Abu Dhabi's ambitious Yas Marina Circuit Top Fuel team might be the new kid on the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) block, but the same cannot be said of their driver, Rod Fuller. Fuller goes into Colorado's Mile High Nationals today with 100 professional drag race starts. The Denver event is an NHRA rarity in that the family-owned track lies at altitude, 1,600 metres above sea level. The Abu Dhabi/Yas Marina team are making their second start after their mixed series debut last weekend at the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.
Fuller qualified third in the Abu Dhabi car's first foray at the pinnacle of drag racing, causing a stir in the NHRA garages. Technical problems, perhaps caused by Fuller's over-exuberance, curtailed the Yas Marina Circuit crew's progress in the eliminations last Sunday. Fuller was eliminated in the round of 16. "I aim to win every time," Fuller said after Sonoma. "I never put on my helmet and get strapped into the car if I don't have a shot at winning. I think a lot of people at Sonoma thought we were crazy when I said we had a top-five car. But we surprised those people when we qualified third."
After that notable opening qualifying session success, Fuller was optimistic about maintaining momentum in Denver, a track where he topped the podium in 2007. "Denver gives us our best shot at winning because of its mile-high elevation," said Fuller, before Friday's qualifying stint. "It is unique on the drag-racing circuit because none of the teams get to test and prepare for this race the way they do for all the others. It is a level playing field for everyone."
Fuller's performance, however, did not match his pre-race optimism. In his opening qualifying run, Fuller lost traction on the scorching Bandimere Speedway track and recorded a disappointing lap of 4.801secs at 258.203kph to place 11th in the 16-car order. The second run went better, a pass of 4.113 at 451.678kph elevated Fuller to ninth overall. "It's tough racing up here with this altitude," said Fuller, a Chicago native. "You saw a lot of cars struggle with the heat and conditions. The track will get better and I think you'll see a lot of movement in [yesterday's] second round of qualifying. It's supposed to cool off, so I expect us to run much better and get into the top half of the field."
Regardless of results at Bandimere though, the Yas Marina Circuit team - dovetailing competition duties with a destination awareness agenda that is backed by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority - have successfully raised eyebrows among the US drag racing fraternity. "This tour has already been a success because it has proved that we are a legitimate drag racing team and not just an interesting sideshow," said Richard Cregan, Yas Marina Circuit's chief executive. "Rod's qualifying time in Sonoma has already proven that and I hope this tour will pave the way for the team to race in more US events next year and also possibly in Europe and even Australia."
After Denver, Fuller's squad will spend August fine-tuning issues identified from the first two outings before gearing up for September's back-to-back Top Fuel rounds in Indianapolis and Charlotte, North Carolina. Again, expectations will be high. "Indy is the biggest race on the drag calendar," Fuller said. "Many top drivers would rather win the Nationals there than the world championship. The Concord track [in Charlotte] is the opposite of Sonoma. It's the newest and most modern venue, kind of similar in that way to Yas Marina Circuit."
Casey Stoner was instantly fast at the Red Bull US Grand Prix as he set the best time of the opening practice session, just ahead of MotoGP championship leader Jorge Lorenzo. Stoner, the 24-year-old Australian who is fourth in this year's championship race, won at the Monterey, California, racetrack in 2007 and looked comfortable on the short and highly technical Mazda Raceway on Friday, posting a best lap of 1min 21.699secs.
Lorenzo, however, was just behind at 1:21.932. His Fiat Yamaha teammate, Valentino Rossi, struggled to keep pace, posting the sixth-fastest lap. Rossi, who came back last week from a broken leg, said he had to battle pain as well as the track. Last weekend he finished fourth at the German GP. * With agencies
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 190hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.9L/100km
Price: From Dh119,900
On sale: Now
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
Company Profile
Name: Raha
Started: 2022
Based: Kuwait/Saudi
Industry: Tech Logistics
Funding: $14 million
Investors: Soor Capital, eWTP Arabia Capital, Aujan Enterprises, Nox Management, Cedar Mundi Ventures
Number of employees: 166
MATHC INFO
England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)
New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
