Packed Agenda Confirms UAE as Middle East Motorsport Hub

Nov. 18, 2011 - PRLog -- It’s proving to be an exciting year-end for car enthusiasts in the UAE, with both the Dubai International Motor Show and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix taking place in November, plus a busy November-December calendar at the Dubai Autodrome featuring the Bridgestone Potenza Performance Challenge, a 150-competitor amateur event, set to take place on the 9th and 10th of December.

“Over the last few years we’ve seen how a passion for auto sports has grown in the Middle East, particularly with the increase of motoring events in the region and the attention they have attracted” stated Takumi Kakara, Director-Marketing, at Bridgestone Middle East & Africa. “We recently visited the Dubai International Motor Show and are excited to foster the developing interest in the world of motor sports by participating in the Potenza Performance Challenge and other similar events in the UAE.”

The Emirates saw 50,000 Formula One fans from all over the world flock to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with an estimated 500 million television viewers watching the race globally. Thousands more trade and public visitors attended the Dubai International Motor Show, which ended earlier this week. These high profile events have undoubtedly raised the profile of the UAE in the motor world, helping to foster a number of national and regional events. Dubai’s Autodrome has nearly 30 motoring and racing events taking place before the end of 2011, including what is expected to be the Middle East’s biggest amateur driving competition of the year: the Potenza Performance Challenge 2011, presented by Bridgestone.

“We at Dubai Autodrome are looking forward to the Potenza Performance Challenge, it’s in line with our ongoing development of high performance motoring and motorsport events at grassroots level, which we proudly promote as part of our contribution to the burgeoning motorsport scene in the Middle East. In keeping with our traditions, the Potenza Performance Challenge caters for, not only the petrolheads, but also families and groups who want to enjoy an entertaining outing with a buzz,” commented Ali Fardan Al Fardan, Dubai Autodrome Chairman.

The Potenza Performance Challenge will host a number of exciting activities for the whole family, including a competition in which 150 invited sports driving enthusiasts will compete in a series of challenges to win a brand new Volkswagen Scirocco.  Drivers will have the chance to demonstrate speed, precision, and skill by competing in three time based driving challenges in performance vehicles running on Bridgestone Potenza high performance tires.

“There are an increasing number of world-class motorsports events now taking place in the UAE, confirming the country as the Middle East’s centre of motoring excellence,” said Sherif El Gamrawy, organizer of the two-day Potenza Performance Challenge.

On day one, competitors will drive against the clock in an ‘Autocross Course Challenge’. Only 50 will advance to compete in the ‘Target Braking Challenge’ on Saturday morning by stopping a high performance car in a limited braking zone from speed. Only 10 will make it through to the final ‘Time Attack Challenge’ round on Saturday afternoon  where they will need to master speed and control in a single timed lap around the Autodrome’s 2.64 Km Club Circuit while driving an F3-style single seat car.

The Potenza Performance Challenge is expected to attract thousands of visitors including auto enthusiasts, the general public and renowned names in the motor industry. In addition to the Driving Challenges, attendees of the Potenza Performance Challenge 2011 will also be able to compete in gaming challenges on the new Forza Motorsport 4 from XBOX, a tuner car and custom bike show, an expo with the hottest accessories and cars from the UAE tuner scene, a variety of games and attractions for children, as well as food and entertainment. More information can be found at www.potenzaperformance.com.

Tickets for the Potenza Performance Challenge 2011 are priced at AED 40 per adult and AED 20 for children with Kids under the age of 12 entering for free.  Tickets can be purchased online through www.timeouttickets.com and other retail outlets which can be found on the event website.   F&B stations at the venue will be serving BBQ and other festival snacks throughout the weekend.

The Potenza Performance Challenge 2011 support sponsors include Dubai Autodrome, Microsoft XBOX, FX and Fox channels, Zee TV and Zee Cinema Channels, Farsi1 TV, 92.6 FM, Top Performance Magazine, Biker’s Café, Expand A Sign Middle East, What’s On Magazine, 7Days, Indigo Entertainment and GeeKay Games. For more information, please visit
www.potenzaperformance.com for details, like us on Facebook PotenzaPerformanceChallenge  or follow us on Twitter @PotenzaPC.

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Spot On Public Relations helps companies build brands online and offline. Based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates Spot On focuses on the Middle East & North Africa. Join our mailing list for updates, articles and research reports: http://conta.cc/cinbiq

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