PH in Dubai - The track day

Dale goes in search of hypercars at a track day in Dubai; finds PHers and usual suspects instead

Hand on heart, my expectations for today are huge. Last night, my flight landed in the dry, midnight heat of Dubai, and by 2am I had seen no fewer than FOUR Bugatti Veyrons, TWO Koenigseggs and a wealth of Ferraris.

Fast cars, cheap fuel, blue skies - as expected

And by 9am I’m seated inside a borrowed Jaguar F-Type V6 S, chasing a 1992 Porsche 964 RS through the skyscrapers of Dubai.

Two bright red cars, six cylinders each, carving through the American-style, ultra-wide and many-laned highways. The Porsche pilot is Phil McGovern, partner in an automotive marketing and publishing firm and long-time ex-pat here.

Our destination is the Dubai Autodrome racing circuit, and the event is a regular Friday track day. It will be my first taste of car culture in the UAE as well as vital schooling for “the big event” a few days hence (more on that later). I’m not sure exactly what to expect, but my head is full of Sheikhs, Enzos and Zondas.

PHers, old Clio Cup cars and rest not so much

Sheikhen, not stirred
But there’s not a single hypercar to be seen. The most exotic car on track is a wobbly Ferrari 458. A handful of Porsches are doing their best to worry some apices and a white Caterham R500 is sliding through the infield on maximum attack.

“It’s not what you might expect,” laughs Phil. “Most of the locals are more interested in cruising the high streets than lapping a race track. Track days aren’t that well advertised or promoted,”

He’s not wrong. My initial impression is that it’s like a track day at Mallory Park in the late 90s. A handful of enthusiasts, an owners’ club and a few club racers banging in the practice laps. In fact, the entry for the half-day, open pitlane session is just 800AED (less than £140). Not exactly hypercar territory.

Ah, that's a bit more like it

I am a passenger
I’m not driving today, so for my first lap of the track, I’m thrust into the passenger seat of a black and orange Porsche GT3 RS driven by John Iossifidis.

“It’s a lovely circuit,” he points out. “And not easy to get right.”

The shorter National configuration that we’re driving is still a great racetrack by anybody’s standards, and a great workout for John’s Porsche. The kerbs are relatively low, but the dust is everywhere, particularly offline.

John’s driving with the Porsche Club of UAE, although it’s a quiet day and I can actually only spot six Porsches here.

The view from the passenger seat ... for now

Scattered around the sparse paddock are a few Caterhams and even some Radicals. I’m not out of the Porsche for two minutes when I’m invited to jump into the aforementioned R500 for a couple of hair-raising laps. I can’t remember which of the three Moutran brothers actually drove, but it was good to see the circuit and the line at race pace and in a car as transparent and simple to decode from the passenger seat as a Caterham.

Meeting with the PH massive
It’s easy to spot the PH forum members though. Their car choices lay in the ‘sensible’ end of the spectrum with a pair of older Clio Cup race cars being run from a very modest pair of trailers in the middle of the car park. Another pair of British ex-pats are just leaving in their red Clio 197. And Dan Hannam is packing up what must be the only Ford Escort Mk2 in the whole of the Arabian peninsula.

Yep, the track day’s already over. The superbikes are warming up.

Track time done it's time to head into the desert

“It seems odd saving the hot afternoon sun for the bikers,” explains another ex-pat Phil, this one is Phil Craven, AKA ‘shirt’ on the PH Forum. “But the track is pretty dusty in the morning, which probably doesn’t suit the bikes very much. The cars clean it up a lot quicker. We’re all done now. Pub lunch?”

I’m in.

“Then we’re going to go out to the desert in the 4x4s and hit a trail or two…”

I’m definitely in.

To be continued…

PH in Dubai:
Dune bashing
The Dream Drive
Pic Of The Week
Ferrari 458 Challenge vs McLaren 12C Sprint with Dragon Racing