Race dates were announced today for the Dubai Kartdrome rounds of the much anticipated inaugural Emirates Schools Karting Championship (ESKC), and team entries are now being accepted online by the organisers.
The first date on the Dubai Autodrome calendar is the Test & Welcome Day on Saturday, 14 November when teams will have test sessions at the Kartdrome after taking part in an ESKC familiarisation workshop, finalising registration and paying entry fees.
Three qualification race dates will take place in January, February and March respectively, with the 2016 ESKC Grand Final to take place at the Kartdrome on Saturday, 23 April 2016.
The ESKC was officially launched in August by its patron, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE.
The series has since attracted a great deal of interest, with more than 200 students and teachers expressing interest in being part of it through the official website www.eskc.com.
With dates now confirmed, the Kartdrome has opened online entries for school teams, with the first 24 paid-up and registered applicants guaranteed spots on the grid for the mini-endurance style series to be run during the first four months of 2016.
ESKC director and Kartdrome manager Ryan Trutch explained: “The Test & Welcome Day is an opportunity for us to meet the teams and also for the team members to get to know their rivals in a relaxed atmosphere, while familiarizing themselves with the format of the series.”
“The workshop will provide updated information to all the participants and offer a platform to address questions from teachers, students and parents involved in the series. Registered and paid-up teams will then be able to test in race-like conditions. In this way, we’re providing a solid foundation for the school teams to launch their campaigns.”
Added Trutch: “We urge teams to sign up as soon as possible because spaces are limited and there have been a couple of hundred enquiries already. You can sign up online on the official website www.eskc.com.
“The interest in the series has been beyond our expectations, so we have opened up team registration at this point to allow those who are committed to sign-sign up and be assured a place on the grid.
“We aim to have all teams, drivers, managers, crews and officials well prepared and well versed on what to expect both on and off the track. The goal is for all concerned to have fun in this competitive and exciting sport of karting.”
The ESKC is being run by Dubai Autodrome along with partner circuits Al Ain Raceway, RAK Track and Al Forsan Raceway under the auspices of the ATCUAE.
Confirmed race dates for ESKC rounds at the Kartdrome:
Saturday 14 November 2015 Dubai Kartdrome Test & Welcome Day
Sunday 10 January 2016 Dubai Kartdrome Race Day 1
Sunday 14 February 2016 Dubai Kartdrome Race Day 2
Sunday 20 March 2016 Dubai Kartdrome Race Day 3
Saturday 23 April 2016 Dubai Kartdrome 2016 ESKC Grand Final
For Emirates Schools Karting Championship (ESKC) information, news and registration