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CG Racing aim to defend triple titles

Word from their headquarters in Dubai is that they are again targeting the triple, and it is going to take a huge effort from their rivals to scupper their plans.

This weekend’s Dubai Kartdrome 12 Hours signals the start of the 2014 Endurance Championship driven by Mini, where the big question is who can stop reigning champions CG Racing from repeat domination of the region’s most popular leisure karting series.

Last year CG Racing — the ‘boys in blue’ — made history by claiming all three titles in the championship: the Pro Category, the Corporate Category and the Nations Cup. Word from their headquarters in Dubai is that they are again targeting the triple, and it is going to take a huge effort from their rivals to scupper their plans.

Nevertheless the champions face arguably one of the strongest fields ever assembled for the Endurance Championship, which grows in stature each year. A full grid of 30 teams and some 120 drivers will be in action starting on Friday at the Kartdrome, with several contenders for the big prize come the end of the 12 hours and, ultimately, come the end of the season.

Multiple champions Batelco, who sat out the series last year, are back with a vengeance, strong as ever and will no doubt be targeting victory, along with the formidable SkyDive Dubai Falcon Racing Team who were CG Racing’s biggest rivals last year.

Other teams who will be looking to upset the form book in the Pro Category are the likes of Speedsters who make a return after a few years on the sidelines, the two Dubai-5 teams, Timeless Events Racing and the all new Mini Dubai outfit. All capable of snatching top honours when it matters.

In the Corporate Category early indications are that CG Racing’s two teams will face stiff competition from Fly Emirates, who last year were the most improved team in the championship. Also in the mix will be the all Russian Lukoil Racing Team. A host of new teams will line-up on the Kartdrome grid for the first time, with several new teams set to embark on the huge challenge which is endurance karting. Among them may well be teams capable of challenging the exisiting pecking order in both the Pro and Corporate Categories, but only time will tell who these will be.

This year, organisers have tweaked the rules to further level the playing field and offer new teams the ability to be compteitive from the outset, a move which has no doubt helped fill the grid for the opening round of the 2014 series.

Kartdrome manager Ryan Trutch said, “Each year the emphasis is on fair play, and right now there is not much more we can do to level the playing field. As a result we have several new teams entered and some who are returning after a lay off.”

“Our goal has been to attract a good mix of Pro and Corporate teams, and I believe this has been achieved. The scene is set for a very tight contest, right through to the final lap of the final day of this championship.”

“A big thank you to Mini for their continuing support of the Endurance Championship, their involvement has helped raise the profile of endurance karting in the UAE and helped establish this series as one of the best in the world,” concluded Trutch.

On Friday, February 21, the 2014 series begins with the Kartdrome 12 Hours being flagged off — Le Mans style running start — at 12:00 noon on the tricky ‘Switchback’ configuraton.

This is followed by: round two the Kartdrome 600 Laps on 2-3 May, round three the Kartdrome 700 Kilometres on 17-18 October and the grand finale will be the Kartdrome 24 Hours on 5-6 December.