Round 7 and Round 8 of the Total UAE Touring Car Championship took place at Yas Marina Circuit and Class 1 produced some of the best racing of the day on the island.

There was nothing to separate the trio of SEATs of Mohammed Al Owais (Emirates Racing Team), Costas Papantonis (Gulf Petrochem SEAT) and privateer Nader Zuhour. The trio swapped places throughout the two races, with Papantonis taking an impressive win in the first race and Al Owais taking second after Zuhour made an error which cost him victory.

Credit to Zuhour, showing modesty that is rare among race drivers, he was the first to admit the mistake, “I got the car on the rumble strip, it was damp and very slippery and next thing I was facing the wrong way. I lost five seconds on the leaders and that was that.” He crossed the line third.

Al Owais struck back to win the second race with Zuhour fending off Papantonis, the latter pair finishing second and third respectively.

Al Owais summed up his day, “Really it was a tale of two totally different races. I don’t know if it was the car or maybe me, but in race one the car was all over the place and then in race two it was perfect. But I must say the first race Costas [Papantonis] was really very strong, he drove very well and deserved to win. In the second race I got a good start and the rest is history.”

Reigning Total UAE Touring Car Champion Umair Khan powered his Lap57 Honda to two emphatic victories in Class 2. Khan, who is gunning for his third successive UAE title, arrived in Abu Dhabi trailing Aslam Moola (Emirates Racing Team) in the points standings and needed a good showing on the day to put his championship back on track.

Moola chased hard all day and will go away happy with two second place finishes on a track that clearly suited Khan’s Honda. Rupesh Channaka (Lap57 Honda) was third in both races.

Alexandros Annivas (Gulf Petrochem Renault) was unbeatable in the Clio Cup – race within a race – with two wins on the day over Nabil Moutran (Duel Racing).

In the Suzuki Swift Cup – the other race within a race – there were two winners on the day with Mohammed Al Shimy taking top honours in the first race and Panagiotis Karakoulakis tops in the second race.