DRAGON RACING – JUNE 2023

DRAGON RACING – APRIL 2023

GULF PROCAR CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 6
YAS MARINA CIRCUIT

The sixth round of action of the Gulf Procar Championship took place at the iconic Yas Marina Circuit. With a grid of 29 vehicles, the day started with a single qualifying and race, to cover the postponed event in January. This was then followed by the traditional qualifying and two races. 

Dragon Racing entered five 488 Challenge Evo’s, a Praga and a TCR Cupra. However, prior to the start of the first race, the Praga R1T driven by Ian Roberts, unfortunately experienced mechanical issues, thus forcing the driver to withdraw from the event.

Khaled Al Marzouq set the fastest time in qualifying and attained pole position on the 3.125km North Circuit in his Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, his first race weekend and first pole position. 

After an intense 25 minutes of racing, Al Marzouq continued his excellent start to the weekend with a race win, followed home by Jan Sandmann, and then a close battle for the final spot on the podium with Sebastian Gorga just beating Jim Geddie to third, and Maya Hartge finishing fifth. 

Alex Annivas secured a win in Race 1, as he looked to gain points against fierce class rival Rene Munnich.

The drivers were soon back on the circuit to complete qualifying 2, which would determine the grid for Race 2 of the weekend. Khaled Al Marzouq once again secured pole position from Sebastian Gorga, however a post session penalty demoted Al Marzouq to start 4th. 

Race 2 saw the battle between Khaled Al Marzouq and Sebastian Gorga heat up, with Gorga leading Al Marzouq home by 0.5s on completion of the 25 minute race. Jim Geddie rounded out the podium with Jan Sandmann 4th. Maya Hartge did not start due to a technical fault. 

In the TCR Class, Rene Munnich took the win, the overtake by Munnich over the fast starting and early leader Annivas was brought into question by the stewards with no further action taken – the TCR Class title would go down to the final race of the season. 

Sebastian Gorga demonstrated some remarkable driving in Races 1 & 2; however, had to leave due to other commitments before Race 3. After his departure, Gorga showed great sportsmanship by letting fellow Dragon Racing Driver Maya Hartge borrow the car he was renting from Dragon Racing.  

With the sun setting over the stunning Yas Marina Circuit, the timing screens lit up and so did Maya Hartge. Hartge made a strong comeback when she stunned spectators, driving from P27 to finish third at the flag! The determination and drive shown by Hartge in this final race was inspirational. 

Al Marzouq made it three wins from three, with Jan Sandmann second, and Jim Geddie in fourth. 

The TCR battle certainly stole the show, with Annivas getting the jump at the start, and controlling the early laps of the race before contact between the two drivers saw Annivas unfortunately retire from the race, and ultimately from the championship title. 

GULF PROCAR – ENDURO RACE
DUBAI AUTODROME

The final race event of the season took place at Dubai Autodrome, with the traditional end of season Enduro Race, which sees drivers competing in two races of 50 minutes. Drivers have the option to either compete as a single entrant, or as a team of two with a mandatory pitstop to liven things up. 

This was a special race as our very own Founder, Leon Price, competed in the Dragon Racing Ferrari 488 Challenge alongside his son Josh Price.

Ian Roberts was ecstatic to be back on track in his Praga for the Enduro Race, and he didn’t disappoint. In Qualifying 1, Roberts obtained pole position ahead of the 488 Challenge of Hartge / Qamzi, with Jan Sandmann in 4th, and the duo of Price/Price in 5th. 

As the first 50 minute race got underway, Roberts was unfortunately involved in an accident on the opening lap, needing to pit for a replacement front nose, and finishing 6th overall, however still achieved 1st place in the Proto Class. 

Hartge/Al Qamzi sealed the Class 2 victory and second overall with Sandmann second in class, and Price/Price third in class. 

The final race of the motorsport season, and Race 2 of the Enduro weekend saw Roberts take the Proto Class win, second overall.  Hartge/Al Qamzi winning Class 2 and third overall. Sandman was second in Class 2, and Price/Price third to make an all Dragon Racing Podium to round out a fantastic motorsport season. 

The Gulf Procar End of Season Awards Dinner was hosted at the Arabian Ranches Golf Club on conclusion of the Enduro event. The Dragon Racing team once again showed their support to the series by contributing to the Enduro event trophies, and coming away with a hand full of trophies for the Enduro races and the Gulf Procar Championship. 

Dragon Racing would like to thank Gulf Sport Racing and all of our customers, competitors and friends for this season – a series that has matured on so many levels, with expanded grids and competition in each class. We look forward to seeing you all back on the grid next season! 

