UAE National Racing – Night of Champions
Champions of the 2008/2009 season honoured
On Friday night, 1 May 2009, at a glittering function at the Green Community Courtyard Marriott the cream of the UAE’s racing drivers, team principals, officials and media gathered for an awards ceremony to honour the 2008/2009 season UAE National Champions - the evening was billed as the “Dubai Autodrome Motorsport Club Night of Champions”.
Dubai Autodrome Chairman Saeed Khalfan opened proceedings with a speech which praised all involved in making 2008/2009 the finest motorsport season to date. He said, “In the short space of four years track racing has grown in leaps and bounds. In the early days we were lucky to attract 20 entries on a National Race Day. This year we often had over 60 entries on each of the eight National Race Days. Our sport is growing from strength to strength and today we are here to honour the Champions, but in truth everyone who competed this past season on our circuit is a Champion.”
On the night it was Emirati Mohammed Al Owais who, to a massive ovation, collected two titles for winning the Class 4 and Overall Yellow Hat UAE Touring Car Championship with House of Portier. Bahraini rider Hussein Al Kooheji received a standing ovation when called upon to collect his trophies for winning the UAE Sportbike Championship 600 Class and the Overall title. Dubai based Indian Juzar Motiwala was another popular recipient of the UAE Sportbike Championship trophy for the premier 1000 Class.
The biggest cheer of the night was reserved for the UAE’s Mohammed Al Falasi who was bestowed with the prestigious, and most impressive trophy presented by Glenn Portier, for the House of Portier UAE Touring Car Driver of the Year Award. A visibly emotional Al Falasi accepted his honour graciously amidst thunderous applause, “I am speechless. This is a great and totally unexpected honour. I congratulate all the Champions here tonight and thank my family, my team, UAE Corvette Club and Dubai Autodrome for making this possible. I believe this award will serve to inspire other Emirati’s to take up our great sport.”
All the winners on the 2008/2009 DAMC Night of Champions included:
Yellow Hat UAE Touring Car Championship with House of Portier
Mohammed Al Owais Overall Winner
Karim Al Azhari Class 1 Winner
Raed Hassan Class 2 Winner
Costas Papantonis Class 3 Winner
Mohammed Al Owais Class 4 Winner
Abdulhamid Al Awadhi Class 5 Winner
UAE Sportbike Championship
Hussain Al Kooheji Overall Winner
Juzar Motiwala Stock 1000 Class Winner
Hussain Al Kooheji 600 Stock Class Winner
Pascal Grosjean Superstock Class Winner
Gulf Radical Cup
Bassam Kronfli Overall Winner
DAMC Red Line Challenge
Aref Ramli RLC Overall Winner
Raoul Dice Montano 1M Class Winner
Jenniever Verana 1S Class Winner
Imad Mrad 2M Class Winner
Weaam Abdou 2S Class Winner
Bashar Mousa 4M Class Winner
Fadi Bikawi 5M Class Winner
Samer Abdel Malak 5S Class Winner
Aref Ramli VM Class Winner
Track Talk DAMC Karting Championship
Thomas Bale Cadet Class Winner
Edward Jones Junior Max Class Winner
Scott Latham Rotax Max Class Winner
Damian Knott Max Masters Class Winner
Maurits Knopjes DD2 Class Winner
Warren Christie TAG Class Winner
Media Appreciation Arabic Newspaper
Mohammed Jasem Al Bayan
Ahmad Tarek Al Khaleej
Mabruka Al Ghanmi Al Rouya Aleqtisadeya
Media Appreciation English Newspaper
Leslie Wilson Gulf News
Media Appreciation Arabic Magazine
Rami EL Akhawi Sport Auto
Joseph Al Hajj Alam Assayarat
Media Appreciation English Magazine
Dimitri Pesin Evo Middle East
Zlatko Mulabegovic Top Performance
Reported by : Dubai Autodrome
Reported on : 05-May-09