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#1 ·
Abu Dhabi says 'Yas' to the world

Leading property developer ALDAR Properties PJSC today announced plans for Yas Island, one of the largest natural islands in Abu Dhabi.


Marina at night.

Yas Island will be a prestigious world-class leisure destination, with mixed-use tourist attractions including beaches, entertainment, shopping, hotels, residences, golfing, equestrian facilities and motor racing. Yas Island will host the world's first 'Ferrari World'.

Outlining the scale of the project, ALDAR's Chairman Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh commented on its size and ambitions: 'Yas Island will combine the many natural attractions of an island with the world's most popular leisure activities. We have taken mankind's passion for the sea, for racing cars, shopping, golfing, and luxurious living, and designed them all into a single unique setting. Yas Island will be the only destination in the world that combines our desert and maritime traditions with the fascinations of Florida and the elegance of Monte Carlo. It will be the world's most complete leisure destination. "

"At ALDAR Properties, our business model is based on strategically integrated residential and leisure developments, with particular emphasis on infrastructure, planning, and environmental protection. With the launch of Yas Island we are inviting the whole world to our land. We are inviting the world to say 'Yas'," he said.

CEO Ronald Barrott elaborated on Yas Island, and its many attractions: "We have been working to create a unique destination that will present Abu Dhabi to the global tourist market. Our intention is to bring together families, friends and individuals seeking options of entertainment, excitement, nature and peace in one location," he said.

Shopping will be one of the key attractions, with retail areas occupying a staggering 300,000 square metres. Ferrari World will be a major highlight, through ALDAR's rights to a Ferrari-themed park, museum and theatre. These attractions are linked to a top quality motor race track on which visitors can experience the thrill of the exclusive Ferrari Driving School (Pilota Ferrari), kart track and dune buggies. They can also test the limits of their own cars under professional instruction.

More peacefully, located on the island will be two major marinas and yachting facilities; resort hotels, lagoon hotels and hotel apartments; a water park, three golf courses, a polo field and equestrian centre, restaurants and cafes, and mixed type residences. Plans are underway to adapt sensitive and beautiful parts of the island into conservation areas. A number of very select individual homes will be made available on the island, at a later stage.

ALDAR said that more details would be announced in due course, but that Yas Island would feature a range of attractions and activities that will appeal to people of all age groups, and retain the interest of every member of a visiting family. The company also expects most people to stay on Yas Island for a minimum of seven days, and all activities - shopping, sports, leisure, recreation and others - are designed around long-stay visitors.

Yas Island, spread over an impressive area of 2,500 hectares, is roughly one third the size of the island of Abu Dhabi, and features a beach front shoreline of approximately 32 kms. Infrastructure will be developed around the Yas Island project in advance and to the operational benefit of the capital city. A new ten-lane highway will connect Yas Island to the new Abu Dhabi International Airport, the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway, and the city of Abu Dhabi at Mina Port. Yas Island will also connect to ALDAR's signature Al Raha Beach development.

Yas Island is easily accessible by road, air and water. International visitors flying into Abu Dhabi will be able to see the bright glow of the red Ferrari World roof from the air, and can reach Yas Island within minutes of disembarking. Just ten minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport and a similar distance from ALDAR's Al Raha Beach, Yas Island is located at the gateway to Abu Dhabi, and will target the 1.6 billion catchment area located within six hours flying time to the UAE.
 
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#192 · (Edited)
1st testrun today on the track !!

Here is an update again regarding the Marina Circuit.
Today the first test rounds have been absolved on the track by a F1 car and a couple of other cars (Porsche - not sure, and a couple of Audis). :banana:

Take a look at the attached pics if interessted:





















I would say we are nearly ready for the race!!
 
#194 ·
Wow, thanks Ro.Bi. :cheers: Yes, the circuit is certainly looking very close to being up to racing standards now. So cool to see actual testing going on now also. I guess just as long as they have everything in place that they will need for race day then everything will be fine. Next year of course things will look a whole lot prettier, with the landscaping, etc and general area completed.