DRAGON RACING WITH FERRARI – MARCH 2023

PASSIONE FERRARI CLUB CHALLENGE MIDDLE EAST,
SEASON 3, ROUND 02 – BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT 

The Bahrain International Circuit 
25th – 26th November 2022

Round two of the Passione Ferrari Club Challenge tour visited the remarkable Bahrain International Circuit, a favourite amongst our drivers. With Bahrain being the highest energy circuit for brake and tyre wear on the F1 calendar, this offers a new challenge for our drivers.
 
Ferrari 296 GTB test drives were once again featured with new prospects having the opportunity to sample the 830PS power that this “fun to drive” car delivers around the long straights of the Bahrain circuit under the lights into the evening. 
 
The event was rounded off with the awards ceremony for the Club Challenge drivers, and a high end paddock BBQ that the Ferraristi love.

PASSIONE FERRARI CLUB CHALLENGE MIDDLE EAST,
SEASON 3, ROUND 03 – KUWAIT MOTOR TOWN CIRCUIT

The Kuwait Motor Town Circuit 
17th – 18th December 2022

The last event of the year took place in mid-December at the Kuwait Motor Town circuit. This is a new venue on the Club Challenge calendar, and one that the drivers will look forward to in seasons to come. With a challenging 5.6km Tilke designed circuit, which features many challenging linked corners, the drivers loved every lap.

To celebrate the opening of the Mei Li restaurant at Grand Hyatt Kuwait, all club challenge members were invited for an exclusive dining experience, inspired by the richness and diversity of Asian cuisine. The vibrant atmosphere left guests mesmerized with authentic flavors and presentation styles. 

During the event, Ferrari prospects had the opportunity to enjoy the 296 GTB around this fast and flowing circuit, and over 100 Ferrari owners attended the Passione Ferrari owners sessions. There was a wonderful group of classiche Ferrari on display including F40, 250, 365 and 348 models.

The awards ceremony took place on the conclusion of the event on Sunday evening, and the guests once again enjoyed a paddock dining experience and the opportunity to watch Argentina play against France in the world cup final!

PASSIONE FERRARI CLUB CHALLENGE MIDDLE EAST,
SEASON 3, ROUND 04 – JEDDAH CORNICHE CIRCUIT

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit
20th – 21st January 2023

Round 4 continued to the Jeddah Corniche circuit in Saudi Arabia where our Ferrari enthusiasts were welcomed with the first ever Passione Ferrari event in Saudi.
 
The daunting 6.1km street circuit provided a challenge for all the drivers, where precision and courage are required to complete a fast lap.
 
The Passione Ferrari instructors were on hand to coach the drivers of the Ferrari Club Challenge, 296 GTB Test drives and also the owners so that every guest could enjoy this wonderful circuit in a safe and controlled environment.
 
All guests of the event were treated to a paddock BBQ, with a Live DJ and the opportunity to view a collection of rare Ferrari Classiche cars including the F40, F50 and a beautiful 288 GTO.

PASSIONE FERRARI CLUB CHALLENGE MIDDLE EAST,
SEASON 3, ROUND 05 – YAS MARINA CIRCUIT

Yas Marina Circuit
3rd – 4th February 2023

Round 5 was the highlight for many of the season with the Passione Ferrari joining the Ferrari Racing Days at Yas Marina.
 
Some of the Club Challenge members graduated into the Ferrari Challenge Winter Series (more on that later) and we saw an incredible turnout of owners attend this event.
 
The Ferrari Racing Days was the highlight with a number of F1 Corse Clienti cars, driven by none other than Charles Leclerc, also the screaming loud V12 XX program and Competizioni GT.
 
The road cars test drives for this headline event saw the introduction of the “fun to drive” 296 GTB the spider variant and the routes were run from Saadiyat Beach club, Yas Island and Dubai Al Tayer Ferrari showroom.
 
Over 150 Ferrari owners completed a convoy from Dubai to Yas Marina, driving their prancing horses through Ferrari World and finally onto the circuit for the track parade. This was a new record of owners cars attending an event in the Middle East.
 
The event concluded with the prize giving on the roof of the Yas Marina pit complex, in the same location that paddock club use for F1 and the guests were treated to further demonstration laps by the F1 cars late into the evening.

PASSIONE FERRARI CLUB CHALLENGE MIDDLE EAST,
SEASON 3, ROUND 06 – DUBAI AUTODROME

Dubai Autodrome 
4th – 5th March 2023

To end a very successful season, we were privileged to have the last round of the CCME at our home-based track at Dubai Autodrome.
 
