Dubai, 11th-12th May – Only the previous weekend the Batelco team from Bahrain were in fierce competition on a hotNorth Carolinatrack inCharlotte,USA. This weekend the Batelco team were still in baking hot conditions but a lot more humid as they campaigned the 12hr endurance race at Dubai Kartdrome.
No stranger to the Kartdrome Fabienne was keen to sample the re-styled fast flowing track layout being tried for the first time this weekend.
The Batelco team (Alban Varutti; Ramez Azzam; Mohammed Mattar) practised hard and the previous three weeks of intense racing paid of with Varutti securing pole position for race start at 9pm on a cooler Friday evening. The racing format had been modified to avoid the heat of the midday so drivers had a 9pm till 9am race schedule.
By half way mark the Batelco team were up to 3rd position and soon after worked their way into 2nd position.
9pm Le Mans style start
Local team, Dubai Falcons were leading in first place with a 12 seconds gap when Varutti took the wheel, he managed to close the gap to just 5.687 seconds during the last hour making it the closest team finish, but the Batelco team had to settle for second place after an intense battle.
Fabienne in action
“A very good race, very consistent and amazing work again by all in the team. From the crew, to the drivers, everyone did an awesome job. I am enjoying myself in this team, we have some real talented drivers and the team work is top notch,” added Fabienne.