FOR SEASON FINALE
Following her recent race in Zhuhai, China, Liz Halliday continues her world tour with the FIA GT Championship, discovering new countries and tracks on the way. This time, the 26-year old American heads to the Middle East, for the last two rounds of the 2005 FIA GT Championship in Dubai and Bahrain. The GT circus will be returning to the Dubai Autodrome between 16th and 18th November and a week later (23rd-25th November), it will move for the first time to Bahrain where a ‘GT Festival’ was organised in 2004.
Lister driver Liz Halliday is delighted to discover these new circuits and countries. Halliday said: “I have never been to this part of the world before and I am looking forward to it. Winter is fast approaching in Europe, so it is going to be great to spend some time in the sun, away from the British gloom! Saying that, high temperatures can make it hard work in the car, especially with Nomex underwear, overalls, gloves, boots, balaclavas and helmet on! I have been riding a lot and preparing in the gym as well as one can do in the British climate but I’m sure it will still be hard work once I arrive!”
Dubai and Bahrain will be the last two races of the year for the American Sportswoman, after an extremely busy 2005 season. Liz commented: “2005 has been a great year for me. I have raced and learned a lot, in the American Le Mans Series, the FIA GT Championship, the Le Mans 24 Hours and also the Britcar/Silverstone 24 Hours in the UK. The racing experience I have gained since the beginning of the year is invaluable and I now have a strong foundation for next year’s programmes.”
It is also a hectic time of year for the Lister team, with all the required equipment traveling straight from Zhuhai to Dubai. Liz Halliday said: “This is a busy period for the team who will be racing the LMP1 car at Vallelunga near Rome this Saturday before flying to Dubai! I hope that luck will be on our side this time and that we can finish the season with two strong results for Lister.”
Liz continued: “These two races will also be new ones for the Lister team, so it will be a learning curve for all of us. I have heard good things about these two circuits. They look interesting and challenging and they both have large asphalt run-offs, which can only help in an endurance race. So we’re crossing our fingers for these two events, as I would love to end the GT season on a high.”
Although racing is the top priority of Liz’s programme in the Middle East, she is also excited about discovering two new countries: “My schedule this year, between motor racing and horse riding, has been so hectic that I am looking forward to a few days off in Dubai, with my team-mate Justin Keen, in between the two races.”
The 5.39km track at the Dubai Autodrome is one of the most modern in the world; it is also one of the most challenging, with its combination of high-speed straights and technical corners. The layout, which contains six different configurations, is designed to allow three circuits to operate simultaneously, safely and independently from each other. The result presents circuit users with unparalleled options.
The 5.417 km Bahrain circuit, which hosted its first Grand Prix in 2004, is located in the south of the country, in Sakhir, 30 minutes from the airport. It was designed by the famous circuit specialist Hermann Tilke, and provides teams and fans with modern facilities and hi-tech amenities. The circuit design is unique, as it comprises six individual tracks, four of which can be used at the same time. The Grand Prix circuit uses both the Outer and Inner tracks, and features 16 corners. One of its characteristics, which can have a large influence on the cars’ set-up, are the nearby desert sands, which can blow across the circuit itself and reduce cars’ grip.