With the 296 GTB and 296 GTS on hand for test drive activities, the prospect had the opportunity to drive the car around the challenging Dubai Autodrome circuit with our Ferrari instructors on hand to ensure that the guests could experience the performance of these cars in a safe controlled manner.
 
Following through with the tradition of the Ferrari Club Challenge, the event concluded with an Awards Ceremony where contenders were awarded with the titles of Fastest Time Lap, Most Laps, Most Improved and Driver of the Weekend.
 
To elevate the level of excitement for our passionate drivers, Ferrari also announced the addition of a new circuit for the 2023-2024 season – Lusail International Circuit in Doha.

 
The Dragon Racing Team would like to give a special thanks to Ferrari Middle East and their partner Canossa Events, for allowing us to be an integral part of this Passione Ferrari season which was by far the biggest and best that’s ever-taken place in the GCC.
 
Passione Ferrari will return to the circuits of the GCC for the 2023-2024 season after the summer break with the dates announced as below:

Round 1 | 20th – 21st October 2023 | Bahrain
Round 2 | 10th – 11th November 2023 | Jeddah
Round 3 | 15th -16th December 2023 | Kuwait
Round 4 | 26th – 28th January 2024 | Dubai
Round 5 | 2nd – 4th February 2024 | Abu Dhabi
Round 6 | 1st – 2nd March 2024 | Qatar

FERRARI CHALLENGE WINTER SERIES
DUBAI AUTODROME
26TH – 29TH JANUARY 2023

The official Ferrari Challenge racing series returned to the UAE for a double header event, incorporating Ferrari Racing Days.

Race 1 got underway at Dubai Autodrome 24hrs later than planned due to local flooding and It was a close-fought, thrilling race that produced a Scottish triumph in the Coppa Shell class with Jim Geddie (Dragon Racing) taking the lead in the early stages from Tani Hanna (Formula Racing), who headed off from pole. The Lebanese driver, however, was to remain in second position until the last lap, where Maya Hartge (Dragon Racing) managed to overtake him to take the second step on the podium, gaining four positions from the starting grid.
 
Jim Geddie (Dragon Racing), remained on the top step of the podium in Race 2 after a sensational Qualifying performance to secure pole position. Tani Hanna unfortunately had a drive through penalty during the race, however made a superb come back securing second position in the race on the expense of Maya Hartage (Dragon Racing), who finished third. 

FERRARI CHALLENGE WINTER SERIES
YAS MARINA CIRCUIT
2ND – 5TH FEBRUARY 2023

The second weekend of the Ferrari Racing Days saw the road show move to Yas Marina where the Ferrari Club Challenge joined the Racing Days.
 
Jim Geddie (Dragon Racing) held on to his top of the podium for the third race in succession.  Starting the race in second position he obtained the lead from the first lap after an unfortunate incident pushed Tani Hanna (Formula Racing) to retire from the race in lap 1. Mohamed Al Qamzi (Dragon Racing) beat off the competition to take the second place with a strong performance. Taking the third place position was Lisa Clark (Ferrari of Beverly Hills) after Maya Hartge (Dragon Racing) was forced to take a drive through penalty in lap 12. 
 
Tani Hanna (Formula Racing) secured pole position for race 2 of the weekend and brought the car home to win the final race of the series. Jim Geddie (Dragon Racing) finished second on the road but had secured enough points to win the Ferrari Winter Challenge Shell class. Maya Hartge (Dragon Racing) had an excellent race crossing the line in 3rd and also secured 3rd place in the series.

DRAGON RACING – FEBRUARY 2023

DUBAI 24 HOUR GT4 CLASS WINNERS

15th January 2023, ROFGO with Dragon Racing secure another class win at the Hankook 24H DUBAI!

For the second year running the #408 AMG GT4 took the top step of the GT4 class at the Dubai 24 Hours with a commanding win. 

This incredible endurance race, held annually at the Dubai Autodrome, has become our favourite home race where we have won 5 times in the 10 years we have entered. 
This year though, it was slightly more special – being the celebration 10 years of Dragon Racing and the entry of 2 Dragon Racing AMG GT4 cars. 

The event got underway on Wednesday with a wonderful parade through Motor City where the fans could get up close and personal with the drivers and cars, as the parade of 50 race cars took a tour from the circuit to the local neighbourhood. 

With many fans coming along to cheer us on, it was a great opportunity to hand out autographs and grab selfies with the local racing community. 

During the build up to the race unfortunately the #488 Dragon Racing AMG GT4 had to withdraw from the event, due to chassis damage from an unfortunate accident in the second test session.

