After twelve hrs and 555 laps of endurance kart racing Batelco Racing Drag965 asserted triumph at midnight on Saturday (11 February), winning Round One of the Dubai Kartdrome Endurance Championship. The Emirati squad of Dubai Falcon Competing Team took leading honours in the Nations Cup group while Team Emirates protected first place in Business Class.

The total success on the 1.2 kilometre Opposite International Circuit at Dubai Kartdrome likewise ensured a Pro Class win for Batelco Competing Drag965, avenging a slim defeat to CG Racing Pro last year.

Fresh from its 2016 Pro Champion victory, CG Racing Pro sent out a message early on to its rivals that the group prepared to protect its title by topping the timing screens in the morning.

Alban Varutti of CG Competing Pro nailed a finest certifying lap time of 1:12.442, just 0.027 seconds ahead of Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum of Dubai Falcon Racing Group. Batelco Competing Drag965 safeguarded 3rd on the grid and the Russian team of Lukoil Competing Team earned 4th.

In the opening laps, CG Competing Pro made good use of lead and jumped into the lead. However, persistent difficulties from competitors brought about them losing the frontrunner placement early on with both Batelco, Falcons and Lukoil taking the lead in very first half of the race.

Pit strategy entered play by the six hr mark and Batelco Competing Drag965 took control of the pack, complied with by Lukoil Competing Group and Bin Drai Karting Team. CG Competing Pro was down in 4th place but had actually taken one more pit stop than the karts in advance.

The pit stops eventually evened out with only Thirty Minutes delegated enter the race. CG Competing Pro moved up into 2nd, only 47 seconds behind Batelco Racing Drag965. Bin Drai Karting Team kept 3rd place while Dubai Falcon Competing Team delved into fourth over Lukoil Racing Group that went down to 5th.

Last stint chauffeur Alban Varutti of CG Competing Pro tried to close the void however Ramez Azzam of Batelco Competing Drag965 kept self-displined and safeguarded the lead. Azzam crossed the line 40.704 seconds in advance of Varutti.

The triumph completed the overall and Pro Course prizes for Batelco Racing Drag965. CG Racing Pro opted for second place in both groups and Bin Drai Karting was pleased to go from 5th on the beginning grid to 3rd place on the whole and third in Pro Course.

Group Manager of Batelco Competing Drag965, Ali Abbas Hasan claimed: "Luckily the method benefited us and after that we actually leveraged the technique we kept for ourselves."

Regarding the new circuit setup this year Hasan said: "It behaved, constantly testing, however it is constantly good to have a various arrangement."

Emirates Karting Club tasted success last year winning the Corporate Class Championship with Fly Emirates 1. This year, its partner team: Team Emirates, climbed up from twelfth on the grid to 7th, capturing a Corporate Course success.

After twelve hours of racing CG Racing 1 was simply 21.238 secs behind Group Emirates and took 2nd place in Corporate, while Redline Competing, making an extraordinary run from seventeenth place to 9th, finished up third in course.

The UAE racers of Dubai Falcon Racing Team, the previous 2015 champs, were dismayed to end up 4th general yet were content to leave with starting point trophies in the Nations Cup group.

Lukoil Competing Group had an encouraging run early however by the end of the race the Russians needed to choose 5th general and 2nd in the Nations Cup. The Indian crew of ZOOM Racing Group moved up to safeguard third in course.

At the end of the evening David Bright of Dubai Kartdrome said: "The racing was fantastic this weekend. It was really enclose certifying and in the race as a result of the new fleet of Sodi RX8 karts, making it evenly matched throughout the entire event. It came down to pure driving and pure strategy"

Captions:
1. Start of Round One Dubai Kartdrome Endurance Championship.
2. Dubai Kartdrome Stamina Championship winners' podium.
3. Batelco Competing Drag965 en route to Round One victory.