchy adage being: a celebration of UAE motorsport. Dubai Autodrome has deliberately situated itself as the home of UAE national motorsport.
