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
