Sterilised helmets and laundered suits: Dubai Autodrome and Kartdrome reopen with new safety measures

The motoring venues are welcoming customers back, but restrictions to ensure Covid-19 is kept at bay are now firmly in place

Dubai's Kartdrome is now allowing customers back in, with a variety of new safety protocols in place. Aaron Meriwether

Guests will have their temperature checked before being allowed entry. Aaron Meriwether

The Autodrome is planning on expanding its activities. Dubai Autodrome

Racers will be handed sanitised equipment before going out on the track. Aaron Meriwether

Helmets and race suits are individually wrapped in plastic. Aaron Meriwether

A Toyota Supra driver tries the car out at the Autodrome prior to the outbreak of Covid-19. Dubai Autodrome

Disposable gloves and balaclavas are required wearing. Aaron Meriwether

Dubai’s Autodrome and Kartdrome are reopening to visitors keen for a bit of track action as restrictions ease in the city, but officials at both venues have set a raft of new measures in place to keep customers safe.

In line with current guidelines, visitors will be presented with disposable gloves and balaclavas upon arrival, as well as helmets that have been sterilised using medical-grade UV equipment – the same used in UAE hospitals – and laundry-cleaned race suits. Both helmets and race suits also come wrapped in plastic to further allay the risk of contamination.

Booking is online only now, and there are a series of new flow-paths to ensure guests maintain distance when they take part in activities. The racing is currently only open to those aged between 12 and 60, which is also in accordance with government rulings.

The resumption in business by both venues follows a tentative offering by the Kartdrome in May, where owners were allowed to take part in special practise sessions.

The main race circuit is also open to the public, and Dubai Autodrome has created Drive-Thru Car Track Days, a contact-free journey in which participants can bring their own vehicles and get out on the tarmac. The whole process is designed to be safe by allowing guests to stay in their cars from start to finish.

More activities are planned for the coming months, including track days for motorcycles, driving experiences and karting sprint races.

Completed in 2004, the Dubai Autodrome was the UAE’s first fully integrated multipurpose motorsport and entertainment facility.