The #408 crew were left to fly the flag for Dragon Racing and the ROFGO team consisting of Roald Goethe, Benjamin Goethe, Oliver Goethe, Stuart Hall and Jordan Grogor soon set about preparations for this gruelling 24 hour race. 
 
The team rallied together and set an amazing combined lap time to secure Pole Position in the GT4 class.

The lights went out at 15:00 on Saturday 14th January, and from then on and until the final lap the #408 AMG GT4 was rarely not leading the class. 

6hrs car #408 was placed into a spin by the Team WRT BMW M4 driven by MOTO GP Star Valentino Rossi when entering the final corner and ended up off the track with only minor bodywork scratches. It was only when the GT4 was rejoining the track that an unsighted Team Sorg Rensport Porsche 718 GT4 made heavy contact with the passenger side door causing the driver to box on the following lap for a drive-by inspection. To the relief of the entire team, the damage caused did not require repair nor did it affect the performance of the car, a lucky escape so early on in the race. 

From here on in it was consistent lap times and smart strategy and fast pit stops that would decide the race winner! 

Following a long night of 12 hours of darkness the #408 had pulled out a 3 lap lead over the rivals as dawn broke the team were flying setting fastest lap with the cold air and cooler track temperatures. 

With 4 hours to go a routine front brake pad change was completed in under 60 seconds and the car was back on the circuit pulling away from 2nd place. 

As the clock struck 15:00 on Sunday afternoon the #408 had completed 26 pit stops, 566 laps and pulled out a 4 lap lead over the second place BMW M4 GT4. 

“To come back and defend a 24 Hour race win is always a difficult task, there is so many variables – traffic, drivers consistency, strategy, pitstops and most importantly the car reliability. So to win this great race 2 years in a row is a real achievement.” Commented Dragon Racing CEO Brad Fincham 

What a wonderful achievement for Roald, Benji and Oli to win this race as a family. The #408 AMG GT4 is now on route to join some of the worlds most famous cars in the ROFGO collection. 

DRAGON RACING – DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022/23 – FESTIVE GREETINGS!

Our 2022 Final Year Review

Looking back on 2022 Dragon Racing enjoyed a wonderful expansion to its business – maximizing its presence in nearly every local motorsport and automotive event.

The highlight of course was the consolidation of our close relationship with Ferrari Middle East as their technical partner, and support for the Passione Ferrari Club Challenge Middle East events in the GCC.

2023 marks the 10th consecutive year of our entries in the Dubai 24Hour race. This year Dragon Racing will enter 2 AMG Mercedes GT4s – one of them under the joint Dragon-Rofgo banner to defend the title it holds from its win in 2022.

The renewal and expansion of our unique Dragon Test Days, now on Thursday (previously called Motorsport Wednesdays) adding many new members and dedicated track days into the calendar.

The addition of a new 5000 square-foot warehouse facility, which was fitted out with air conditioning, overhead fans and humidifiers – this facility is dedicated principally to house our customers’ Ferrari 488 challenge race cars and has a capacity of 40 cars.

Dragon committed firmly to the Gulf ProCar Championship and always attempting to enter a minimum of five race cars in any particular meeting.

Two classic car restoration projects are in the pipeline– the ISO Rivolta 300, which has just been completed, and the Maserati Mistral, which is currently enjoying a full restoration.

Our website has been totally revamped, modernized, and updated.

These incredible achievements are thanks to my CEO Brad Fincham, our Marketing Manager, Jake Carlin, and the team of Dragon professionals supporting them.

We have many more new and exciting projects coming in 2023, which we will share with you as we go throughout the year.

Wishing you all a very prosperous 2023.
Let’s hope for less COVID, more economic growth, and greater peace everywhere in the world.

Leon 

GULF PROCAR CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 1
DUBAI AUTODROME

The Gulf PROCAR Championship commenced this year in the middle of October- promoted by Gulf Sport Racing, who thanks to their massive effort and great influence in the UAE motorsport environment managed to field a starting grid of 19 cars for the opening event.

Dragon entered three cars in round one with familiar face Jim Geddie in his new 488 Challenge Evo,
Alex Annivas returning in his Cupra TCR, and new racer to Dragon, Sebastian Gorga in the Dragon Racing’s AMG GT4.

Jim in his very quick 488 Challenge EVO easily claimed pole position with a time of 1.27.50.
Alex drove aggressively to claim third position with a credible time of 1.31.46.
Sebastian in his first ever race qualified fourth with a time of 1.32.64.

