Team Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon are the two-time defending champions of the 24 Hours of Dubai. Delores Johnson / The National
Team Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon are the two-time defending champions of the 24 Hours of Dubai. Delores Johnson / The National

Team Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon on 24 Hours of Dubai hat-trick



DUBAI // A thousand years ago, surrounded by sand and without technology, local Bedouins would send out falcons in a bid to source food and water.

Nowadays, on an asphalt track on the edge of the desert, an Emirati is sending out high-tech, high-speed falcons to bring home silverware.

Team Abu Dhabi by Black Falcon, an endurance race team headed by Khalid Al Qubaisi, will compete in the Dunlop 24 Hours of Dubai this weekend looking to continue a remarkable hot streak.

Winners at Dubai Autodrome in 2012, Al Qubaisi and his team of multi-national, multi-lingual drivers returned last January to successfully defend their crown. That proved the start of a triumphant season that culminated at the Gulf 12 Hours at Yas Marina Circuit last month.

Starting at 2pm on Friday, Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen, Bernd Schneider of Germany and Sweden’s Andreas Simonsen will join Al Qubaisi as they look to ensure their Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 finishes first and complete what the Emirati called “a great hat-trick”.

“Winning this race once is extremely difficult, defending it is even harder, so winning it three times in a row is a massive challenge,” said Al Qubaisi, a resident of the UAE capital.

“Last year has given us a lot of confidence, so I feel no pressure. I am just enjoying it and having fun. We are the team to beat, we are strong and we have the potential to win it.”

This weekend’s field is vast, and a cursory glance at the entry list provides a clear indicator of the worldwide growth experienced in recent years by the event, which was first held in 2006.

Eighty teams representing 18 countries will compete, with more than 400 drivers and 40 nationalities, including drivers from as far apart as Portugal, the United States and Papua New Guinea.

“Last year, it was incredible to win so many things and I am very proud,” said Schneider, a four-time Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters champion.

“Last year was my first 24-hour race win since 1989 and proved to be the beginning of an amazingly successful year. We hope to win, but we know that you do not only need speed and a good team, you also need to have luck on your side, so we are hoping for that too.”

gmeenaghan@thenational.ae

TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas

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Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong

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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega

Director: Tim Burton

Rating: 3/5

The biog

Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi

Age: 23

How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them

Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need

Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman

Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs 

Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing

Three ways to boost your credit score

Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:

1. Make sure you make your payments on time;

2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;

3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.

Company%20Profile
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The Bio

Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”

Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”

Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”

Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”

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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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UAE%20SQUAD
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EA Sports FC 25
The Year Earth Changed

Directed by:Tom Beard

Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough

Stars: 4

Company%20profile
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The biog

Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.

His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.

“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.

"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”

Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.

He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking. 

Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Kandahar%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ric%20Roman%20Waugh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EGerard%20Butler%2C%20Navid%20Negahban%2C%20Ali%20Fazal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

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