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10 December 2009
2009 Nivea for Men Endurance Challenge Round 3 at the Kartdrome

Strong teams to line-up for Nivea for Men 24 Hours season finale at the Kartdrome

Traditionally the final round of the 2009 Nivea for Men Endurance Challenge, 24 Hours of Dubai at the Airdrome, is the most popular edition of the three round championship. This year is no different with entries for this weekend’s race at the Kartdrome coming in from not only the UAE and Gulf region, but also from Europe, UK and Asia.

Organisers are expecting a full grid of 26 teams competing in one of the most prestigious leisure karting endurance series’ in the world. Kartdrome manager David Terrien commented, “The grand finale of this year’s Nivea for Men Challenge is probably going to be one of the best. Each year, in fact each race, we see teams improving and getting stronger. The field in the October race, round 2, was the closest we have ever seen. As a result the racing was very tight throughout the 24 hours of racing.”

Championship leaders and winners of the first two rounds, the Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum led NFM Professionals, are going to find the going tougher than usual. In October they were pushed all the way by Team Grohe. The event invariably attracts foreign teams and this time around there will be an even larger “foreign invasion” with a number of pro and semi-pro teams, from France, Germany, Russia, UK, Turkey, Seychelles and Venezuela, who will be going all out to defeat the local squads on their “home” track.

Apart from the foreign contingent there will be “usual suspects” from the UAE and region. As mentioned Team Grohe will have a formidable line-up, as will previous winners Batelco from Bahrain, Ocean Rubber and the perennial challengers Top Performance Speedsters, while two new teams from Oman enter the fray as unknown quantities.

The fastest growing category, which is effectively a “race within the race”, is the Corporate Challenge which is the battleground for company teams with drivers made up of staff members. This has become not only a team building opportunity for corporate teams but also a fierce competition among the teams striving to be the best placed corporate team.

Coupled to the prestige of winning, or even doing well in Dubai, is the fact that the 24 Hours races count for points in the Sodi W-Series leisure karting world ranking. Which will see the top points scoring teams from around the globe compete in a world final 24 Hour shootout. Valauble points are up for grabs.

As the last major motorsport event of the 2009 season the Nivea for Men Challenge will have a festival atmosphere. With 26 teams and 200 drivers, their support crews, families and friends. The start at 2pm is a not to be missed spectacle, as are the early hours of the race when the pace is fast and furious. While the couple of hours before the chequered flag is always intriguing to watch.

Dubai Aurodrome Chairman Saeed Khalfan commented on the eve of the race, “I would like to wish all competitors the best of luck and may the best team win. Keeping in mind merely competing and finishing is an achievement, this is a team event and as mentioned the squads that manage their ‘human resources’ most effectively are likely to feature prominently in the final outcome.”

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Message to competitors by Dubai Autodrome Chairman Saeed Khalfan

Welcome drivers to another edition of the 2008 Nivea for Men Endurance Challenge at the Kartdrome. Another Nivea for Men 24 Hour event which are now firmly entrenched on the prestigious sporting calendar of our great city Dubai.

We extend a warm welcome to our international guests from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Kingdom, France Germany, Italy, Seychelles and Russia. Also to our regular entrants who have been the mainstay of this event. They have entered what is undoubtedly the most challenging of these endurance events temperatures are likely to flirt with the 30 plus degree mark on the thermometer to low ice cold conditions when darkness falls.

With this in mind I strongly urge all competitors, teams and their captains to factor into their strategy and recovery regimes. It is very important for all drivers to constantly hydrate themselves as their stamina will be tested to the limits in the conditions that are likely to prevail. Also important to stay warm when the temperatures plummet. This particular event will test the reserves and condition of all participants to the max. It is not an overstatement to classify this event as an Extreme form of motorsport. It will be and only the well prepared and toughest will survive. There will be discomfort for drivers as they battle the harshest of elements.

Of course the racing, as usual, should be of the highest calibre as all the teams are in the proverbial “same boat” – each competing against one another while taking on the challenges that the weather will throw at them. At the Kartdrome we are well prepared for this event with medical teams on standby throughout the 24 hours to assist and treat competitors. Safety of the competitors is paramount and only the best will be on offer throughout the weekend.

To our sponsors Nivea for Men we salute their commitment and unwavering support. They make this event possible and we expect them to attain the support and exposure which has made this event an attractive marketing tool for their top of the range products which they generously make available to all competitors.

I would like to thank David Terrien and his team at the Kartdrome for their tireless work during the build-up, during the event and in the event aftermath for once again making the Nivea for Men 24 Hour race the slick affair that it is. The Nivea for Men Challenge events are the pride of the Kartdrome’s numerous activities which requires hard work and military style organisation for competitors to maximise and enjoy their experience.

Finally and importantly, I would like to wish all competitors the best of luck and may the best team win. Keeping in mind merely competing and finishing is an achievement, this is a team event and as mentioned the squads that manage their “human resources” most effectively are likely to feature prominently in the final outcome.

May all competitors have a safe and enjoyable Nivea for Men 24 Hours race!