Gulf Radical Cup Round 5 - Yas Marina Circuit
Every round of the Gulf Radical Cup has taken place on different circuit layouts, and this time, it was the 3km North Circuit at Yas Marina, which brings the drivers back to the start/finish straight immediately after Turns 6 & 7 at the end of the long back straight. The two Japanese ‘Seven X Seven’ drivers were absent, as was current GRC Champion Alex Bukhantsov, but the series was joined by 23-year-old ‘Historics’ racer Harry Barton, enjoying his first experience in a Radical SR3 XXR.
As always, the drivers had plenty of seat time, with a three-hour practice session preceding the official 30-minute test and Saturday morning's Sprint Race qualification. The championship contenders' top 10 lap times were very close, setting the grid for the first race as follows:
Sprint Race 1 Qualifying Top Ten:
P1 - Usmaan Mughal (GulfSport Racing) - 1:03.604
P2 - Ian Aguilera (RAW Motorsport) - 1:03.949
P3 - Alim Geshev (TT Racing) - 1:04.103
P4 - Andy Lowe (DW Racing) - 1:04.651
P5 - Peri Daremas (GulfSport Racing) - 1:04.692
P6 - Amir Feyzulin (TT Racing) - 1:04.981
P7 - Alex Novichkov (TT Racing) - 1:04.982
P8 - Julien Monie (RAW Motorsports) - 1:04.984
P9 - Ibby Hadid (Almeida Motorsports) - 1:05.155
P10 - Alex Chachava (Dream Racing) - 1:05.349
Sprint Race 1
The first Sprint Race began with Geshev making a great start, jumping into the lead from the second row. However, Aguilera soon moved to the front ahead of Geshev and Mughal, who were being closely tracked by Andy Lowe. Monie made impressive progress, climbing from P8 to P5.
The safety car was deployed after an incident involving Khazzoum, who retired following a clash with Daremas, while Feyzulin came together with Hadeed. After the restart, Mughal managed to take P2 from Geshev and went on to set the fastest lap of the race, but the victory went to Aguilera, followed by Mughal in second and Geshev in third.
Sprint Race 2
The grid for the second Sprint Race saw Mughal on pole again, alongside young Mexican driver Aguilera, with Geshev and Daremas on the second row, followed by Lowe and Feyzulin in P5 and P6.
At the start, the order remained unchanged, with Mughal gradually building a two-second lead until Daremas and Feyzulin made contact, causing both to retire. This allowed Novichkov and Khazzoum to move up to P5 and P6, followed closely by Karim and Monie.
Parish then had an unfortunate incident with Daremas, bringing out the Safety Car. With just three minutes remaining, the race ended under caution, securing victory and the fastest lap for Mughal, with Aguilera and Geshev completing the podium.
Enduro Race Qualifying
The short qualifying session for the main Enduro race took place on Sunday morning. Once again, Mughal secured pole position with a lap time of 1:04.398, just 0.251 seconds ahead of Geshev and 0.305 seconds ahead of Aguilera. Lowe put in a strong performance to take P4, with Novichkov and Lowe locking out Row 3.
Enduro Race
Pit stop success penalties from the previous event had little effect, as both Chris Preen and Fujinami, who had taken P1 and P2 last time, were absent. However, Aguilera, who had finished P3 in the previous round, had an extra 10 seconds added to his mandatory pit stop.
The Enduro race got underway with a poor start from pole-sitter Mughal. Geshev seized the opportunity to take the lead, while Daremas made a strong start, moving up to P2 from the second row, with Aguilera right behind in third.
After a few laps, Aguilera moved into third and began chasing the leaders. Shortly after, the safety car was deployed following an incident involving Julien Monie. As the safety car circulated, the pit window was approaching. When the safety car pulled in, some cars immediately dove into the pits, while others opted to stay out for a few extra laps.
However, Aguilera got too close to the safety car during the restart and was handed a drive-through penalty.
With various pit penalties from the last race being served, Geshev retained the lead, with Mughal right behind him. A train of cars followed, including Feyzulin, Lowe, Novichkov, and Daremas. However, Feyzulin was carrying a 10-second penalty for overtaking off-track at the start. Daremas managed to pass Novichkov to close in on Lowe and Feyzulin. Meanwhile, Aguilera, having served his drive-through penalty during a second safety car period, was rapidly catching the pack.
As the race approached the 45-minute mark, Mughal executed a brilliant pass on Geshev to take the lead. At the same time, Aguilera had fought his way back into contention. However, on the final lap, Geshev made a bold move into the last corner, diving down the inside of Mughal, leaving him with nowhere to go and clinching the victory.
Andy Lowe showed enormous potential, securing his first GRC podium finish in third, followed closely by Daremas, Novichkov, and Barton. Mughal took the fastest lap, while Aguilera was dropped out of contention after receiving a penalty for failing to serve his drive-through within three laps.
Looking Ahead
Round 6 of the Gulf Radical Cup will take place at the Dubai Autodrome on March 8.
