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Wednesday May 13, 2009

Abu Dhabi circuit rises from the desert

ABU DHABI: Racing against the clock, 11,000 workers toil beneath the blazing sun to construct the Yas Marina circuit that will host the UAE’s first Grand Prix on Nov 1.

Excavators, earth-movers and cranes currently occupy the site on the man-made Yas Island off Abu Dhabi, which has become a centre of ceaseless activity with labourers working in shifts to get the complex ready on time.

“We are working 24 hours a day and everything will be ready on time, I have no doubt about that,” the project’s deputy director, Canadian Douglas MacAskill, said.

Low-paid workers, brought in from South-East Asia, lay out roads, craft buildings into shape and plant trees on the 7km-long sandy island that is accessed via a bridge.

The heat is on: Workers walking past the pit lane (left) and the main grandstand at the site of the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi.Some 11,000 workers are racing against the clock to complete the project under the blazing sun ahead of the UAE Grand Prix on Nov 1.-AFP t

Some have fashioned makeshift shelters so they can escape the sun on their breaks, while temperatures soar to 44°C.

The ALDAR organisation, charged with the work, has to hand over the circuit to race organisers three months before the race, which will make the UAE the second Gulf country – after Bahrain in 2004 – to host an F1 race.

“According to the rules, we have to hand over the circuit three months before the race, but seeing as we have a good relationship with the Formula One teams, that period could be reduced to 60 days,” said MacAskill.

Despite reports that work was behind schedule, the circuit is beginning to take shape, with access roads completed and the 5.55km track marked out, some of it already covered by a first layer of asphalt.

The pit lanes and paddocks are almost complete, while 45,000 spectator seats will shortly be in place.

The most privileged fans will be able to follow the race from the comfort of their hotel rooms, with a five-star establishment, boasting 500 rooms, set to overlook the track.

In an echo of Monte Carlo, Formula One’s most glamourous location, yacht-owners will be able to take in the excitement from the decks of their vessels moored in the adjacent marina.

Near the circuit, five other three- and four-star hotels are also under construction and will have a total capacity of around 2,000 rooms.

The circuit has been described by Philippe Gurdjian, the French CEO of race organisers Abu Dhabi Sport Management, as “unique“.

“We want to take Formula One circuits to a higher level,” said MacAskill.

“It will be the first circuit in the world with such facilities.”

The circuit forms part of the first phase of the development of the island, which has been allocated US$11bil. In total, work on the island will cost US$40bil and involve 42,000 construction workers.

“This is a huge project, as we will build a whole city with all its infrastructure,” MacAskill explained. — AFP

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