Karting endurance championship to start Friday

Dubai: The first round of the 2013 Dubai Kartdrome Endurance Championship driven by Mini takes place this weekend. This edition is a 12-hour race, which starts at 2pm on Friday and ends at 2am the following morning.

The four-round championship is expected to be hard-fought throughout as reigning champions Batelco have opted not to compete this year.

A host of new teams will be on the grid on Friday, but the one that has grabbed attention is the CG Pro team led by former world karting champion and FIA GT champion David Terrien, partnered with Alban Varruti, the Azzam brothers Rami and Ramez, and ace junior karter Piers Pakenham-Walsh. They are hot contenders for the top step of the podium despite having never raced together as a team.

They will face pressure from a host of teams also targeting the big prize, including the all-Emirati Dubai Falcons, led by Shaikh Hasher Al Maktoum and including Saeed Al Muhairi and Mohammad Al Mutaiwe’e.