FIA GT racing comes to Dubai!

quacker_boy · Cuddle Bitch Joined: 06 Sep 2005 Karma :

Well yesterday saw the final round of the GT race cars. The cars are split into two classes, GT1 and GT2. The chairman of our company, The Cobra Group, is a man called Chris Niarchos and races in the GT2 class in an Ferrari F430 with team mate, Tim Mullen.

Me and few other colleagues were given pit passes and allowed to get up close and personal to the car they drive. We also had a round of the Dubai Superstock championship on display so i took a few pics of those lot as well.

Please excuse the camera quality, it's a Pentax Optio430 and has the slowest shutter speed on the face of the earth! There's a delay of about 2 seconds! Enjoy!

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My mates GSXR600 K6. The engine has been blue printed by Crescent Suzuki and it's a predominately Yoshimura bike.

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My attempt at a couple of arty shots Laughing

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These pictures onwards are all of the car now, i've never been so close to a mean machine like this. And the work the mechanics did was simply STAGGERING! They ripped out the whole gearbox, changed the gearing and clutch in 45 minutes!

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The driver's cockpit

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The engine

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The Ferrari had also been kitted out with these little bits of kit, their own pneumatic jacks! An air hose would be connected to the car and phoof! The car shot up off the ground 8 inches!

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Although dubbed as the poor man's Ferrari this car was definitley the loudest there, it's the Corvette Z06.

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Disaster struck on the last practice session before qualifying, the car snapped a drive shaft. The left hand side of the shaft as snapped 4 times during the whole year so the team are fairly pro at changing it. A 20 minute gap whilst the Superstock race was on saw the snapped one ripped out a new one back in place!

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Chris' team mate, Tim, sat behind the wheel prepped up and waiting for tyres to be fitted, warmed to 80 degrees Celsius.

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My mate Luke sat on the starting grid, blatantly shitting it, he still managed to run a fantastic race and came 4th after qualifying 8th.

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The race winned, Abdul Azziz, qualified first and finished first 7.86 seconds ahead of everyone else. Ram, Joe, take a look at what bike he's on Laughing

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A few more random pics of the bikes.

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That's it till next year!

Chris
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wizzzard wrote: Imagine God just stopping by, tidying your front room up and then quietly letting himself out again. Statisticly more likely to happen than Korn being on here.

Resurrection · Ballast Boy Joined: 08 Jun 2006 Karma :

Very cool

Looks like any petrolheads dream day out Thumbs Up

Res
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ZX9r

quacker_boy · Cuddle Bitch Joined: 06 Sep 2005 Karma :

Should be even better next year, Chris has said he'll try to come a tad earlier and er...get the team to fit an extra bucket seat Twisted Evil

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wizzzard wrote: Imagine God just stopping by, tidying your front room up and then quietly letting himself out again. Statisticly more likely to happen than Korn being on here.

greenmeanie · Trackday Trickster Joined: 29 Dec 2004 Karma :

WOW! looks like the ultimate day out to me! nice 1 mate! Thumbs Up

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Rh.

Adam_P · World Chat Champion Joined: 23 Jan 2004 Karma :

That's the series the team I work with have been racing in all season, unfortunately they decided that going to Dubai wasn't an option for this year. Sad

I know Chris Niarchos really well though! Laughing

Have known him for a few years now, interviewed him on several occasions (when I've had my journalists hat on) and we had a garage next door to Scuderia Ecosse team several times this season. Saw him at Le Mans too.
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Colin McRae MBE 1968 - 2007 RIP Sad

Orwell Rolls in his Grave
God is imaginary

quacker_boy · Cuddle Bitch Joined: 06 Sep 2005 Karma :

Small world then eh mate?!

You'll also know his team member then Tim Mullens? Both of them are the most down to earth guys i've ever met and stupidly quick behind the wheel of their car!

We invited Chris and Tim to come and join us out on the go-kart track for shits and giggles as well. It was great fun! Thumbs Up

What's the team you work with Adam?
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wizzzard wrote: Imagine God just stopping by, tidying your front room up and then quietly letting himself out again. Statisticly more likely to happen than Korn being on here.