Abu Dhabi: Yas Marina Circuit hosts the penultimate round of the Total UAE Touring Car Championship and the last round of the UAE GT Championship in a two-race sprint format today.
It's crunch time in the Total UAE Touring Cars championship battle in Class 1, with Nader Zuhour targeting his first UAE championship win, while his chief rival Costas Papantonis is looking for his second UAE title.
Zuhour, driving the NFS Racing-prepared Seat car, has three wins to his credit having scored in every round and currently leads the standings by nine points.
"I have been driving with an eye on the championship, but at the same trying to take each race one at a time," said Zuhour
Fujairah-based Papantonis, driving the Gulf Petrochem-backed Seat, has won four times but one non-points scoring round was a setback for his campaign.
Also set to make a return to the Class 1 fray is former champion Mohammad Al Owais in the Emirates Racing Team Seat.
Lap57 Honda driver Umair Khan is cruising to his third Total UAE Touring Car Championship — with a 45-point lead in Class 2 over his closest active rival. The least he has to do is finish each of the remaining four races to triumph again in a category he has come to dominate.
His teammate Rupesh Channake is most likely to challenge him for top honours, along with Jonathan Mullan in the GNSS Racing Honda and the Gulf Petrochem Renault Clio pair — brothers Constantinos and Alexandros Annivas.
Small field
A small field will line up on the grid for the final round of the NGK UAE GT Championsip, which will run in the touring car race. Rafael Unzurrunzaga should be the man to beat in his Blue Jumeirah Team Mosler.
Also on the bill today will be races for: UAE Radical Cup, Maserati Trofeo JBF and Formula Gulf 1000. Racing starts at 11.20am on the North Circuit configuration of Yas Marina Circuit.
