MOTORSPORT NEWS Rally

Dubai International Rally to start on Nov 19

 The 37th edition of the Dubai International Rally will be held from November 19 to November 21, ATCUAE said.The event will be held under the patronage of Shaikh Ahmad bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, president of the UAE National Olympic Committee.This year’s event is the final round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) season and will also be included as a round of the UAE National Rally Championship.

For the 6th year running the Rally HQ, media centre and service park will be hosted by the Dubai Men’s College at the Higher Colleges of Technology campus in Academic City in Dubai.

The Rally will start on Thursday, November 19, at 7:30pm with the opening ceremony and then racing kicks off at 9am following day (November 20).

Mohamed bin Sulayem, president of the Automobile and Touring Club of UAE, said: “This is the longest established motorsport event in the UAE, and its continued success would not be possible without the tireless support and patronage of Shaikh Ahmed, President of the National Olympic Committee, the Dubai Ruler’s Court, and Dubai Municipality.

He added: “Additionally an international rally cannot be staged without a variety of different stakeholders, so I would like to give my thanks to the large number of private and government organisations who contribute to the success of the Dubai International Rally, including Emarat, Emaar, Dubai Men’s College, Dubai Customs, DP World, Dubai Police, Dubai Immigration Department, the Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Civil Defence, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Dubai Tourism and the Unified Ambulance service.”

This year Dubai Rally will consist of 12 timed stages over two days, the competitive length of the rally is approximately 266km, an increase of about 15km from 2014. But the total distance of the rally will be almost 1000kms when the liaison sections are included.