Racing drivers are slim. They need to be to remain competitive. What's the point of the engineers meticulously stripping out any additional weight in the car only to put in a driver whose non-aversion to cake means all their work is wasted? I'm not a racing driver, so I have to squeeze myself through the tiny aperture in the roll cage. It requires yoga-style flexibility to do so - flexibility I've not got. So brute force bending my legs and folding my torso will have to do.
The harnesses are tight, stupidly so, but from experience I know that with the first tap of the brakes I'll want to tighten them up. Racing cars are extreme; forget everything you think you know about driving, as being strapped into a stripped-out machine that has one single focus is a stark reminder of how comfortable your road car is. Even racing cars based on cars such as the MX-5 turn into completely different animals with the niceties stripped out.
This car, a Mazda MX-5 built by Jota Sport to compete in Britcar (a UK race series), couldn't exhibit that any better. I'm strapped into its tight seat surrounded by a cage and looking at a simple digital display. The entire dashboard has been binned and replaced with carbon fibre - and not the polished trim pieces you'll find in anything trying to look a bit sporty, but a rough and ready one-piece carbon-fibre item that helps bring this car's kerb weight down to under 900kg. Before I embark, mind.
There are buttons on the steering wheel and I've no idea what they do. I'm talked through the start process, which requires a flipped switch here, my foot on the clutch and the pressing of one of those buttons. A colleague lends me some advice but I forget it all the second the engine fires, as the noise the little 2.0L four-cylinder makes is quite unlike any MX-5 I've ever sat in before. The entire car fizzes - not surprising given that the output of the small engine has been increased from 160hp to a more potent 275hp.
And then to the difficult bit: the worry of learner-school clumsiness and stalling. Racing cars aren't good at pulling away, needing revs due to tricky clutches. Even with the slight downhill pull-off at the twisting circuit in Anglesey, Wales, I need to dip the clutch and flare the revs after the engine teeters on the edge of stalling. I lift the clutch as the drivetrain jerks and the MX-5 chunters out of the pit lane slowly.
That dip of the clutch is the last I should need, as the MX-5's gearbox doesn't require it when it's at speed on track. The six-speed sequential gearbox uses pneumatics to punch through the ratios. A quick pull on the right paddle is all that's required to have the next ratio selected and the MX-5 devours that cog and asks for another. The first corner approaches and I tap the brakes. The usual scenario occurs. I'm too early on the brakes, I want the belts tightening up and I'm too early on turning in. My road car calibrations are out of kilter with the responses and immediacy that the focus of a race car brings.
Amateurishly, I'm back on the power to get it around the corner at anything approaching decent speed. The next corner I'm later, deeper and faster, the next more so and the MX-5 is revealing itself to be an enjoyable, exploitable racing car.
There's a slight moment when cresting a rise and getting on the power too quickly, that the tail steps out, but it's easily gathered and I push the MX-5 harder again. Though approaching the final hairpin in front of the pits I'm suddenly facing the wrong way. Whatever happened did so quickly that I've only time to dip the clutch and hang on. Thankfully, nothing's broken and I've hit nothing as I limp apologetically back into the pits to have the car checked out. It's fine, and amazingly Jota's boys send me out again to complete my allocated laps.
That spin is quickly forgotten, as I rejoin the track determined to get a couple of clean, fast laps in before my time's up. My confidence increases as the tyres and brakes gain heat. The speed and control you have are utterly addictive. It's easy to see why people spend ruinous amounts of money going racing and why the guys at Jota Sport describe their MX-5 as something of a giant-killer. It's quick and hugely competitive - in the hands of proper drivers Owen Mildenhall and Mark Ticehurst it's shaken up the class in Britcar. It'll get quicker too, with Mildenhall saying Jota Sport is developing an aerodynamic kit and repositioning weight by adding a proper saddle fuel tank inside.
The best repositioning of weight, though, is when I get out and hand it back. Pretty senior, indeed. I'll never look at an MX-5 in the same way again, as underneath that friendly, forgiving road car is a ridiculously quick and capable racer.
Gulf rugby
Who’s won what so far in 2018/19
Western Clubs Champions League: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens: Dubai Hurricanes
West Asia Premiership: Bahrain
What’s left
UAE Conference
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Hurricanes II v Al Ain Amblers, Jebel Ali Dragons II v Dubai Tigers
March 29, final
UAE Premiership
March 22, play-offs:
Dubai Exiles v Jebel Ali Dragons, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Hurricanes
March 29, final
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Manchester United v Liverpool
Premier League, kick off 7.30pm (UAE)
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202-litre%20direct%20injection%20turbo%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%207-speed%20automatic%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20261hp%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20400Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20From%20Dh134%2C999%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Our House, Louise Candlish,
Simon & Schuster
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Roll of honour: Who won what in 2018/19?
West Asia Premiership: Winners – Bahrain; Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership: Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens: Winners – Dubai Hurricanes; Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference: Winners – Dubai Tigers; Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Palestine and Israel - live updates
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months