Over the weekend of February 18-19, 2023, Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi was the epicenter of the biggest motorsport festival in the world. The capital of the UAE hosted a number of events over those two days, but the pinnacle of the festival was the 2023 Asian Le Mans race.
A total of 48 cars took part in the race, which served as the qualifying event for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As a reminder, the 100th edition of the iconic endurance race will take place on June 10-11, 2023, in the town of Le Mans in northwestern France.
DKR Engineering Wins the 2023 Asian Le Mans Series
Yas Marina Circuit hosted the largest Asian Le Mans grid in history. Some 60,000 spectators witnessed the two 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi races.
Drivers from the Luxemburg outlet DKR Engineering ended up on the podium in each race, thus helping the team secure the spot in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans.
It was a great achievement for FKR Engineering, who took part in the prestigious race only once before. It happened back in 2013 when they got the invite following the withdrawal of the Gulf Racing team.
It was DKR Engineering’s LMP2 team that booked them the ticket to the 2023 Le Mans. Irishman Charlie Eastwood, accompanied by two Turkish teammates, Ayhancan Güven and Salih Yoluç in Oreca 07, passed the finish line before anyone else.
Alongside the Luxemburg-based team, two other teams booked their tickets to the grand finale – Walkenhorst Motorsport (Germany) and Graff Racing (France).
Abu Dhabi En Route to Become the World Motorsports Capital
There’s a real motorsport craze going on in the Gulf region, with millions of people watching racing events on a regular basis. Not only that, but according to the best Arabic betting site for racing events, people from this part of the world also love wagering a lot of money on motorsports.
That’s surprising given the traditionally anti-betting stance of the nations in the Gulf area. However, knowing that some of the biggest racing events are taking place on their turf, it’s no surprise they want to get involved.
The capital of the United Arab Emirates is a prime example of a city that’s turning into a real hub for motorsports. Not only did Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit host two races of the 2023 Asian Le Mans Series, but this racetrack also serves as the venue for many other events.
The biggest of those is the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which has been on the Formula One calendar since 2009.
The circuit has also been the host venue of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, Gulf 12 Hours, 24H Series, and many other races. Plus, later this year, Yas Marina Circuit will host the 2023 Formula Regional Middle East Championship.
What Makes Yas Marina Circuit So Impressive?
Yas Marina Circuit opened in 2009, after two and a half years of construction work that cost the Government of Abu Dhabi more than $1.3 billion. It’s situated on Yas Island, a headland just north of the Abu Dhabi International Airport.
The island is a major tourist attraction of the UAE capital, with hotels, malls, golf courses, and so on.
The circuit itself is located in the southernmost part of the island, right next to the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi amusement park.
It has a total length of over 3,281 miles, passing alongside Yas Marina and even going through the Yas Hotel Abu Dhabi. There are five grandstand areas in the venue, with a total capacity of around 60,000.
Dubai Has Plenty to Offer to Motorsports Fans
The capital of the UAE is the biggest motorsports hub in the country, but there are a few other venues worth noticing. The Dubai Autodrome, for example, is the venue of one of the races of the Asian Le Mans Series. It also hosts the Formula Regional Middle East Championship, the Dubai 24-Hour Race, and other events.
Then, there’s the Dubai Innovation Centre, which sporadically serves as the venue for various rally events. The races are usually held around the facilities of the center and throughout Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, located some 50 miles south of the city center.
Dubai also has several motocross tracks, several of which are located next to Palm Jebel Ali, an artificial island in the southwestern part of the city. One of those tracks is the Dubai Motocross Club (DMC) which has hosted several major competitions, including the Dubai MX Championships.