If Modi wins the polls, he will be the second person after Indian independence hero Jawaharlal Nehru, to serve three consecutive terms
asia2 hours ago
But they can be proud of the fact they managed to complete the endurance race despite several mechanical gremlins which cost them more than five hours.
“The last 23 and half hours was like a drama movie. There were good moments and bad moments. It was fluctuating,” said the live wire of the team Omran Al Owais who was seen enthusiastically capturing the historic moments from his photo lens for posterity.
He embodied the adventurous spirit of the team members from mechanics to crew who competed against the odds in their debut venture at endurance racing. “Right now you can see them sleeping with their eyes smiling. I said this is what was meant by 24 hours. We are enthusiasts and not professionals. We came to do it because we love to do it. From team manager to drivers to mechanics, we are not getting paid for it,” said Omran who felt it would have been a huge disappointment if they did not complete the race.
“For most of us it’s the first time. Nobody had a clue what’s 24 hours racing. Hopefully within next half an hour we’ll see that we get the chequered flag.
“Then we will believe in ourselves that we have accomplished something today. And hopefully we will see other Emirati drivers coming on board. And challenge others by doing it over and over again until we get the podium,” said Omran speaking shortly before the end of the race.
“Our aim in this race was to get to podium. We saw it coming. We felt we could get it. Unfortunately our choice of car was not very good,” he said.
“We were getting the fastest laps in our category. Each driver was improving on the timings. Unfortunately the car was not very reliable. Everytime it broke down, it was major,” said Omran whose younger sibling Mohammed took the chequered flag. Umair Khan and Saeed Al Mehairi were the co-drivers of Lap 57 which competed in the A2 category on a Honda Civic.
They had to replace the gearbox twice and were virtually out of the running after 15 hours. “First time the gearbox broke down that got fixed because we had a spare.
“That also troubled us and luckily we had a friend who gave his gearbox. It was very nice for other teams and drivers to support the Emirati team. We went out again after four hours of delay. Other teams were ahead of us by 30 or 40 laps. So we tried to push but that put us into more problems since the rear wheel left brake conked and later the wheel came off,” he said.
“This was in middle of night at 2.30 or 3. It was very difficult for mechanics to stay awake. It was very hard to keep them motivated because it was a very enduring job,” he said talking of their experience.
Omran did most of the night driving which was an even tougher challenge. “It was very difficult because all the cars had huge flash lights. We need glasses at night because there is so much beam and headlights from the rear. But it was very challenging,” he said.
“It was amazing, not just from the track but just looking at our neighbours from different international teams. We have seen how they work, how they are disciplined,” he said.
He exuded confidence and does not shy away from future challenges. “Hopefully within a year or so, we would like to try this outside.
“We are going to see how we can organise our team better. This is just the start, we are just warming up right now,” he said.
If Modi wins the polls, he will be the second person after Indian independence hero Jawaharlal Nehru, to serve three consecutive terms
asia2 hours ago
Waves in Arabian Gulf could get rough towards north by night, the Met department said
uae3 hours ago
According to some experts, the topic is brought up by potential employees as early as the second meeting during the recruitment process
uae4 hours ago
92 per cent of travellers from the Emirates are planning on taking a summer holiday abroad, according to a travel company's research
uae4 hours ago
Explained: Key sectors where roles will become available, skills residents would need
uae4 hours ago
Having 'something on the side' is becoming more common, particularly among Gen Z employees
uae4 hours ago
Al Sayegh, 22, made history last year when she became the first Emirati female cyclist to qualify for an Olympic Games
sports10 hours ago
Rajasthan restricted Bengaluru to 172-8, a total they overhauled with six balls to spare in the do-or-die playoff at the world's biggest cricket stadium
cricket11 hours ago