Waleed Al Housani back at Yas Marina as popular drag circuit returns

The smell of gasoline and burning rubber will fill the air at Yas Marina Circuit when the second round of the Yas Super Street Challenge begins at the capital’s purpose-built drag strip.

Drag racing will return to the iconic Yas Marina Circuit on Thursday, February 26. Delores Johnson / The National

ABU DHABI // The smell of gasoline and burning rubber will fill the air at Yas Marina Circuit again on Thursday night when the second round of the Yas Super Street Challenge begins at the capital’s purpose-built drag strip.

More than 90 participants from the Gulf region have registered to take part over the next two days in the second round of the embryonic series, which is open to amateurs and features five categories, including a contest for sports utility vehicles.

The monthly event is part of Yas Marina’s bid to encourage grass-roots motorsport, while also providing a safe environment for would-be racers to showcase and nurture their competitive potential.

Waleed Al Housani, a 31-year-old Emirati, last month finished first on his debut in the Super Street category, which is open to all vehicles except SUVs.

Al Housani, who is enrolled in the UAE army, said he registered for the Street Challenge because it gave him somewhere legal to enjoy the full capacity of his car.

“I have a powerful car, a Nissan GT3 with a modified package, and my friends told me about the drag race at Yas,” he said. “It is better to race the car there than on the streets, no?”

Yes, it most certainly is. Not only is the drag circuit at Yas fully equipped to allow for professional-level drag racing and manned by safety experts, it also offers cash prizes of up to Dh15,000 for the three fastest cars in each category.

“The first round proved extremely popular and participation for Round 2 is going to be even bigger,” said Saud Al Qaydi, the motorsport manager at Yas.

“There is a large underground street racing community in the UAE, and we’re delighted to be able to open the circuit to them and provide a fun and safe environment to compete in.”

The gates at Yas open tonight at 5.30pm, with the first on-track action starting at 6pm.

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