Wonder who the drivers are doing the testing here at Yas? :)

Only 47 days to race day!! :banana:
 
#195 ·
Yas Marina Circuit ready for racing


Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, inspects the circuit with Khaldoon al Mubarak, the Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management chairman, right, and Ahmed Ali Sayegh, the Aldar chairman, left. Philip Cheung / The National

Daniel Bardsley
* Last Updated: September 17. 2009 11:58PM UAE / September 17. 2009 7:58PM GMT

ABU DHABI // The Yas Marina Circuit was handed over by its developer to the organisers of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on schedule yesterday, two and a half years after construction started and six weeks before the track’s first race. Bruno Senna, nephew of the late racing champion Ayrton Senna, marked the occasion by completing the first official lap of the track in a Formula One car.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, attended the festivities.

The new racetrack will host the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 1. The final event of the 2009 Formula One season is expected to attract almost 60,000 fans to Yas Marina to see a field of drivers that will include the current points leader, Jenson Button, the reigning world champion, Lewis Hamilton, and two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso.

The new track is “an impressive example of the home-grown initiatives taking place in Abu Dhabi”, Khaldoon al Mubarak, the chairman of Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management (ADMM), said in a statement. “We congratulate Aldar Properties on delivering one of the most sophisticated motorsport circuits ever built.”

It took 14,000 workers more than 35 million man hours to build the 5.55km circuit. It is covered with 720,000 square metres of asphalt, and was constructed with 225,000 cubic metres of concrete and 25km of electrical cables.

The race weekend will run from October 30 to November 1 and include three support races: the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, the Chevrolet Supercars Middle East Challenge, and the GP2 Asia Series.

Richard Cregan, the chief executive of Yas Marina Circuit and ADMM, said 90 per cent of the tickets for the Grand Prix had been sold. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be Formula One’s first dusk-to-night race, starting at 5pm and running under floodlights until after dark.

Future events at Yas Marina include a race for Australia’s V8 Supercars on February 18-20.

dbardsley@thenational.ae

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090918/NATIONAL/709179849/1010


YAY!! :banana:

Says here that Bruno Senna did the first official lap of the circuit. Cool! :)
 
#196 ·
Very Exciting :D can we dare and say the project completed "ahead of schedule" :D

I have a couple of pictures of the formula-1 and the Nissan skyline-GT Cars, but my phone wouldnt pair with my PC's bluetooth >_< I will post them later when i get a wired connection.
 
#201 ·
me too at first, but getting used to it, and staring to think its actually unique. diffrent than the red/black typical combinations. hope it will look nice when the whole track Theme is completed, the blue colore might complement Yas Hotel quit nicly at night :)

I'm sure they did the thinking/research and that colore was the best option
 
#202 ·
Abu Dhabi to lose finale position on F1 calendar

Melanie Swan
* Last Updated: September 21. 2009 10:41PM UAE / September 21. 2009 6:41PM GMT

Abu Dhabi looks all but certain to lose the privilege of hosting the grand finale to next year’s Formula One season.

Some motor racing fans in the capital will be disappointed at the news, announced yesterday by the World Motor Sport Council.

Next year’s F1 calendar, for the first time since 2005, will contain 19 races, culminating in the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 14. Abu Dhabi will stage the penultimate event on October 31.

This year, the first time that the UAE has hosted a grand prix, Abu Dhabi has pride of place, with its November 1 race forming the end-of-season spectacular.

Richard Cregan, the chief executive of the race organiser Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management, was not disheartened by the reshuffle.

“Formula One is a truly global sport, the addition of new teams and a 19th race in 2010 indicates positive growth,” he said. “We are delighted Yas Marina Circuit is part of the championship as it continues to grow.”

Neil Vorano, the motoring editor of The National, said: “As the last race of the season, so many people around the world will be tuning in to see the results.

“Everyone wants the last race of the year to be the decider, to extend the drama throughout the whole season, as happened last year with Lewis Hamilton winning the title in Brazil over Felipe Massa. But the reality is that’s not always the case.”

Next year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will again be a dusk-to-dark race starting at 5pm, like this year’s 55-lap event.

Last week, the Yas Marina Circuit was handed over by its developer to the organisers of the grand prix, two and a half years after construction started and six weeks before the track’s first race.

Bruno Senna, the nephew of the late champion Ayrton Senna, marked the occasion with the first official lap of the track in a F1 car.

