Dubai Kartdrome to host the third round of the 2014 Endurance Championship driven by MINI

• Reigning champions CG Racing seeking to repeat treble title win
• Batelco look to extend their championship lead in Pro Category
• Fierce Corporate battle between CG Racing 1 and Team Emirates
• All Emirati team Dubai-5 top aim to extend Nations Cup lead

Dubai, October 15, 2014 – Dubai Kartdrome this weekend hosts the third round of the 2014 Endurance Championship driven by MINI, and thus fires up the tenth anniversary season of Dubai Autodrome the UAE's first motor racing complex.

Over the past decade the Endurance Championship at the Kartdrome, in various guises, has been a mainstay of Dubai's prestigious sporting calendar, delivering some epic contests which are now part of local leisure karting folklore. In keeping with tradition, all ingredients are in place for another intriguing contest, with 32 teams set to do battle for top honours in three categories - Pro, Corporate and Nations - with several contenders for the big prize. Reigning champions CG Racing are once again the team to beat in all categories, having raised the bar over the past few years and along the way making history by being the first team to win all three categories in one season. Once again as the champions they will be the squad to beat. They lie second by a mere ten points in the Pro Category with CG Racing Pro spearheaded by former karting world champion David Terrien along with Rami Azzam and Piers Pakenham-Walsh on duty. With their CG Racing 1 outfit they top the Corporate Category and lie second Nations Cup standings - nevertheless another treble title haul is still very much in their sights. After a one year sabbatical from the UAE based series, Bahraini team Batelco returned for the 2014 season and immediately made their mark with victory in Round 1 in February, which they followed up with another win in Round 2 in May. Mohammad Al Mattar, Alban Varutti and Ramez Azzam - former SWS Endurance World Champions - are a formidable line-up who know their way to the top step of the podium and can be expected to set the pace as they aspire for a hat-trick of wins in the series. Dubai-5 lie third in the Pro Championship standings with the all Emirati line-up of Ali Al Mansoori, Atef Al Barwani and Haytham Sultan who are perennial front runners at the Kartdrome, and on their day they are quite capable of upsetting the form book. Dubai Falcon Racing Team, consisting of Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum, Saeed Al Mehairi and Nacho Girona who are also no strangers to the Kartdrome podium and will be targeting outright victory in Round 3 so as to keep themselves in contention for the title, which in all likelihood will be decided at the season finale at the flagship Kartdrome 24 Hours in late November.

Ahead of the race weekend the Kartdrome has been a hive of activity for teams training and fine tuning their race pace, and apart from the above-mentioned favourites there are several teams quite capable of defying the odds and create a shock come race day. Among these are the likes of Speedsters, Blacklist, Timeless Events Racing, ENOC Racers and MINI Dubai along with a number of 'unknown quantities' such as the all French Stinger Racing. In the Corporate Category the title race is fierce and extremely close with CG Racing 1 and Team Emirates, with a win apiece and separated by five points, set to slug it out again this weekend with the likes of Lukoil Racing Team, CG Racing 2 and Fly Emirates targeting a podium come Saturday morning. With their line-up of UAE drivers Dubai-5 are top of the standings in the Nations Cup, having scored maximum points in the first two races. They are followed by reigning champions CG Racing 1, made up of Lebanese drivers, who have finished runner-up on both occasions. Also strong contenders are the all-Russian Lukoil Racing Team. The scene is thus set for another fascinating and multi-faceted challenge for all 32 teams and 200 drivers who take to the Kartdrome for the 700 km race. Kartdrome manager Ryan Trutch said, "We are looking forward to another great race weekend and welcome the 'usual suspects' along with new teams and drivers who have taken up this challenge. A special mention to our long time sponsors MINI who continues to back this series and thus show commitment to karting at grassroots level." "As for the race itself there are several teams in with a good chance, and this time of the year the weather starts to play a role with the possibility of humid conditions during the course of the event adding to the challenge. There is a change to our facilities in particular our pit lane which has brought several challenges this year and has resulted in a much longer pit lane. This will give the teams a lot to think about in terms of strategy," added Trutch. Kartdrome spokesperson Paul Velasco said, "There is a great buzz ahead of the race as it is the curtain raiser to the Dubai Autodrome and Kartdrome historic 10th anniversary season. Once again this endurance series has attracted a top notch field and we can thus expect an absorbing contest where the smallest mistake can be the difference between victory and a top ten finish." "The level is such that teams who manage to deliver a faultless strategy along with relentless consistency, coupled to a strong pace will most likely take victory. Truth is there are several teams capable of accomplishing this which sets the scene for a mighty battle," predicts Velasco. Adding spice to the four championship is the fact that the result counts towards the SWS Endurance Championship global rankings, which rewards the top teams with an entry to the prestigious SWS World Finals where the top leisure karting teams compete to be world champions. The 700 km race takes place on the Kartdrome's International configuration, with Free Practice scheduled for 18:50 pm on Friday evening, followed by qualifying at 20:00 pm with the field to be flagged off at 21:00 pm. Organsiers expect the race to last around 13 hours, thus the chequered flag should be waved at around 10:00 am on Saturday.