The Gulf Radical Cup, promoted by GulfSport Racing (Radical UAE) continues to attract a high standard of driver in 2025 with 19 entries for Round 3 of this 7 x round one-make championship. Held on the 5.281 kms Yas Marina Grand Prix Circuit the grid included two current Radical World Champions (Ian Aguilera and Alim Geshev), the current Gulf Radical Cup vice-champion (Usmaan Mughal), Radical Cup North America and GT competitor Greg Gorski, accomplished racer Zig Fuhrmeister from the Radical Australia Cup and another American, Ben Curry. Races were live streamed on You Tube with commentary from two motorsport experts, Phil Anson and Chris Milbourne.

After two rounds the points leaders are Aguilera (101), Geshev (92), Mughal (48) and Novichkov (43). But with success penalties, double points at the last round and 21 races in total, anything can happen!

SPRINT QUALIFYING

The early morning Sprint Qualifying session uses the driver’s fastest and 2nd fastest lap times to determine their grid position for both 25 x minute Sprint races. Aguilera showed that he meant business with a remarkable 1:57.119 on his final lap, just one tenth quicker than Mughal. Both races were won by the 18 year old Telmex sponsored Aguilera from Dubai based Alim Geshev. The only driver that was able to put any real pressure on these two Radical World Champions was Usmaan Mughal who unfortunately had to retire his Team Relentless car in the first Sprint, but made the podium in the second.

SPRINT RACE 1

The first race took place in perfect weather conditions with Aguilera and Mughal on the front row of the rolling start. But it wasn’t long before Geshev was able to get past Mughal. The racing was intense as drivers fought for every championship point. Julien Monie made great progress from P8 up to P4. Jack Yang and Fuhrmeister came together at the end of the back straight which saw Yang’s car retired and Peri Deremas getting past Ibby Hadeed. Mughal’s retirement on Lap 6 enabled Alex Novichkov to pile pressure on Monie. Jahid Karim made contact the wall entering Turn 1 which brought out the safety car to lead the cars slowly towards the chequered flag as the clock counted down to zero.

SPRINT RACE 2

Later that evening under the bright Yas Marina lights the second Sprint race exploded into action, but without Alex Novichkov whose car was left stranded on the grid as his fellow racers went off on the formation lap. Yet again the young Mexican held his lead into Turn1 closely followed by Mughal whose car had been restored to health by the GulfSport team. A very determined Geshev was right behind them and managed to take Mughal into Turn 5. Monie was on form and running in 4th with Jack Yang right on his tail followed by Joel Strijder and Ibby Hadeed. Amir Feyzulin had a big moment which dropped him down to 15th and then Yang succumbed to pressure and also fell back. The cameras focused on some entertaining racing in the middle of the pack where Hadeed was having trouble keeping Johnny Khazzoum, Zig Fuhrmeister and Yang behind him. But the talented Yang managed to out-manoeuvre them all to take 7th and then started to pull away. At the end it was another victory for 2024 Ligier European Series vice-champion Aguilera from Geshev and Mughal.

The Abu Dhabi event included not only the Gulf Radical Cup but also the Michelin 6 Hour Abu Dhabi, Formula Regional Middle East, Formula 4 Middle East and the Clio Cup Middle East. So Sunday’s 45 minute Gulf Radical Cup Enduro Race was scheduled to start at 10pm with a 15 minute quali session at 6.45 to set the grid.

ENDURO QUALIFYING

Being careful not to abuse cold new slicks, the field had to make the best use of this short session. But it was business as usual as Aguilera quickly put in a lap of 1:57.619 to secure pole ahead of Geshev, Mughal and Yang who had all lapped within 8 tenths of a second around the 5.28 kilometre circuit!

Part of the challenge for drivers is the use of pitstop / success penalties that are added to their mandatory 45 second pitstop based on how well they did at the previous Enduro race. In principle it’s not unlike the BOP (Balance of Performance) mechanism that GT racing adopts to create a more level playing field for different marques / models of car. This would hand Geshev an additional 15 seconds, Aquilera 10 seconds and both Novichkov and Fuhrmeister 5 seconds. Current Gulf Radical Cup Champion Alex Bukhanstov, who would have had an additional 20 seconds from his previous victory, sat this Race Weekend one out as he was competing in the Michelin 6 Hour Abu Dhabi.

