DOHA (Qatar): The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) is planning to enter the recently-announced FIA Formula 4 UAE Championship, an exciting new single-seater race series that will be fought out over 18 rounds and six race meetings in the UAE from October 2016 to March 2017.
The Formula 4 UAE Championship is promoted by AUH Motorsports on behalf of the Automobile Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates. It is licenced by the FIA and open to all drivers over the age of 15 from the FIA MENA region.
The new championship follows swiftly on the back of an agreement signed between Mohammed Ben Sulayem, ATCUAE President, and Khaled Al-Qubaisi, Abu Dhabi Racing’s managing director, which was announced at the end of March.
“This is an initial investment to build a strong platform for road racing within Qatar and the GCC,” enthused QMMF president Abdulrahman Abdulatif Al-Mannai. “We are hoping this will attract other young Qataris to get into, not only road racing, but also the single-seater category.
“Establishing this team will also bolster our relationship with our neighbouring GCC clubs and federations and will give us the experience and knowledge to develop stronger championships in the future that will support the development of local talent and the sport itself within Qatar and the region.”
Teams will use an homologated FIA Formula 4 Tatuus F.4 T 014 race car. Made of fibre-glass and featuring a carbon composite crash box and adjustable front and rear wings, the car is powered by a turbocharged Fiat Abarth 1400cc engine that delivers in the region of 160hp. All cars will run on Dunlop control tyres.
Teams already signed up to the new race programme include two cars from the Rasgaira Motorsports and Dragon Racing Teams and entries from the likes of Slipstream Racing, Nielsen Racing, Gulf Sport, GDL Racing Middle East, Jenzer Motorsport GmbH, Rennsport Rössler and Italy’s Team Squadra Corse.
The QMMF-backed cars will face fierce competition when the inaugural 18-round FIA Formula 4 UAE Championship kicks off at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on October 28-29. The final three rounds of the series will also be fought out at Yas Marina on March 10-11, 2017.
FIA Formula 4 UAE Championship – calendar
Rounds 1-3 Yas Marina October 28-29
Rounds 4-6 Dubai Autodrome November 18-19
Rounds 7-9 Yas Marina December 16-17
Rounds 10-12 Dubai Autodrome January 27-28, 2017
Rounds 13-15 Yas Marina February 10-11, 2017
Rounds 16-18 Yas Marina March 10-11, 2017
