20 replies to this topic

[Nanni Dietrich]

I've found in an old issue of magazine Rombo (year 1981) an article about a race organized in November 1981 in a street circuit at Dubai. A sort of "all-stars" race with a field complete of white Citroën CX driven by a group of F.1 aces: Watson, Brabham, Hulme, Gurney, Stirling Moss, Giacomelli and others.
According to the magazine Bruno Giacomelli won the race. One of the organizers was a certain Prince Al Maktoum (don't know if he is related with the creator of A1 GP)

Details?
News?
Pictures?

[angst]

Originally posted by Nanni Dietrich
I've found in an old issue of magazine Rombo (year 1981) an article about a race organized in November 1981 in a street circuit at Dubai. A sort of "all-stars" race with a field complete of white Citroën CX driven by a group of F.1 aces: Watson, Brabham, Hulme, Gurney, Stirling Moss, Giacomelli and others.
According to the magazine Bruno Giacomelli won the race. One of the organizers was a certain Prince Al Maktoum (don't know if he is related with the creator of A1 GP)

Details?
News?
Pictures?

I vaguely remember watching it (or highlights?) on TV. The circuit was pretty bland (it reminded me of Caesars Palace - yeuch). About as serious as.......any race involving CX's could be, really.

[Rob29]

I think I still have it on video.One of the first things I taped on acquiring my first VCR Dec 1981.

[jcbc3]

Would that have been the all-time understeer fest?

[Rob29]

Date of event Dec 4 1981.
Also featured SuperSports race for 15yr old (THEN) CanAm cars,with John Brindley & Gerry Marshall dicing for lead!
Certainly a nicer circuit than the one used for FIA GT recently and there were even some spectators there.

[René de Boer]

This CX race is on my list of "items to do a story about when I have time to do the research". It would fit perfectly in the Dutch Citroen magazine "Citroexpert". Any information would be very welcome!

[D-Type]

Originally posted by Rob29
Date of event Dec 4 1981.
Also featured SuperSports race for 15yr old (THEN) CanAm cars,with John Brindley & Gerry Marshall dicing for lead!
Certainly a nicer circuit than the one used for FIA GT recently and there were even some spectators there.

Wasn't it a bit of a historic festival with the accent on spectacle? I vaguely remember Phil Hill demonstrating a W196 (yes Phil Hill in a Mercedes!)

[Rob29]

Originally posted by D-Type
Wasn't it a bit of a historic festival with the accent on spectacle? I vaguely remember Phil Hill demonstrating a W196 (yes Phil Hill in a Mercedes!)

Correct.Organizer was Martin Hone, a british promoter.John Watson demod a McLaren F1.
Citroens were white with tricolor stripe but only french driver was Patrick Tambay.
Result;
1st Giacomelli
2nd Mar Surer
3rd David Kennedy
4th Innes Ireland
5th John Fizpatrick
6th Dan Gurney
Also ran;Jack Brabham,John Watson,Stirling Moss,Richard Attwood,Phil Hill,Patrick Tambay,Roy Salvadori,Derek Bell+2 others

[bigears]

It is the same Martin Hone that introduced the Birmingham Superprix into the streets of Birmingham.

The Dubai GP was used to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the U.A.E. There was no streets so Martin Hone designed a 1.85kms long.

I only ever seen one photo of Stirling Moss racing. I would love to know more about this particular events and some photos as well.

[fausto]

If I remember well the event saw also the debut of Robin Hamilton's Nimrod Aston Martin Gp. C (Stirling Moss driving?)

[Milan Fistonic]

John Watson had pole for the Citroen race with Dan Gurney alongside.

Marc Surer and Bruno Giacomelli were on row two.

Derek Bell finished seventh and Richard Attwood eighth.

One of the other starters not mentioned by Rob29 was Dr Helmut Marko.

Derek Bell demonstrated the Nimrod Aston Martin and Denny Hulme drove Robert Horne's McLaren M8D.

Both Fangio and Phil Hill drove the W196 and both had spins. Fangio was unwell when he arrived but drove the car on Thursday before being taken to hospital with heart trouble. Hill drove the next day and very nearly damaged the car with his wild spin.

Watson in the original McLaren MP4 set the fastest lap of 64.4s for the 1.5-mile circuit. FISA had banned official lap record attempts so "a panel of judges" decided Watson's was the most meritorius effort and awarded him the $5000 first prize. The only other F1 car present was the Theodore, driven by Patrick Tambay.

Mike Salmon driving the Project 212 beat Roy Salvadori in a DBR1 in the Aston Martin race.

