DUBAI // This weekend's 24 Hours of Dubai marks the eighth successive year the race has been held and Mohammed ben Sulayem, the president of the UAE Automobile and Touring Club, says it has grown in such a way that it is now second only to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in terms of prestige.
"When it was first done in 2006, it was great to see so much interest, but I remember saying 'I hope it's sustainable'," Ben Sulayem, said yesterday at Dubai Autodrome. "Now when I see it sustaining and growing – and in a healthy way, because you do not want to see a boom and then nothing afterwards – it proves to me the event is something of real quality."
The key factor for Ben Sulayem is that drivers and teams return year-on-year. The first event had 67 teams registered to compete, whereas tomorrow's grid is expected to have 82 marques line up. Likewise, drivers who took part in the inaugural event are back again this year.
Prince Abdulaziz Al Faisal, the Saudi Arabian driver, raced in 2006 in a Mini, yet competes this weekend in a BMW Z4. He said yesterday that such developments inspire him: "It just shows, if you put your heart into it, every year you can get better and better."
Certainly the race is improving as an event. The Autodrome's first endurance spectacle attracted around 12 factory-backed teams, whereas, eight years later, the provisional entry list shows more than double.
As well as the increase in competitors, the entertainment side has improved also, bringing increasingly more spectators. While the sun-bleached stands are certain not to be full this weekend, the paddock thrived yesterday with enthusiasts and their families.
"The event has a soul," Ben Sulayem said. "If you want to sustain it, it's like any other sport: you need entertainment. And that's what you see here. For me, this is the jewel of motorsport in Dubai. Yes, we have the Formula One grand prix in Abu Dhabi, but this complements it and the rest of the racing season."
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