DUBAI // The UAE’s nascent Formula Gulf 1,000 series received a major boost yesterday with the announcement it has signed a partnership agreement with Campos Racing, the European marque owned by former Formula One driver Adrian Campos.
Campos are competitive in GP2, Formula 3 and the developing Formula E, with the team owner often being credited for helping mentor the likes of Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez.
As part of the deal, the Valencia-based marque will reward the winner of the Formula Gulf 1,000 series with a day in the team’s GP2 simulator in Spain, followed by a test in an F3 car.
In return, Campos will send drivers to compete in Formula Gulf during the winter racing season when weather in Europe can often make driving impossible.
“It is recognition that we are doing something right,” said Martin Hope, a managing partner at GulfSport Racing, the Dubai-based company that founded the series in 2010. “We offer the best value single-seater series around and that has generated a lot of attention in Europe.”
While a season in a similar series in Europe would cost in exces s of €100,000 (Dh470,000), Formula Gulf operates on a budget of about €60,000. “It’s obviously still not cheap, but it’s half the price of Europe,” Hope said. “It would be impossible to go any lower and still cover the costs.”
The Gulf series is seen as a stepping stone between Middle East karting and European F3 with seven races shared between Dubai Autodrome and Yas Marina Circuit.
The announcement was made at the launch of the UAE motorsports calendar, which is headlined once more by the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 23.
The Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) has issued 125 competitor licences to karters – a 25 per cent increase on last season. Yet, the lack of interest by Emiratis remains a concern.
The vice president of FIA, Mohammed ben Sulayem, who is also head of the ATCUAE, spoke of his disappointment at the lack of young, local drivers fighting for a place at the FIA Institute’s Young Driver Academy.
“We are going to have an interesting and competitive season this year,” Ben Sulayem said.
“But what is clear is that at the grassroots, like we have mentioned so many times before, we definitely need not just a champion but several champions.
“The FIA Academy will be here next week, and I was surprised by the reaction. I was expecting more youngsters involved, but we’ve only had a few.”
While the ATCUAE celebrates its 50th anniversary next season, this year marks 10 years of competitive racing at Dubai Autodrome.
“The government has made a huge investment in motorsport and it is our duty to work hard to attract and develop more young talent to make sure the growth we have seen in the sport in recent years is sustainable,” Ben Sulayem said.
The tie-up between Campos and Formula Gulf is a positive start.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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