DUBAI // The men behind the UAE’s first locally-built, purposefully-designed desert racing car are calling on all Emiratis to take part in their proposed desert racing series.
Unveiling details and specifications of the Zarooq Sand Racer at an exclusive event at Sofitel the Palm Resort in Dubai on Tuesday, Zarooq co-founder Mohammed Al Qadi said his team hoped to groom the next generation to compete internationally at the highest levels of motorsport.
With the car’s key components designed, made and assembled in the UAE, co-founders Al Qadi, Iannis Mardell and Bruno Lafitte also hope that the Zarooq will help to develop local supply chains and help build the skills necessary for the manufacturing of high-performance cars on a larger scale.
The first Zarooq will be ready to hit the dunes in January of 2016, and will boast a top speed of about 200 kph. Powering the car will be a 3.5l V6 engine, which is combined with a six-speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters.
But pure horsepower is not the only thing that makes the Zarooq suited to fast desert driving. A properly designed and tuned suspension is critical for delivering performance, and this is where technical partners Campos Racing stepped in, bringing with them the engineering knowledge gathered over decades of competing in various racing formulas.
Campos’ Philippe Gautheron said his team also worked on the car’s transmission.
“Our racing experience helped us a lot,” he said. “We like to work on beautiful things, and this car is beautiful.”
The Zarooq’s designer, Anthony Jannarelly of JJSpecial, elaborated on some of the design choices he made.
“It had to be fit for purpose, of course, hence the significant ground clearance, limited overhang or the room necessary for significant suspension travel,” he said.
“It also had to meet the standards to be road legal, yet we clearly focused on designing a car that is unique, aggressive and we hope, one day, iconic.”
Frederic Juillot, the other half of JJSpecial and the man in charge of the Zarooq manufacturing workshop, said the car is being manufactured with state-of-the-art components.
“The chassis is laser-cut, and we’re using a lot of carbon fibre and fibre glass,” he said. “It’s all handmade.”
Mardell said the Zarooq is different from any other car out there, because it is specially tailored for the desert environments of the UAE.
“It has a tremendous power-to-weight ratio and the right combination of performance and practicality. It can race in the desert but also be used on the road.”
Another feature that is virtually non-existent in the world of motorsport is the inclusion of air-conditioning, a non-negotiable in UAE weather.
Asked whether this would have any impact on power, the technical team explained that the relatively small cabin, combined with the small size of the AC unit and the power of the engine, meant that any such effect would be negligible.
Campos founder and former Formula 1 driver Adrián Campos also said that thanks to new innovations, there’s almost no loss of power that comes with the addition of AC. He said this is a welcome change from his days as a racer, when drivers had to just grit their teeth and get on with the job, often at the cost of performance.
With the first Zarooq almost ready to take to the roads and dunes, the team is already looking to the future.
“We will be looking at how to further improve the power-to-weight ratio, both by further reducing the car’s weight and increasing engine power,” Mardell said. “We’re also looking at using electric and hybrid power trains, developing a four-wheel-drive version of the car, as well as a four-seater.”
newsdesk@thenational.ae
THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
SQUADS
Bangladesh (from): Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mahmudullah Riyad, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Mosaddek Hossain, Nayeem Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed
Afghanistan (from): Rashid Khan (capt), Ihsanullah Janat, Javid Ahmadi, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Qais Ahmad, Sayed Ahmad Shirzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Afsar Zazai, Shapoor Zadran
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
