Batelco win 12 Hours thriller in heat of the night
Team Batelco driver Alban Varutti crosses the line to win the Motorcity 12 Hours at the Kartdrome
8 October 2011
Round 3: Motorcity Endurance Championship
Dubai 12 Hours at the Kartdrome – Batelco win a thriller in the heat of the night
Team Batelco delivered a master class in team strategy and faultless driving to claim victory in the Motorcity Dubai 12 Hours at the Kartdrome today (Saturday, 8 October 2011), managed by Ali Abbas the Bahraini team overcame a concerted challenge, from local heroes Dubai Falcon Racing Team, to win for the second time this year
Batelco won the season opening Motorcity Dubai 24 Hours in April, but the Falcons retaliated to take victory in round 2. With victory in round 3 the title showdown will take place at the season finale in December.
On the night it was again the title contenders who set the pace from early on, with Batelco claiming pole position for the start. From the go, after the 9.00pm Le Mans style start the duo ran nose to tail through the night and into the early morning. Dubai Falcons were victims of some bad luck around the halfway mark, which ultimately cost them in the end.
On the other hand the Batelco squad – made up of Mohamed Mattar, Alban Varutti, Ramez Azzam and his younger brother Tamer Azzam making his debut for the team – were ruthlessly consistent on their way to a well deserved victory by two laps in the end, notching up 568 laps of the Kartdrome (anti-clockwise configuration) in the process.
Crossing the line a lap behind the Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum led Dubai Falcons, in third place was Racing for Belgium team, who were also the best of the international contingent.
Team manager Ali Abbas said afterwards, “The contest for victory was between two top teams with great drivers. None of our drivers made a mistake and it became a battle of strategy which I am happy to say we won.
“It was another fantastic race, one of the toughest of our victories here. As usual the organisation was great, the karts were well matched and winning in at the Kartdrome is always special.”
Dubai Falcons captain Sheikh Hasher conceded, “The best team won. It was close for most of the night, but they had a better strategy in the end. So congratulations to them for their win. We look forward to the final in December.”
The Corporate Class was once again a hard fought affair with Publicis Groupe Racing taking top honours after a night long duel with CG Racing and MBC Action.
Publicis team manager Ronald Zouein said, “It was a tough race. We came here with one objective to win. We had a strategy and all our drivers had a job to do. They stuck to the plan without making mistakes. Our drivers are amazing and I cannot thank them enough. I also want to thank the Kartdrome organisers for delivering a great race and especially the marshals for keeping it safe.”
CG Racing once again were a prominent presence in the pit lane, chasing top spot in the corporate category throughout the 12 hours, eventually crossing the line second in the Corporate Class with MBC Action third.
Other winners on the day were the UAE Arrow Racing Team for the most improved local racing team and Auto Potenza nabbing the best newcomer award. They finished 14th and 10th respectively.
The final race of the Motorcity Endurance Championship, Round 4, will be the Dubai 24 Hours at the Kartdrome on 9/10 December 2011.
Race Result Overview
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