ENDURO RACE

Eighteen colourful SR3 Radicals took to the grid for the 45 minute race, the last of the weekend.

But surprise, surprise. Championship points leader Aguilera was positioned at the back of the grid and Geshev was in P4 following post-qualifying penalties. Pakistan’s Mughal was now on pole and China’s Jack Yang was next to him on the front row. Behind them were the fast improving Peri Deremas and Platinum World Champion Geshev. Bearing in mind it was now 10pm, the track temperature was only 20C which would present the additional challenge of managing cold slicks. As they set off on the formation lap, Deremas was unable to restart his engine and all the hard work seemed lost until it fired up and he caught up the pack but now in P18.

As they blasted down to Turn 1 three wide it was Mughal who held the lead from Geshev and Yang. Noticeably, Aguilera had made up two places before he got to Turn 1. They all got through cleanly and Geshev used the slipstream down to the end of the long back straight to take the lead going into Turn 6 and by the end of the lap 2 Aguilera was up to P5 and would soon be in P4 behind Yang having got past Amir Feyzulin, Zig Fuhrmeister, Joel Strijder and the American Greg Gorski who were nose to tail and enjoying their battle. Strijder tried to out-break Fuhrmeister into Turn 6 and ended up spinning and losing 6 places. Swiss driver Pascal Bachmann got tagged and spun at Turn 5 and just as he was restarting the Safety Car was called which allowed the field to close right up again leading to some spectacular racing, particularly Aguilera overtaking Yang under the hotel for P3.

With the pit window open and Aguilera unable to close the gap to Mughal, the 18 year old Mexican came into the pits to serve his 55 second stop, followed closely by Jack Yang who would hand over to his driver coach Bobby Thompson whilst serving their 45 second stop. Geshev stayed out with Mughal following close behind knowing very well that Geshev would have to serve a 15 second longer pitstop than himself.

The Gulf Radical Cup not only attracts talented drivers but also some of the top driver coaches including Tommy Erdos, Ross Kaizer, Nigel Greensall, Bobby Thompson, James Winslow and George King. Hence the high quality of competition.

Once the dust had settled from all the pitstops, with 18 minutes of racing to go the order was now Mughal with a lead of 5 seconds over Aguilera from Geshev, Deramas, Thompson, Feyzulin, Strijder, Hadeed, Fuhrmeister, Novichkov, Khazzoum, Bachman, Gorski, Monie, Chachava, Kopp, Curry and Karim. The race commentators were now discussing if Mughal would finally be the one who could stop Aguilera winning all the races.

Whilst the cameras rightly followed the epic battle that Feyzulin, Strijder, Hadeed and Fuhrmeister were enjoying, the four front runners ahead of them were doing their very best to close the gap to Mughal who was now giving it 100% instead of looking after his tyres as his driver coach, Tommy Erdos would have recommended. Of course the same was true of Aguilera but he was only taking tenths off the 4 second gap each lap with just 8 laps to go. So as the 45 minute time limit came ever closer and Geshev dropped back, the gap between the two front runners started to reduce significantly making for very intense and exciting viewing. Four minutes from the end we saw Bobby Thompson make a text book manoeuvre to outbreak Deremas into Turn 6 to take fourth position.

But at the end of the race it was the Gulf Radical Cup National Champion Usmaan Mughal who made himself uncatchable to win the race with a disappointed teenager just half a second behind and Alim Geshev more than 7 seconds adrift in P3. The BTCC pro, Bobby Thompson finished what Jack Yang had started, to claim a creditable 4th place followed by Peri Deremas who after a couple of track infringement penalties were handed out lost his 5th place finish to Joel Strijder.

So yet again, the Gulf Radical Cup clearly demonstrated why Radicals are the world’s best selling production sports prototypes and the basis of 12 similar Radical Cup championships around the globe.

Results book

Round 4 will take place on Jan 31st to 2nd Feb in Abu Dhabi.