Yas Marina 'will be something else'

Designed to be a fast, challenging circuit, the capital's Formula 1 complex also boasts a solar-powered VIP tower and a five-star hotel that doubles as a grandstand. But officials hope another small track on the site is what really gets the region notice.

Spectators in the west grandstand, bottom left, will sit in view of the finishing straight. The course will open with capacity for 50,000 fans.
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ABU DHABI // If you book into the new five-star hotel on Yas Island next November, don't even contemplate complaining about the noise. You will have bought yourself a front-row seat for the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the roaring engines of the fastest cars in Formula One will be passing within feet of you. Centrepiece of the Yas Marina Circuit, unveiled in detail for the first time yesterday, will be the "drive-through" hotel.

Race cars will travel at speed down a short straight between the hotel's two main buildings and under the pedestrian bridge linking them, giving spectators the best possible view. The hotel, which will have 500 suites and bedrooms, a ballroom and six restaurants, will even change colour at night thanks to 4,800 LED panels that will cover it like a second skin. A second innovation, the Sun Tower, stands just before the first corner offering the prime spot from which to see the start of the race.

Powered entirely by solar energy, it will house the most exclusive of VIPs and at night, it will shine in the green, red and white of the Emirati flag. The first of at least seven Grands Prix will take place on Yas Island on Nov 15 next year, giving the capital the prestigious last race of the season. It is expected to be watched by up to 55 million people worldwide. Khaldoon al Mubarak, chairman of organisers Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management (ADMM), said: "This is a track that has had a lot of input from a lot of very talented individuals and experts.

"Building from scratch allowed us a lot more creativity and flexibility in terms of how the track should be designed. "I expect it to be a very fast track, a very competitive track with significantly more opportunities for overtaking than any other track there is today." For the first race, only 50,000 grandstand seats will be available, although the final number may well edge towards 60,000. As a result, Abu Dhabi's first race will be among the more modestly attended races of the calendar, and considerably smaller than the first Singapore Grand Prix last month, which attracted 100,000 spectators.

It is understood that the option of gradually increasing seating over time is possible. From all seats, fans will be able to see at least 30 per cent of the 5.6km-long circuit, and 100 per cent of the action, thanks to large screens. Some of the best views will be from the marina, which will be deep enough to accommodate superyachts up to 100 metres in length. A 1.2km-long stretch on the northernmost edge of the circuit is one of the longest straights of any Formula One circuit, with drivers able to reach a top speed of 317kph before being confronted by a tight chicane. Each lap is expected to take one minute and 40 seconds.

Spectators will be able to enter Yas Island via three roads - two linked to the mainland, with Abu Dhabi and Dubai exits and one, a 12-lane motorway, linking Yas and Mena Zayed on Abu Dhabi island via Saadiyat Island. The organisers hope the Yas Marina Circuit will not only host Grands Prix, but inspire a new generation of drivers and perhaps even a UAE Formula One champion. They believe one of its more unassuming details could end up being one of the most important.

Nestled in the south-eastern corner of the circuit is a 1.2km-long, butterfly-shaped karting circuit where, if all goes to plan, the region's next big racing hope could be nurtured. The karting track will also help make the project sustainable. Mr Mubarak said: "There is an integrated approach we are taking and it is not just about having a Grand Prix and building a track. We have to be more holistic about it.

"This is a facility that encompasses many other motorsport activities and we will be pushing, through ADMM, the development of opportunities to young drivers from the UAE and the region that they have never had before, in terms of being incubated and being able to compete. "I think it would be great to have a racer from the region. We have a lot of prospects in racing in various other categories. "These racers would have to be given more and more opportunities, but we need to start from a young age. To get to the Lewis Hamiltons, you start maybe at six or seven, not at 17, 18 or 19.

"Through this, we will have the opportunities to bring young - very young - drivers and develop them in the more classical way. "That is the way we will ultimately have a driver and a champion from the UAE and the region." Making the island an unparalleled year-round venue is just as important for ADMM as staging a world-class Grand Prix. The track, through the use of dividing slip roads, can be separated into two smaller circuits, at 3.15km and 2.36km long, which can be used at the same time for different races. The circuit will also be equipped to stage shows, concerts and corporate events.

Such events could be held at night under the brightly lit circuit. A night race is still a possibility for November. But sources told The National that, although the circuit would be built with the capacity to host night-time races, the first Grand Prix was likely to be a daytime event. Initial estimates put the cost of Yas Marina Circuit at close to US$400 million (Dh1.47bn), but ADMM said it was "not in a position to discuss finances at this stage".

It did admit, however, that the cost was more in line with major sporting developments such as Wembley Stadium in London - £798m (Dh5bn) - and the new Yankee Stadium in New York, which is still being built but will cost an estimated $1.3bn. A spokesman said: "Yas Marina Circuit is part of a larger project, Yas Island, and as such, economies of scale play a part in keeping the costs down." The final specifications of the track have remained a closely guarded secret since Philippe Gurdjian, the mastermind behind the Malaysia and Bahrain grands prix, was appointed as chief executive of ADMM in March. Mr Mubarak said Yas Marina was in line with "world class tracks", adding: "We are very confident in terms of managing this project and in terms of time and quality."

While the majority of the features originally drawn up by Hermann Tilke, the acclaimed Formula One track designer, have remained, one of Mr Gurdjian's first tasks was to scrap the plans for part of the track to be on a street circuit used throughout the year by everyday traffic. Such circuits elsewhere have to impose street closures during events, and must carry out regular road repairs because of wear and tear.

Drivers and team managers also contributed to the design. The original plans for the track, which were released last year, did not include a hotel section. In making the "drive through" hotel the centrepiece of the circuit, organisers seem intent on creating an icon for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, along the lines of the tunnel in Monaco, the Eau Rouge bends at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium and the striking Biosphere in Montreal.

At present, there are 4,000 workers on the site, working in shifts throughout the day. Up to the end of September, an astonishing 7.9 million man hours had been logged building the circuit. By the end of 2008, close to 5,500 workers will be on site. ADMM and Aldar, the developers, insist the project is on schedule, although Mr Gurdjian said he was so confident it would be of good enough quality that testing would not be required.

He added: "We are working on something that will show to the world the sporting elegance of the emirate of Abu Dhabi." Mr Mubarak said: "It is not just about the race being here in Abu Dhabi. It has to be about the race itself. "And it will be something else." @Email:rhughes@thenational.ae