Dubai Motorsport Festival takes place in November at the Dubai Autodrome

Three days of non-stop action high quality international motorsport activities aimed at the racing aficionados and casual fans who want to be part of the big event experience.

The Dubai Motorsport Festival will add a motorsport element to the city's already well established and prestigious sporting events such as the Dubai World Cup, the Rugby Sevens, the Tennis Open and the Desert Classic.

Unlike previous seasons, when the running of the Motorcity GT500 was limited to one category of international motorsport, the Dubai Motorsport Festival will host three very different but equally exciting international series and three classes of the burgeoning UAE national racing classes.

The three day programme of events will include the Dubai debut of latest motorsport sensation, the Speedcar Series, which will feature household names such as Jean Alesi, Johnny Herbert, Narain Karthikeyan, Stefan Johansson to name a few of the stars who will be slugging it out in the roaring V8 cars.

A massive grid of the ever popular FIA GT3 European Championship consisting of the worlds most exotic supercars, turned into racers, will star at the Dubai Festival Weekend. Fans can expect one of the largest and most varied grids of cars including the greatest marques in sports car racing such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ford GT, Corvette, Porsche, Dodge Viper and Aston Martin.

The highly competitive Formula Campus Renault French Championship will run it's final round on the Dubai Motorsport Festival weekend. The series stars young, up and coming drivers single minded drivers on the early path to Formula One. The young aspirants who in several year's time could well be household names. Adding spice to proceedings in Dubai is the fact that the HSBC Racing Academy drivers Thani Al Thani, Mohammad Al Abdooli, Khalid Al Mutawaa and Dubai based Courtyard by Marriott driver Ramez Azzam will take on the cream of French racing talent on home soil.

In what is a major fillup for local motorsport the Dubai Motorsport Festival weekend will provide an international stage for UAE national racing by including on the bill races for Saloon Cars, Superbike style motorcycles and the Le Mans style Radicals Series.

The on track activities will be spread over the three days with Thursday being dedicated to practice and qualifying sessions for the international and the national classes. The race programme on Friday and Saturday will be similar with a race for each category - Speedcar, GT3, Formula Campus Renault, national Saloon Cars, national motorcycles and Radical Series - on both days.

Dubai Autodrome Sales & Marketing Manager Peter Burns commented,

'We hope to grow the Dubai Motorsport Festival into the premier annual motorsport event in the Middle East outside of the two Formula One events in the region. It is going to be more than just another race. Plans are in place to make it a must attend annual social sporting event aimed beyond devoted motor racing fans and appealing to a broader public. Hence there will be side shows throughout the weekend in designated entertainment areas to satisfy anyone from autograph hunting kid through to socialites wanting to be seen at the high profile event - and all those in between.'

Due to the increased demand for five star and corporate style entertainment at the circuit during events, the weekend will feature the launch of Dubai Autodrome's new state-of-the-art Paddock Hospitality situated above the pit lane. The VIP complex offers gourmet catering and beverages in the heart of the action and glamour of the event. The area is also ideally suited to corporate guests and companies wanting to maximise the full potential of their involvement in the Dubai Motorsport Festival.

The city can brace itself for a sumptuous feast of motorsport in November at the Dubai Autodrome.