ABU DHABI // As a jubilant Clivio Piccione and Stef Dusseldorp stood on the top step of the podium at Yas Marina Circuit last night, it was fair to say that they knew they owed their success largely to the work of their Hexis team in the pit lane.
The pair, in their Aston Martin, triumphed in the opening round of the FIA GT1 Championship thanks largely to a swift pit-stop by their mechanics midway through the race.
Piccione, the driver from Monaco, had run fifth in the early stages, but the rapid work of the Hexis pit crew vaulted them up the order to first place, with a six-second advantage, leaving Dusseldorp, the 21-year-old Dutch driver, to hold off the challenge of Richard Westbrook's Nissan GT-R to take the win in his first GT race.
Piccione led the praise of his mechanics afterwards. He said: "They made this win possible today with an amazing pit stop. The car was good all weekend and it is just the best start we could have."
Dusseldorp, who credited the fast work of his team simply to "lots of practice", said he was not surprised by how quick the stop had been. "This morning we did a great pit-stop in the qualifying race and gained a lot of positions, and the team did the same job in the main race and they put me out in front which was great," he said.
"All I had to do was stay in front, which was not as easy as it looked, but we did and it is a great feeling."
Enrique Bernoldi had led the opening laps in his Sumo Power Nissan GTR, but disaster struck when he swapped over to Ricardo Zonta in their pit stop on lap 13 as Zonta collided with Frederic Makowiecki's Marc VDS Racing car. Zonta suffered a puncture and was out of contention.
There was no home delight for Jamie Campbell-Walter, Yas Marina's Formula One two-seater driver, as his co-driver, David Brabham of Australia, twice fell foul of the race stewards.
The pair had finished eighth in the qualifying race in their Sumo Power Nissan GTR yesterday afternoon, but Brabham ignored a red light at the pit exit, and he and Campbell-Walter were given a five-place grid penalty for the start.
Then Brabham, who started the race, was adjudged by the stewards to be have been "abusing the track limits" by going off the circuit as he battled with cars on the opening laps. Brabham and the Sumo Power car were given a drive-through penalty and dropped to the back of the field, and had to be content with ninth place, 32 seconds off top spot.
Meanwhile, there was plenty for the House of Portier Corvette team to be happy about in the UAE GT Championship, which was part of the support races at Yas Marina yesterday.
Karim al Azhari had already secured the GTA title, and it mattered little that he and his co-driver, Fabien Giroix, were sidelined early in yesterday's final round of the season with mechanical problems. But his teammate, Mohammed al Mutawaa, the 18-year-old Emirati, with al Mutawaa's co-driver, Jiri Skula, finished second overall behind Julian Griffin's Dodge Viper, a result that was good enough to earn al Azhari the GTB title.
And to cap a good day for Emirati racers, the GTC race was won by the UAE pair of Saeed al Mehairi and Hasher al Maktoum in their Yas Marina-sponsored Aston Martin.
gcaygill@thenational.ae
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
match info
Southampton 2 (Ings 32' & pen 89') Tottenham Hotspur 5 (Son 45', 47', 64', & 73', Kane 82')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Persuasion
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The biog
Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 571hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,000-4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L/100km
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Company%20Profile
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Dubai World Cup draw
1. Gunnevera
2. Capezzano
3. North America
4. Audible
5. Seeking The Soul
6. Pavel
7. Gronkowski
8. Axelrod
9. New Trails
10. Yoshida
11. K T Brave
12. Thunder Snow
13. Dolkong
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries