Sport | Motorsport
Home-grown speedracer angling for pole position in 2008/9
Speedcar Series driver Shaikh Hasher Al Maktoum has promised to be at his best when the first round of action in the 2008/09 Championship gets underway tomorrow.
- By Duane Fonseca, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:16 December 3, 2008
Dubai: Speedcar Series driver Shaikh Hasher Al Maktoum has promised to be at his best when the first round of action in the 2008/09 Championship gets underway tomorrow.
The two-day event at Dubai Autodrome is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of Dubai Autodrome, and will run until Saturday.
Ex Formula One driver Johnny Herbert, who won last year's series, is expected to face stiff competition from F1 rival Jean Alesi and a host of other drivers who once plied their trade in motorsport's top-tier event. Shaikh Hasher and Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi, who until last year was part of the F1 touring party with Toro Rosso driver and is currently a test driver for Force India F1, too will be among those bidding to stop the Briton's fine run in the event.
Shaikh Hasher is focussed on the task at hand, and has assured his home crowd he will dish out nothing but his best. He says last year's experience behind the wheels of his roaring V8 and this year's many test sessions have given him the confidence he needs.
"Last year's series was a great learning experience and I feel much more confident about my driving now," he told Gulf News on the sidelines of a testing session.
"We have some great drivers in the series and speaking and working with them I managed to pick quite a few things. Them sharing their experiences can really help us younger drivers and I am really looking forward to the start of the new season. It's always great to race here in Dubai, especially when you have so many of your own people watching. I always want to impress them and this inspires me to do well."
Shaikh Hasher is also pleased with the performance of the new V8 cars, which will show for the first time in Dubai. "One of the main draws of this year's racing will be the cars, they're not only powerful, but the handling is a notch better as well. I've really enjoyed driving them during the various test sessions we've had and I feel they'll make racing and the entire series all the more exciting," the 23-year-old added.
Share this article
Popular in Sport
-
Golf
Realistic hope
Briton, on verge of turning 29, is among the fancied four for title
Sport Editor's choice
-
Westwood in control
Englishman grabs two-shot lead as Harrington pays price for double-bogey on Earth course
-
Stojakovic leads Hornets to victory
New Orleans, under new coach Bower, hand Phoenix their third loss of the season
-
Harrington: Hit and miss
Harrington drops lead after a double bogey on the 18th, shares second spot with six others in Dubai World Championship
