“Would you like the hotel moved a bit to the left?”
Those were the unforgettable words of the ever-sarcastic Basil Fawlty when dealing with his shambolic hotel’s most demanding customer. And yet, I can’t help feeling that if Mrs Richards were a client of Dragon Racing, physically relocating the hotel she was staying in would not be a problem. If your pockets were deep enough, surely nothing would be out of the question.
Motor racing and the world of luxury are not mutually exclusive. Think about the upper echelons of various motor sports on the calendar and, quite apart from the high-octane competition and the insanity of teams travelling all over the planet to essentially drive around in circles, there is glamour and excitement by the truckload. Which is perhaps obvious when you consider the sheer amount of money it takes to go racing.
The UAE is, slowly but surely, being bitten by the motor-sport bug. And one thing that tends to be extremely popular in countries where motor sport is big news is the track-day experience. Pay your fees, take your car to a racetrack that your sporting heroes might have been competing on just a few days before, and drive without speed limits, oncoming traffic, enforcement cameras or stray donkeys wandering out in front of you. It’s all highly liberating – but what if your tastes and demands veer towards something a bit more exclusive?
How about having the entire Yas Marina Circuit opened just for you? How about availing yourself of actual race cars, feeling like you’re part of a team and having one-to-one tuition by seasoned professionals, who train some of the most famous names in the business? How about having an entire programme built around you and your desires? This is where Dragon Racing really demonstrates that it’s in a league of its own. Nothing, it seems, is off limits.
“We don’t really have a fixed menu or price list for what we offer,” says Jake Carlin, Dragon Racing’s marketing manager. “What we offer can’t be compared to any other company anywhere in the world.”
As he talks to me outside one of the garages that line the pit lane at Yas Marina’s iconic Grand Prix circuit in Abu Dhabi, a man and a woman are climbing into a Ferrari 458 Challenge racing car and a McLaren sprint car, respectively. The man is fairly experienced, having driven on dozens of track events, and is used to handling a high-performance car.
The woman, whom I’d spoken to earlier, is a complete novice, never before having driven anything like a McLaren, and is understandably nervous. However, they’re both being tutored by experts who fully understand and appreciate the varying skill levels that Dragon Racing’s client base possesses.
“Sometimes we’re asked to tutor actual F1 drivers,” continues Carlin. “Everyone needs extra training, no matter how good they are, and those drivers at the top of their game like the privacy we can offer. They’re able to spend entire days with us, away from the public eye, improving their talents and their lap times. But then we have the other end of the spectrum, where complete beginners just want to experience the thrill of driving fast in a safe environment, or improve their abilities.”
Indeed, driving a suitable car at high speed on a decent track is nothing if not a thrilling experience. And it’s surprising just how quickly you can go from total beginner to track-day warrior when you’re next to a professional racing instructor who is dedicated to making you more relaxed and more competent before you hang up your helmet and gloves for the day.
Dragon Racing has its headquarters here in the UAE and operates from both Yas Marina and Dubai’s Autodrome – two absolutely brilliant, world-class circuits. The business was set up by the chairman Leon Price, who is also the deputy chairman of Macsteel International Holdings, a successful steel brokerage. That’s the day job. He’s also a passionate “gentleman racer”, which means he competes on a racetrack when he’s not busy in the boardroom. He started racing six years ago and has already achieved more than 40 podium finishes. He has participated in the 2013 Mille Miglia and, with his friend and Dragon Racing’s director, Rob Barff, will participate in Le Mans Classic at Le Sarthe in July. He’s clearly a driven (no pun intended) professional and that’s apparent when you deal with Dragon Racing on any level.
Price called it Dragon Racing because he’d spent many years based in the Far East and the team itself took top honours at the recent 24 Hours of Dubai endurance race. The very Ferrari that won is available for use by Dragon Racing’s clients (if they’re deemed good enough behind the wheel). In fact it’s in the garage behind me as I talk to Carlin.
Last year, Carlin explains, Price extended the Dragon Racing brand to offer what they call “ultra-luxury, personalised track-day experiences” that include advanced driver coaching for all levels of drivers, corporate track days for senior management and executives, and “the ultimate race-day dream for motor-sport enthusiasts who have never before ventured onto the racetrack”. And when they say “luxury”, they mean it.
“If a client is Italian, we’ll pick him or her up from the airport in a Maserati,” continues Carlin. “If they’re German we’ll use a Mercedes or perhaps a BMW 7 Series. We’ll sort the catering around their own preferences and a team of highly skilled chefs will provide hospitality to rival any five-star hotel. If they want to fly in on their own jet or helicopter, go for a spot of dune-bashing while they’re here, play a round of golf on a championship course or dine at the finest restaurants, we sort out all the logistics – we take care of absolutely everything from start to finish.”
As important as these aspects undoubtedly are, it’s the driving experience on offer that’s the main draw. “We have the largest fleet of track-prepared McLaren sprint cars in the world,” explains Ian Bickerton, Dragon Racing’s director of engineering. “And we have a selection of Ferraris and Radicals for use, too. All owned by us, some of them raced by us.”
As we speak, the cars tear past and the nape-tingling sound of those highly tuned V8 engines quickens my pulse. This is the real deal, not some collection of road cars with lairy sponsor stickers down their sides. I’m asked to put on a Nomex (flame-retardant) race suit and choose a helmet – it will be my turn soon.
“We’ll be recording your sessions,” says Bickerton, “using cameras inside and outside the cars. When you’ve finished, we’ll give you a USB drive with the footage on it, but for a proper programme we’ll sit down with the client after each session and go through the telemetry data to see where improvements can be made and lap times reduced.”
I’ve driven this circuit many times before and I’ve driven McLarens and Ferraris, too, although not ones like these. And I can safely say, after spending an hour or so with the two experts on hand (particularly Barff, who has been instructing for more than 21 years), that this is quite unlike any other motoring experience on offer. To be part of an actual race team, to be part of its inner sanctum, to wear its clothing and take in its vast levels of experience … I can’t think of many other ways I’d rather blow my company’s entertainment budget – assuming I had one. Because packages are entirely bespoke and built around individual requests, the team is hesitant about putting a price on the experiences it can offer. However, a corporate event for 12 people in four cars (three people to a car) with an instructor would cost approximately US$4,500 (Dh16,530) for half a day.
“There is nothing ordinary about Dragon Racing,” says Price. “We race to win, whether at global motor-racing events or sharing our passion and expertise. We deliver exclusive, premium and exceptional memories that last a lifetime.”
He’s right. My own time lasted just an hour or so but I won’t forget it anytime soon. I’ve been able to brush up on my own skills, drive cars I’ve never before experienced and get just a small feel for what it’s like to be part of a successful race team. That any of us can do all of this just a few minutes from home is extraordinary – so prepare to be bitten by the bug.
khackett@thenational.ae
