The Dh150,000 UAE's President's Cup Formula-2000 championship powerboat race series, which extends over two weekends, will see the first leg at the Abu Dhabi Breakwaters tomorrow. Salem Rashid Al-Rumaithi, who took over as the new Manager of Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC), told WAM that the Formula-2000 was an important event in the run-up to becoming a Formula 1 driver. "Two official practice rounds will be held today before tomorrow's first leg, which will be held at 3.15 pm," he said. "The race will be of a 45-minute duration and each lap will be over nearly 2000 metres," he added. "This year we have boosted the prize money and we hope this event will grow in stature. This year about 20 drivers from over 10 countries will be in the fray," Al Rumaithi said. The second and final leg will be held next weekend in Sharjah. Thani Al Qamzi, Arif Al Zafein, Malek Ebrahim, Sultan Al Daheri, Khalid Al Mansouri, Ahmad Al Hamli and Rashid Al Tayer are the UAE drivers in the fray. The others are from Kuwait, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Italy, the UK and the US. Organisers also announced a free raffle for spectators with valuable prizes on offer. -- SPA
