Controversy tarnishes Total UAE touring car races

Dubai: The two Total UAE Touring Car Championship races at Dubai Autodrome on UAE National Race Day 2 were nail-biting affairs, but they will be remembered for all the wrong reasons as a number of drivers were penalised for infringements during the course of the day which will cost them dearly in the championship standings.

The biggest loser in Race One was former champion Mohammad Al Owais who crossed the line first — setting the fastest lap in the process — and looked to be the winner of Class 1, but not long after he was dropped down to fifth position by the race stewards after his Emirates Racing Team SEAT was found to be underweight.

This promoted fellow SEAT driver Nader Zuhour to the top step of the podium, followed by second placed Costas Papantonis in the Petrochem-backed SEAT and Martin Johnson taking fourth in the Vauxhall. In Race Two Ramzi Moutran took his third race victory of the season in the Duel Racing SEAT, after Zuhour ran wide on the final turn of the final lap while leading. Zuhour recovered to finish second with Johnson third again.

Although Papantonis crossed the line second he was excluded from the race for breach of Article 3.1P of the sporting regulations and Article 158 of the ISC.

In the first race Umair Khan won the Class 2 battle in his Lap57 Honda, adding to his opening round victory, crossing the finish line ahead of the Emirates Racing Team Honda duo of Rupesh Channake and Aslam Moola, second and third respectively.

Khan was gunning for the double, but a gearbox problem intervened and forced him out of Race 2. Channake crossed the line first in class, but was found to have been underweight due to insufficient ballast and was dropped five positions by the race stewards.

This promoted Moola to race winner, ahead of Spencer Vanderpal, also in a Honda and Khalid Bin Hadher to third in the Emirates Racing Team Renault.

Bin Hadher was top in the Clio Cup category in both races, ahead of Alexandros Annivas in the Petrochem Renault and Sami Moutran driving the Duel Racing Renault in the first race. In Race 2 it was Frederic Gaillard who finished second and Moutran crossing the line third.