The event is expected to attract almost 60,000 fans to watch drivers including the current championship leader, Jenson Button, the reigning world champion, Lewis Hamilton, and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

Next year’s F1 season will start on March 14 in Bahrain. There is one event awaiting confirmation, the Canadian Grand Prix, subject to the completion of contract negotiations with Bernie Ecclestone’s Formula One Management.

mswan@thenational.ae

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090922/NATIONAL/709219845/1010
 
#207 ·
I was told by ADMM that its still not official, although there is a chance that UAE will loose the finale to brazil.
Well, it's true, nothing is for sure with FI these days ... as we've seen over the last few years in particular. Look at all the crap going on at Renault at the moment. :nuts: It's cool to have the final race I guess, especially if that race happens to be the decider, but lets wait and see how things turn out. You never know..:)

So, Persian Girl, Yas Island is better than Brazil . . . . Yas Island is better than brazil :nuts: *hypnotizing voice* :nuts:


:lol:
Yes, I must admit, you have truly convinced me that Yas Island is better than Brazil... :shifty: ... :runaway: :lol:

PS: That's Parisian Girl, thank you! ;) :lol:
 
#208 ·
When the mist clears from my crystal ball I'll give you my lowdown on the race. ;) :lol:

As Abu Dhabi is a totally unknown quantity, in race terms, it's gonna be quite difficult to predict how things will go ... I'll have a real guess after the Singapore race. The last two drivers championships have been won on ONE point, but I don't see a repeat of that this year. :)
 
#211 ·
Yas Marina Circuit in home stretch















By M. Satya Narayan, Senior Reporter
Published: September 24, 2009, 22:41

Abu Dhabi: Finally it was an experience which each member of the small group of 15 local journalists will cherish for a lifetime.

A lap of the Yas Marina Circuit, the venue of inaugural Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, in a mini bus finally lay to rest any lingering doubts of the emirate's ability to stage one of the world's top sporting events.

Travelling at a speed of less than 30km per hour on one of the longest straights in a F1 circuit, the thought of just imagining a speed of 317 km per hour on the very same track on November 1 was enough to bring goose bumps on a warm afternoon.

There were many reports emanating from various quarters which did doubt whether Abu Dhabi would be in a position to stage the 2009 year-ending finale to the Formula One series.

However, a week after Aldar Properties PJSC handed over the completed circuit to venue operator Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management (ADMM), and after yesterday's 'Educational Tour' of the track, one can safely confirm that Abu Dhabi's endeavour is on the home-stretch.

While the entire track is complete, the seven hotels including the one on the track - the Yas Hotel - are going through their fit-outs.

The team of journalists also got to drive on the track under the hotel - the world's first such track which runs through the Yas Hotel structure which by itself is another building of marvel.

The journalists' vehicle had to maintain a slow speed, what with a 14,000-strong work force making the final touches to what is expected to raise the bar as far as F1 circuit and safety matters are concerned.

Nicole Hayde, ADMM's head of communications said: "A unique feature of this circuit is that from almost every stand you can catch of view of about 30 to 40 per cent of the track. Ticket sales have gathering a brisk pace."

ADMM's Kawthar Bin Sulayem, the local media manager and one of the many Emirati faces involved in the project said: "Almost every day we can see massive changes. The pace of progress is frenetic and we should be ready to put up a great show."

Following the November 1 Grand Prix, Yas Marina Circuit will operate year-round with a variety of international racing and other special events, drag racing, karting, the driving school, corporate opportunities, and concerts.

http://www.gulfnews.com/sport/Motor_Racing/10352051.html
 
#212 ·
Yas Marina on track to be a cracker


The back main straight of the Yas Marina circuit seen on the right from the north grandstand is the longest in F1. Philip Cheung / The National

William Johnson, Chief Sports Writer
* Last Updated: September 25. 2009 12:12AM UAE / September 24. 2009 8:12PM GMT

Five weeks from today the first Formula One car will roar out of the tunnel linking the pit-lane onto the Yas Marina Circuit (YMC) and seek to break an expected average lap time of 1 minute 40 seconds in the opening practice session for the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Many doubted that the Dh5 billion state-of-the-art race track would be ready to welcome the world’s fastest drivers for the season’s finale and potential championship-decider on November 1.

Admittedly, the island still resembles, in some places, a massive building site with a lot of man hours of work needed to be carried out to bring the development to a conclusion.

But the focal point of the whole affair – the 5.55km (3.41-mile) circuit – is ready and waiting for that historic green light to be switched on.

That was the message conveyed to a media gathering yesterday for a tour of this motor-racing arena as they were given a glimpse of the finished track on a bus tour of the site.