From the start of the race, Jim was in full control out at the front, climbing to the top spot on the podium on his racing return in the UAE.
Alex maintained a quick and consistent pace to maintain his third position; Sebastian had a good first race, finishing in fourth position and with a faster lap time than the Porsche GT3 Cup of Wolfgang Reinl.

A few hours break and the Teams were back on the track.

The Ferrari 488 Challenge EVO was leading the pack once again and the Cupra TCR fought till the end, confirming the same overall podium as Race 1.
Not the luckiest start for Sebastian – onboard the Dragon AMG GT4 – who when running in second position,  was forced to retire from the race after only a couple of laps due to a technical failure.

GULF PROCAR CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 2
DUBAI AUTODROME

The second round of the PROCAR championship returned to Dubai Autodrome at the start of November.
This time, our Dragon Racing driver Ian Roberts, returned driving his super lightweight and fast Praga R1T.
This provided an increased competition for Jim Geddie, on board the Ferrari 488 Challenge EVO, who previously claimed full victory in Round 1.

Starting from Quali and right through Race 1 into Race 2, the battle for first place was not easy. Ian’s calm approach to overtake the 488 Challenge EVO after the start which ultimately led to two outright victories and Jim’s tenacity took him to finish both races in second place, however first place in Class 2.

Also, our Dragon driver Alex Annivas had his own challenge when his number one TCR class competitor, Rene’ Munnich returned for Round 2 of the PROCAR Championship.

Some incredible on track duels between the pair with Alex securing second spot in class during both races and narrowly missing the overall podium. 

For Sebastian Gorga, being the only driver in Class 3 for this round, it was a great moment to put into practice all that has been learnt and prepare for round 3, his debut in the 488 Challenge EVO.

GULF PROCAR CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 3
DUBAI AUTODROME

At the halfway stage of the Championship, we saw our Dragon Racing driver Sebastian Gorga change from a Mercedes AMG GT4 to the Dragon Racing Ferrari 488 Challenge EVO for Round 3, making things slightly more challenging for our other Ferrari driver, Jim Geddie. 

For the first live streamed round of the year, this event certainly captured the most excitement of the season to date. 

Race 1 – saw the two Ferrari 488 Challenge EVO cars start ahead of everyone else and fight their own battle out front. 
Jim pushing Sebastian to find a way past at every opportunity and trying to overtake him with maximum confidence.
Sebastian, ahead of the game, in the Dragon Racing #88 car, holding fearlessly onto his position.
Unfortunately at the halfway distance there was contact between the two cars and both retired from Race 1.
The Cupra TCR driven by Alex Annivas took the advantage, coming home first in Class and second place overall behind Munnich in the Honda TCR. 

Our Dragon Racing Team worked tirelessly during the two hours break between the races, in order to get both Ferrari 488 Challenge EVO back on the grid for race 2.

At 17:00 the lights went green for what was a sensational 25 minutes of racing.
First place on the grid for Sebastian and fifth place for Jim, who immediately worked his way up to second position after the first lap.
Around the half way mark, Jim managed to pressure Sebastian and made the move stick putting him ahead. 
The next 6 laps saw the drivers trade positions and make full use of the circuit limits to enhance every opportunity to overtake or make a break out front. At turn 6 with 3 laps to go Sebastian made the move on Jim which stuck, and saw Sebastian go onto take the win from Jim, claiming his first outright win. 

Not the same opportunity for Alex in the Cupra TCR, who unfortunately retired with a failed driveshaft. 

The next ProCar Championship, Round 4 will be on 6th & 7th January, preceded by our usual Dragon Test Days on Thursday 5th of January at Yas Marina Circuit. Don’t miss the action where there will be 5 Ferrari 488 Challenge EVO’s and the Praga all battling for the top step of the podium! 

FUTURE EVENT DATES

January 2023:

Thu 5 / Dragon TEST Day ‘DTD’ / Evening / Yas Marina (5pm – 8pm)

Fri 6 / UAE Procar Race Weekend / All Day / Yas Marina
Sat 7 / UAE Procar Race Weekend / All Day / Yas Marina

Wed 11 / Dubai 24H Race Weekend / All Day / Autodrome
Sun 15 / Dubai 24H Race Weekend / All Day / Autodrome

Fri 20 / Passione Ferrari Club Challenge / Evening / Jeddah, KSA
Sat 21 / Passione Ferrari Club Challenge / Evening / Jeddah, KSA

Mon 23 / Public Track Evening / Evening / Autodrome (7pm to 10pm)

Thu 26 / Ferrari Winter Challenge Racing / All Day / Autodrome
Sun 29 / Ferrari Winter Challenge Racing / All Day / Autodrome

Get in touch for further details!