Thursday, 22 July 2010 17:16
The seaside venue was once a mainstay of the Formula 1 calendar. This weekend it will host a forty strong entry of top field Radical European Masters entries.
Al Shamsi and Al Masaood will be flying the UAE flag under the Team Abu Dhabi banner, part of the formidable AUH Motorsports team who celebrate their first birthday this week, which will serve as an incentive for all concerned. The driver line-up also includes UAE domiciled Jordan Grogor and Bassam Kronfli.
Zandvoort is a coastline circuit that is carved through the dunes. It has fast flowing turns and a tight hairpin that should suit the smaller Radical SR3, which Team Abu Dhabi are campaigning.
For Al Shamsi the season is all about learning each of the tracks and gathering experience of racing in the highly competitive series. He has impressed with each outing and has excelled with his new knowledge and feedback on setup while still being able to mix it in the top three, as shown last time out at the Nurburgring in Germany.
Al Shamsi said looking ahead to Zandvoort, “I’m really looking forward to racing on yet another new track. Where ever we go Team Abu Dhabi get a lot of attention so it gives me the boost to keep learning and improving all the time while representing my country.”
The Zandvoort outing is unique in that the European Radical Masters are the top attraction of the weekend and will thus be granted five hours of track time for the teams and drivers. This will be valuable for the Abu Dhabi drivers who are racing on circuits that they have never seen, while competing against rivals that have first hand knowledge of the nuances of the venues they visit.
Team principal Carl Rolaston said ahead of the Zandvoort weekend, “Our Team Abu Dhabi drivers have become a popular addition to the European Radical Masters grid not only as superb ambassadors for the UAE but also as respected competitors. Both Jassim and Humaid have shown remarkable ability to learn circuits quickly. We are confident of a good result and are eyeing a podium or two this weekend.”
The Team Abu Dhabi drivers will be in action at Zandvoort from – 24 July 2010 - Saturday at 9.00am (local Netherlands time) for the first free practice session. Qualifying takes place after lunch break at 13.30pm with the first race at 16.10pm.
Sunday Radical European Masters action starts at 9.00am with warm-up followed by qualifying at 11.30am. The second race gets underway at 15.00pm. The race at Zandvoort, round three, marks the half-way point of the six race series. The final race of the Radical European Masters season will take place at the iconic Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