Tom Walkinshaw won the production car race driving a Mazda RX7. Vince Woodman in a Capri was second.

Gerry Marshall won the Super Sports race driving a Lola T70 beating John Brindley's Mclaren M1D. Richard Attwood was third driving David Piper's Ferrari 275LM.

There was drama with Joe Wiedmer's Porsche 917/10. He decided to helicopter the car from the airport to the track with the car suspened from the roll-over bar. Unfortunately the bar snapped and the car was quite badly damaged when it hit the deck. They repaired the car in time for its race but the brakes locked on and after a couple of slow laps he stopped with the car on fire.

The Citroens were bashed back into shape and used later in the day for a locals-only race which was won by Capt. Alan Skennerton. Former BMC works driver Andrew Hedges qualified for this race as he worked in Bahrain. He finished fifth.

[Rob29]

Originally posted by bigears
It is the same Martin Hone that introduced the Birmingham Superprix into the streets of Birmingham.

The Dubai GP was used to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the U.A.E. There was no streets so Martin Hone designed a 1.85kms long.

Same guy.Since found a bit more video,with preview & interview with Martin.Circuit was within walking distance of the city.I think the idea was that they build the houses afterwords.The same plan they used for a one off in Israel in 1970.

[bigears]

Thought I would add this into this thread.



Expect an article from my website about this race soon, I have found plenty of information, a report from Autosport and the race programme so hopefully I will do it next week.

[Gregor Marshall]

For those interested I have all of the paperwork of Gerry Marshall's leading up to the event, the event and the results.

Basically I have the original invites, insurance details, runners and riders, flight tivkets, ball invites, attendees, results, trophy, vidoe of the Top Gear programme that covers the whole event, the full Sporstcar race, etc.

If anyojne is writing a book or a Dubai collector then give me a shout!

[René de Boer]

Gregor, yes please!!! I have sent you a PM.

[bigears]

Please do that as I am planning to type up an article about Martin Hone organising the Dubai GP and the races featured there for my Birmingham Superprix website today.

[Mealone]

I have some information on the 1981 Dubai Grand Prix at my website:
www.dubaiasitusedtobe.com

It was not a Grand Prix in any sense of the word or even a Festival. Its purpose was to use Motor Racing to promote Dubai internationally. In those days the Dubai Government was intent on getting Dubai on the world map (as it still is).
For the motor racing purist the Dubai Grand Prix was a non event but it was the start of motor racing in the Middle East. It led to the development of serious motor rallies and the eventual establishment of the Dubai Autodrome and A1 racing.

Apart from the Citroen CXs, the cars were either shipped in by sea and by air. Part of the exercise was to "show off" Dubai's new Port and Airport facilities.

One sad highlight was that Juan Manuel Fangio suffered a heart attack after demonstrating the Mercedes Grand Prix Car and remained in Dubai for several weeks until he recovered.

[Gregor Marshall]

Meolone

By no means at all do I want to disagree with what you said but I think I have to, as I think that you are very wrong with that!

The racing drivers who went out there in '81 were probably the highest caliber drivers in the UK and the World at the time and if you were to compare it to something now it wouldn't be far off from Goodwood, the same drivers (more competitive then!!) and the same cars (certainly more original then!!).

I'm very interested by your comments about it and would like to know more, I know it was one of Dad's biggest achievements, so much so that he went back with Tony Lanfranchi ('95/95) to launch the "new" Chevrolet Cavalier, which was the new Vauxhall Vectra to those of us in the UK and the only reason he got picked for it was because he was one of the few people that made an impression in '81, I have the t-shirt to prove it (plus ALL of the paperwork from '81) !!

I agree Dubai did it for the show and it certainly, even now, paved the ground for F1, but I can certainly assure you that the drivers who went didn't go for the money (I could tell you how much it was worth but it wouldn't be worth the money!) and they went there for the experience.

[Mealone]

Gregor
I have removed the comment about "appearance money" from www.dubiasitusedtobe.com in light of your comments. Thanks for letting me know.

[Mealone]

I have added a new page to my site. It is an aerial view of the 1981 Grand Prix Circuit.
The Circuit was incorporated into the road system and the circuit still exists today.
You can see it on the Google Earth Website if you find Dubai and zoom in.

http://www.dubaiasit.....t Aerial.html

[bigears]

Originally posted by bigears
Please do that as I am planning to type up an article about Martin Hone organising the Dubai GP and the races featured there for my Birmingham Superprix website today.

Finally got around completing the article, hopefully it will be online tonight or tomorrow.

More information would be nice.