The bus drove at a fraction of the speed the current championship title leader Jenson Button and his rivals will reach when they hurtle down the 1,173-metre main straight at a top rate of about 317kph.

But the snail’s pace was ideal to get a feel of the place in a single lap and imagine what a spectacle it will be for up to 50,000 fans, who will throng to the sparkling, covered stands, which apart from the grandstand on the main straight offers a view of 40 per cent of the action.

A frightening but innovative run-off area, that runs underneath the grandstands at the end of the long back straight, was never going to needed by the meandering tour vehicle, but could be a factor come race day when 20 cars come charging down towards the corner on the first lap.

The run-off is the first of its kind in the sport and will add another element of uniqueness to what will already be an event of many firsts – most notably being the inaugural day-night race in F1 history.

When the race begins at 5pm local time, rows of high-tech floodlights will allow the racing to continue once darkness sets in on the Yas Marina site, as will the lights in the 500 rooms of the Yas Marina Hotel, which is an appealing integral feature of the facility.

Equally iconic for F1 aficionados watching all over the world is the Shams Tower, a hospit-ality haven for the very rich and famous who can also moor yachts as long as 90 metres in the adjacent marina.

That feature at the top of the finishing straight promises to become as big a Grand Prix landmark as the famous Monaco tunnel in Monte Carlo.

The pit-lane and paddock area behind are also ready for operation. Significantly the only two garages so far claimed were those of the Renault team, possibly in a display of relief that they are still eligible to compete after the disgrace of the race-fixing scandal exposed by their former driver Nelson Piquet Junior.

Banners proclaiming the impending arrival of Fernando Alonso and rookie Romain Grosjean were marking the territory for the team who are under threat of expulsion for the next two years.

The pride of place in the pit-lane will go to the McLaren Mercedes of the defending world champion Lewis Hamilton and Button, the current favourite to succeed him in his Brawn GP car as he leads teammate Rubens Barrichello by 14 points going into Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix.

Both drivers are excited by the prospect of breaking new ground in Abu Dhabi when the F1 fraternity roll into town.

“I can’t wait to get out there,” said Hamilton. “We couldn’t have asked for a better venue for the conclusion of our season.”

Button, his British compatriot, visited the venue after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix in April and commented: “It’s always fun to try out a new race track for the first time so I’m looking forward to the first Grand Prix there.”

The sales pit-ch for the track, which varies in width from 12-16 metres, was that “something new” will be introduced to Yas Island in time for for each anniversary of the YMC joining the F1 Circus.

Ferrari, who have strong links with Abu Dhabi through Mubadala and the Grand Prix’s title sponsors Etihad Airways, will increase their association with the UAE when a special theme park in their name opens next year.

Supplementary facilities also nearing completion include the YMC Raceway, a driving academy and a karting centre. The red letter day of November 1 will just be the start.

YMC intend to be a vibrant centre for motorsport all year round and promises to provide wonderful entertainment for every type of enthusiast.

wjohnson@thenational.ae

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090925/SPORT/709249906/1043
 
#221 ·
Actually, it has! :)

I think Abu Dhabi will suit Brawn, their set-up, etc, so I'll go with Button or Barrichello to win the race, or at least make it on to the podium. But more importantly though I think, Button will win the drivers title, NOT because he has a healthy 15 point lead, but because he has had the edge over everyone this year. His second place at Monza (absolutely crucial IMO) and finishing ahead of Barrichello at Singapore have put him in a fantastic position in the points. Anything can happen in F1, of course, we've seen championships lost from the front (Raikkonen came from behind and won by one point in Brazil in 2007) but my gut says Button will step up now and do just enough to secure the title. :2cents:

Bottom line, head-to-head, Button will beat Barrichello (avoiding crash, engine failure, etc) for the drivers championship in 2009! :cheers:

(hope I don't end up eating my words :lol: I'm sure there are some here who will remind me too :D)

noir-dresses said:
watching qualifying at the singapore circut was really impressive, its going to be a real hard act to follow, going to take Abu Dhabi a while to get there aswell
Totally agree, I think Abu Dhabi will be better next year - and better again in the following few years once all the dust has settled. I think once they get a few races under their belts and the fans get used to it...basically bond with this circuit then it will be pretty awesome! Really looking forward to this race! :)
 
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