UAE 50th National Day: Rare Ferraris, McLarens to race across seven emirates

Dubai - The event, the first of its kind in the Middle East, is set to take place from December 5 to 9.

The UAE will be vrooming into its 50th year in style — by hosting a world-famous supercar race dating back to 1927. And among the VIPs that will be landing in the country are some rare Ferraris, McLarens, Alfa Romeos, you name it.

Called ‘the most beautiful race in the world’ by none other than the late Enzo Ferrari — former Italian motor racing ace and the founder of Ferrari, the Mille Miglia will traverse across the country’s seven emirates.

Mille Miglia, literally translated to ‘thousand miles,’ has been in existence since 1927, but this year, it will mark its inaugural 1000 Miglia Experience UAE 2021.

The event, the first of its kind in the Middle East, is set to take place from December 5 to 9, to coincide with the UAE’s National Day. It will see cars of a certain vintage criss-cross the seven emirates, showcasing the country’s scenic beauty.

The landmark event will have 100 participants — 50 from the Arabian Peninsula and 50 from across the planet race.

Car aficionados in the country should brace for a stunning show where they will see some legendary classics and iconic supercars of the modern era — right from the Alfa Romeo to Ferrari 250 GTO and McLaren F1, the Aston Martin DB4, Shelby GT350, Mercedes SL 300 Gullwing, the 1967 Chevy Corvette, the Jaguar E-Type, Chevrolet Corvette, Lamborghini Miura, Porsche 911, Rolls Royce, BMW 3.0 CSL, and of course, the VW Beetle, among many others.

Made up of five legs, the first leg will see competitors start from the Yas Marina Circuit, the venue of the season-ending Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, before heading to the Dubai Autodrome and then on to the DIFC.

The second leg starts at DIFC and ends on Jebel Hafeet in Al Ain. The third leg will begin in Al Ain before heading for Hatta and on to Fujairah. Fujairah starts the fourth leg which stretches out to Dibba, Jebel Jais and stop at Ras Al Khaimah. The last leg will see the cars travel from Ras Al Khaimah to Umm Al Quwain and then on to Ajman. From there, it is on to Sharjah’s House of Wisdom, with the race culminating at the Yas Marina Circuit.

“It talks about the diversity, the culture, the beauty and it connects the seven Emirates. It will also portray the scenery. There is amazing and beautiful scenery across the seven Emirates,” said Alia Al Hammadi, deputy chairwoman of the UAE Government Media Office.

“Over the years, there were some great participants from all over the world. There were drivers and cars from Italy but also England, Germany. And the combination between these amazing cars and drivers in the racing scenery of Italy prompted (Enzo) Ferrari to call it the ‘most beautiful race in the world’. And now, we are here because the relationship between Italy and UAE is so important and we are here to celebrate the 50 years of the UAE, of the birth of the Emirates. To have the Mille Miglia around the seven Emirates is a great honour,” said Franco Beretta, chairman of 1000 Miglia.

RACE CATEGORIES:

> 1000 Miglia Era Class: This exclusive class for cars which took part – or completed the entry – in one of the editions held from 1927 to 1957. Registration in the Registro 1000 Miglia is compulsory.

> Post 1000 Miglia Era Class: This class includes sports cars, grand touring and supercars built from 1958 to 1971 (the founding date of the UAE)

> Supercar 1000 Miglia Travelling Collection Class: This class is dedicated to owners of the latest supercars and hypercars and reflect the UAE’s passion and appetite for these ultimate dream machines.

PRELIMINARY EVENT ROUTE:

>December 5: Leg 1: Abu Dhabi to Dubai

>December 6: Leg 2: Dubai to Jebel Hafeet, Al Ain

>December 7: Leg 3: Jebel Hafeet, Al Ain to Fujairah

>December 8: Leg 4: Fujairah to Jebel Jais, Ras Al Khaimah

>December 9: Leg 5: Jebel Jais to UAQ, Ajman, to Abu Dhabi

DID YOU KNOW?

> Conceived by Giovanni Canestrini, Franco Mazzotti, Aymo Maggi and Renzo Castagneto on December 2, 1926 as a speed race on open public roads, the 1000 Miglia takes place over a route of 1,600 kilometres (equal to 1000 miles) from Brescia to Rome and back.

> The initial race began on March 26, 1927; 21 hours, 4 minutes, and 48 seconds later, it was won by Ferdinando Minoja and Giuseppe Morandi in a Brescia-built OM 665 Superba.

> Legendary drivers, including Juan Manuel Fangio ,Tazio Nuvolari, Alberto Ascari and Stirling Moss, took part.

james@khaleejtimes.com