Dubai Kartdrome will host the 2015 Endurance Championship’s series opener, the 12 Hours race, this Friday.

– #Quiz360: WIN Dh250 to spend at Legends Sports Bar
– Lutter and Loffreda grab third spot in Radical Middle East Cup

Reigning champions Batelco have decided not to participate in the championship, which sets the stage for a new pecking order as several top teams will be jostling for the No1 spot on the podium.

Multiple champions CG Racing have always been the team to take the battle to Batelco, and will inevitably be the team to beat this season as they target the rare, and hard to get, triple crown – claiming the title in the Pro Category, Nations Cup and the Corporate Category –  which they scooped in 2013.

Under team manager Habib Chouery – and drivers including David Terrien, Rami Azzam and Piers-Pakenham Walsh – the team mean business.

The most likely challengers for the top prize in the four-round series are Dubai Falcon Racing Team, spearheaded by Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum and Saeed Al Mehairi, former champions Dojomoto Mach 1 and the all Emirati line-up of Mini Dubai.

The start of the new season throws up several ‘unknown quantities’ and among these are the likes of the three-team Globcom outfit, Dubai5 and Blacklist.

In the Corporate Category, CG Racing have two potent teams who know the way to the podium and will again be hard to beat, but they will nevertheless face a concerted challenge from regular front runners Fly Emirates and Team Emirates, along with Lukoil Racing. 

Speaking ahead of the season opener on Friday, Kartdrome manager Ryan Trutch said: “Once again we have to thank Mini for backing this edition of the endurance championship.

"Their commitment to the series has helped it grow each year.

“We have a very strong field for the opening round on Friday, with several teams expected to fight for victory. 

“There are some seasoned campaigners out there and there really is no room for error. 

“I predict that the team with the best strategy, who make no mistakes will celebrate on the top step of the Kartdrome podium,” added Trutch.

Track action on Friday starts at 09:30 with free practice followed by 15 minutes of qualifying at 10:45 with the race set to be flagged off at 12:00.

The chequered flag will wave 12 hours later, at midnight, to bring proceedings to an end, which will be followed by the podium ceremony.