Sunday activities at the Karting Circuit at the Ail Ain Sportplex saw more drivers and their teams showing up to register and familiarize themselves with the track layout. For many drivers, making their first trip to the Grand Finals has been the realization of a dream and they are taking pleasure in soaking up the moment. For other drivers who are returning to the Grand Finals, it’s like a homecoming as they stroll around the pits meeting up with friends made in previous Grand Finals.
The focal point that grabbed everyone’s attention on Sunday was the 220+ CRG and Intrepid chassis on display on the main straightaway. As in years past, all of the freshly prepared karts were lined up along the front straight for photo opportunities. It truly is a most impressive sight and it’s obvious the Intrepid and CRG mechanics have put in a great effort to make sure each driver receives a kart that is well-prepared and ready to go.
The main complex at the Al Ain Kart Track features two floors and a third floor scoring deck. The main floor houses several offices, bathrooms and a pro shop where visitors can purchase items ranging from embroidered shirts to race team apparel. On the second floor there are a couple more offices. However, the second floor is mostly reserved for hospitality. There is a large restaurant with huge windows giving patrons an unobstructed view of almost the entire race track. Just beyond the restaurant is an observation deck fitted with shaded tables. These are sure to be very popular locations once on-track action starts this coming Tuesday. There is also a second smaller building attached to the main building that houses the garage and maintenance facilities.
As anyone can imagine, with 216 entries the paddock area is quite large. By the blueprints the paddock tent is 3600 square meters and includes a couple annexed areas for specialized help from the CRG and Intrepid mechanics. Each team is equipped with tables and power lines which will be used extensively. As officials were leaving the track Sunday evening, track crews were still working on details within the paddock to make certain everything is taken care of. Even with the last minute preparations, Rotax officials are confident everything will be done to specification. In fact, Helmut Vogelsam of BRP-Rotax confirmed that this year’s Grand Finals has been the smoothest run so far. This is quite logical since after hosting seven previous Grand Finals, a template for success has emerged that makes each successive running that much smoother.
Beginning tomorrow (Monday), the chassis raffle will be held so that each driver can be assigned a chassis that will be theirs for the week. Once a chassis is assigned, the drivers will work with their tuners to install the seat, add lead ballast and adjust certain items to fit the driver. They will also be responsible for mixing their fuel and mounting a set of Mojo tyres. Beyond that, there is little for the teams to do with the karts at this time. The karts have been built up to such a state of completion that even the initial spec gear has been installed and ready to run.
With all the karts prepared and ready to run on Monday, track action starts Tuesday morning with the Junior Rotax competitors taking the track at 11:20. As events continue to unfold, we will be reporting all the action.
ROTAX BRP