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How The UAE Hosted Its First Grand Prix 40 Years Ago

December 11, 2021 in Uncategorized | Permalink


The Hyatt Regency on the Dubai Corniche
Photo: Hyatt

This weekend Formula One will end their dramatic season with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit in the race’s titular emirate. While the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix became the first and so far only Formula One World Championship race in the United Arab Emirates in 2009, it was not the first race to be referred to as a grand prix within its borders.

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The neighboring emirate of Dubai hosted its own grand prix 40 years ago. In October 1981, the Formula One season concluded in Las Vegas with the infamous Caesars Palace Grand Prix. Two months later, there would be a race on the Dubai Corniche around the Hyatt Regency hotel. Despite the name, there’s no relation to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia, just a similar general geographic location.

Yes, the Dubai Grand Prix wasn’t an F1 race. The headline event of the grand prix itself was a sports car race. The race was won by a Lola T70 with Gerry Marshall behind the wheel. The field primarily consisted of British drivers. This was due to the race being organized by Martin Hone, who would later bring the Birmingham Superprix to fruition.

If the spectators weren’t interested in sports cars, the stars in support events were worth the price of admission alone. Stirling Moss, Carroll Shelby, Phil Hill, Dan Gurney, Bruno Giacomelli, Derek Bell, Nigel Mansell and Helmut Marko drove in a Citroën CX all-star race. Giacomelli proved to be the fastest in the Citroën CXs and won the race.

Fans did get to see Formula One machinery out on the track as John Watson in a McLaren MP4/1 and Patrick Tambay in a Theodore TY01 attempted to win $5,000 in a fastest lap contest. Also, Juan Manuel Fangio drove one of the Mercedes-Benz W196s, in which he saw his 1950s success. Unfortunately, Fangio suffered a heart attack during the demo run, requiring the five-time world champion to undergo cardiac bypass surgery.

The 1981 event to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the UAE’s independence would be the only time the Dubai Grand Prix would be run. This month, a vintage motorsport event was held at the Dubai Autodrome to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Dubai Grand Prix and the 50th anniversary of the UAE’s formation. Despite Abu Dhabi’s now-perennial place on the F1 calendar, this 40-year old race still holds significance in Dubai.

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McLaren Aims To Buy 75 Percent Stake In Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team By The End Of The Year

August 8, 2021 in Uncategorized | Permalink


Photo: Chris Graythen (Getty Images)

McLaren is about to double down on its stake in IndyCar; the team announced today that it will be acquiring a 75 percent stake in the Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar team by the end of 2021, The Indy Star reports.

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McLaren joined up with what was then known as Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports on August 9, 2019, essentially partnering up with a well-established IndyCar effort as a way to really make their mark on the sport after some messy attempts at racing in the Indianapolis 500. The team provided a solid foothold for McLaren.

Since then, the British outfit has proved to be an integral member of the team, not only helping to build partnerships with brands like Vuse, Mission Foods, Darktrace, Tezos, and QNTMPAY but also providing technical support from its McLaren’s F1 base in England.

Once McLaren joined up, the team saw a significant improvement. In 2019, James Hinchcliffe was the highest-placing driver on the team at the end of the year, scoring 12th place in the overall championship. The following year, Patricio O’Ward finished fourth overall. Now, O’Ward is in contention for the title. It’s been a seriously rapid turnaround. Now, with a majority stake in the team for the 2022 season, it’s only a matter of time before McLaren becomes a series champion.

(It’s worth noting, though, that the team intends to keep the Arrow McLaren SP name, largely in honor of Sam Schmidt, who has built the team from the ground up.)

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“Today’s announcement is a strong signal of our long-term commitment to IndyCar as both a racing series and a marketing platform for McLaren Racing and our sponsor partners,” McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said in the press release. “McLaren Racing believes IndyCar will continue to build our brand in North America, serve our expanding US fan and partner base across our racing portfolio and drive long-term value. The racing is second-to-none, with world-class competitors in both drivers and teams and a passionate, highly engaged fanbase.”

“We always believed that to accelerate our progress in IndyCar, partnering with a team of McLaren’s capability and F1 experience was a key strategy to propel us forward, and so it has proved,” Ric Peterson added in the release. “McLaren Racing now takes the baton and will combine the best of what they do with the best of what this team does to create something truly special.

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“Sam and I are immensely proud of what we have built together through our partnership over the past nine years, and look forward to continue being part of this team as a partner with McLaren Racing to see Arrow McLaren SP go from strength to strength.”

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McLaren gains Gulf Oil as sponsor

July 28, 2020 in Uncategorized | Permalink

McLaren has received some reprieve from its financial woes with the signing of Gulf Oil as a sponsor.

The multi-year deal, announced Tuesday, will see Gulf’s famous branding appear on the engine cover and wing mirrors of McLaren’s F1 race cars, as well as on the clothing for its team’s staff, including drivers Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz. The new partnership will be officially launched at this weekend’s 2020 British Grand Prix.

There will also be a tie-up between Gulf and McLaren’s road car division. From 2021, McLaren will start using Gulf Oil’s fuel and lubrication products for its road cars. Gulf branding will also appear during driving events and be offered with limited availability as an option for McLaren’s road cars. The MSO personalization department will hand paint the blue and orange livery.

Gulf Oil, currently owned by India’s Hinduja Group, has a long-standing and successful history with McLaren. Gulf first became a sponsor of McLaren in 1968 and continued until the end of 1973, in both F1 and the Cam-Am series. The partnership was then renewed in the1990s, this time in the world of endurance racing where the Gulf branding was applied to F1 GTR race cars.

Gulf Team Davidoff 1997 McLaren F1 GTR race car

“We’re delighted to welcome Gulf back to McLaren and reunite two iconic brands back together in a new and exciting partnership, Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, said in a statement. “Gulf is part of McLaren’s history and are well-known for their innovation and technical excellence in the industry, with which aligns with McLaren perfectly.”

Terms of the deal haven’t been announced.

McLaren finally appears to be on the mend after the company ran into financial troubles earlier this year caused by the slowdown in sales and delayed start of the 2020 F1 season resulting from the ongoing Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. McLaren in May made the tough decision to shed 25% of its staff and considered selling a major stake in its F1 team at one point.

The company was thrown a lifeline in June by main shareholder Bahrain and since the start of the new F1 season in July, McLaren’s drivers have been among the top ranks. The team is currently third in the Constructors’ Championship.

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