Sports Car Forum - MotorWorld.net - Another JW members in Magazine

:D :D :D :D

Wow... this is the best thing happening now!

I didn't knew that photo/article was supposed to come now!
Last Friday, This thing popped in my face, AND WOOOOW! I really like the article. and no sugar was added... 'i think'

We got two or three races to come, wish us the best!

enjoy :D

http://img154.imagevenue.com/loc228/..._122_228lo.jpg

With the Gulf Radical Cup giving speed merchants in the UAE a stepping stone to the big time, Omran and Mohammad Al Owais can now dream of a place in the world famous Le Mans 24-hour race.

Two Emirati brothers are making an impact in an exciting local sports car
racing championship that hopes to find stars to propel on the world stage.
Mohammed and Omran Al Owais both compete in the Gulf Radical Cup
where all competitors, whose ages can range from 20 to 60, use exactly
the same sports cars in a bid to find the best driver.

The competition is held mostly a the Dubai Autodrome, although the series,
which runs from October until April over 18 rounds, visited Bahrain earlier
in the season.

Drivers own the cars they race in, which cost between Dhs 250,000 and
Dhs 400,000, and series founder Barry Hope believes the Gulf Radical Cup
can be a stepping stone to the highest level of sports car racing.

"Top of our tree in sports car racing is the Le Mans 24-hour race," Hope
explains. "Our goal is to be able to get Emirati drivers competing in that.
It's a realistic aim.

"If you're looking for an F1 driver he's possibly 12-years-old now and
you've got to go out and find him, then nurture him and go through the
various classes around the world.

"For us at the top of the tree here, our car is two steps away from what
runs at Le Mans. So there's no reason why we can't get a driver at Le Mans
in three to five year's time. We've got the budget, facilities, commitment
and skills, so it is very possible."

The Gulf Radical Cup is organised through the Gulf Sport company, of
which Hope is the managing director, and they require drivers and
sponsors to expand the series.

Mohammad, 23, from Sharjah only started competing in the series in
October but has been through a steep learning curve and is now second in
the overall championship with six rounds to go.

Looking back to his first experience behind the wheel of an SR3 Radical
two-seater sports car, he remembers: "The first time I did it I was very
scared. I'd never driven like this and everything was too much.

But then I'd practice every weekend and everybody was very supportive.
The first time I did it, I did a lap in one minute 50 second and the best
time was one minute 42 seonds, so I was only eight seconds behind.

In the first and second race I competed in , I cam last because I was not
used to it and then in my third I made the podium."

And Al Owais believes racing enthusiasts would learn a lot from competing
in the Gulf Radical Cup.

Any interested party who approaches Gulf Sport, the team the brothers
drive for, first has the level of their skills and knowledge tested and only
trained drivers are allowed on the track.

After that they practice at public days on race tracks before buying a car
and entering races when they are comfortable with the circuit, a process
that can take only a couple of weeks.

"Four years ago I started motor-crossing and karting," Mohammad says.
"Then last year I met the guys here and decided to go with racical racing
because it's most like a race car. It's not just about speed, it's about
braking and technical aspects.

The fact that we all drive the same car appeals because otherwise if
someone has a bigger budget they will always win.

Motorsport in the Middle East, GCC and UAE is set of a sonic boom when
the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix goes online in 2009, but Hope wants the event to
help boost the profile of local competitions and drivers.

There is a desperate need for corporate sponsors to lend their backing to
the new initiatives, with motorcycle racing, saloon car racing and sport car
racing championships thriving in the UAE.

"We'd like to showcase these guys in Abu Dhabi in 2009 as there are
always support events with F1", Hope says.

"By then these guys would have done it for two or three years and it is a
chance to make the wider motorsport world that will come here for F1 take
notice and see there is a scene here.

"So 2009 is very important for the country to show the world that it's not
just about the F1 circus that lands here, but there is a local scene.

There has to be an opportunity for local people to participate, and we're
facilitating that".