Driver Database News

Bahraini teenager Ezra Idafar made an excellent return to action during the fourth race meeting of the 2009/2010 Chevrolet Supercars ME Championship in Abu Dhabi over the weekend – two class podiums lifting him into fourth position in the SC06 Development Class driver standings.

Kicking off the season with two podiums during the 2009 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend last October, the 17-year-old impressed once again on his return to the fabulous Yas Marina facility, having missed the previous two rounds in Saudi Arabia last month.

Showing no signs of track rust, Ezra’s start to the GP2 Asia Series-supporting event was nonetheless compromised by mechanical problems with his 6.0-litre Lumina during free practice on Friday, 5th February, which resulted in very little track time.

An eventual transmission failure meant the car needed to be repaired prior to qualifying but with only an hour between sessions, Ezra’s Chevrolet was only able to run during the final few minutes where he did a great job to secure the fifth fastest time in class with just one flying lap.

Producing a terrific performance during the opening race on Friday afternoon, the youngest driver in the championship climbed through the order very well to finish runner-up in the Development Class, eighth position overall, a mere two seconds behind points leader Faisal Raffii. Ezra also posted a highly competitive best lap of 2m39.300 seconds.

Race two on Saturday, 6th February, produced another podium – Ezra’s fourth of the season – with a fine third place class finish, eighth overall again. He also went one better than the first encounter in terms of lap times, posting the best SC06 Class effort of 2m39.288 seconds. Combining his scores, the teenager is now just seven points outside the top three in the Development Class standings.

Ezra said: “It’s great to be back on the podium again, the weekend was difficult with the problems in practice and qualifying but both races went well for me. Even though I missed the previous event in Saudi Arabia and had two non-finishes in Bahrain in December, we’re still in quite a good position in the SC06 Class championship.”

There are only two weeks to wait until the fifth race meeting of the 2009/2010 Chevrolet Supercars ME Championship takes place on Friday, 19th February, and Saturday, 20th February. Once again, the event will be staged at the Yas Marina facility in Abu Dhabi but will this time act as support to the opening round of the 2010 Australian V8 Supercars Championship.

Provisional 2009 Chevrolet Supercars ME Championship ‘Development Class’ Points:
1st Faisal Raffii, 56pts; 2nd Alqassim Hamidaddin, 34pts; 3rd Husam Al-Saleh, 27pts;
4th Ezra Idafar, 20pts

The V8 Championship moved onto Round 3 which was to be held at the Al-Reem Circuit in Saudi Arabia. It was to be the first high-profile event to be held at the circuit and of course was the first race for Meezer Racing in their home country.

Meezer Racing Driver Coach Malcolm Edeson had already done some laps of the circuit so knew what to expect “it’s very technical and very different to anything else in the Middle-East, the cambers and elevation changes will be a real challenge for all drivers”

The first day was to feature a free-practice session and qualifying. It was encouraging to see Raed at the top of the timesheets as free-practice came to a close and the team were hopeful of pole-position.

QUALIFYING

Raed set an early marker with a very low 1:27 and then proceeded to register the fastest lap seen all weekend of a 1.26.9 almost a second faster than local driver Abdulaziz Al-Yaeesh. As it turned out Raed had set a number of very quick laps which saw him take pole position for both races with a back on form Abdulaziz taking 2nd position in both
races.

RACE 1

The V8 Championship features rolling starts and as the green light was given the thundering V8s headed towards turn 1, a very tight corner which the team were concerned about before the race, Driver Coach Malcolm Edeson said “It’s a heavy braking zone into a very slow right-hander, the drivers will need to be careful to judge their speed from the
rolling start and the potential for contact is very high, let’s hope everyone gets through there cleanly”.

Thankfully Raed and Abdulaziz dealt with it perfectly and a good run through the next few turns saw them with a good gap to the chasing pack who were fighting amongst themselves. By the end of lap one the gap was considerable and the rest of the race was a battle between Raed and Abdulaziz with Abdulaziz occasionally looking threatening but the

closing laps saw the gap extend as the Saudi drivers’ tyres began to give up their best. So, a great win for Raed Raffii in Race 1.

RACE 2

All the driver now had more experience of the track and all thought that race 2 would be much harder. Meezer Driver Coach Malcolm Edeson said “I think with 2 races in one day everyone was mindful to avoid damage, I’m sure the drivers’ will be going for it more in Race 2″.

Again Raed headed the field alongside Al-Yaeesh as the roar of the V8s sounded to 15 simultaneous right-feet stamped on the throttle pedals. This time Al-Yaeesh had drawn alongside and went for an audacious move around the outside of Turn 1 which paid off beautifully. A little too much speed saw Al-Yaeesh run wide at the Turn 4 hairpin and
Raed was able to power past the young Saudi. The cars were inches apart as they braked for the very tricky double left and a small tap from the Saudi driver pushed Raed offline which allowed him to gain the advantage as they approach the very fast left-right complex of Turns 6 & 7.

Raed had to give best to Al-Yaeesh but in doing so was slowed into the corner allowing 2007/2008 Champion Fahad Al-Musalam to sneak alongside. Neither driver was going to give in and a side-by-side battle through and out of Turn 7 allowed Tarek ElGammal & Mohammed Al-Owais to pass both drivers. Raed tried hard to regain position and in the battle that followed made contact with Al-Owais in a 3-car Turn 1 battle. It was either this or the earlier contact with Al-Musalam that bent Raed’s steering and from then on the car was almost undriveable in right-hand turns. Raed lost 2 further positions whilst struggling with the wayward steering but valiantly fought back on the closing laps to repass those two drivers finally ! finishing in 6th position.

SUMMARY

The elation of Race 1 was dulled somewhat by the disappointment of Race 2 but points were still picked up and overall Raed is in a stronger position after the race than before. Coach Malcolm said “We are obviously disappointed with the result in race 2 but Raed did well to bring the car home and secure some points. The only thing certain in racing is
that nothing is certain. Yas Marina next were we hope Raed will again show the form that put him ahead of the rest of the Championship drivers in Qualifying”

The next race for the V8 Championship will be held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu-Dhabi on 5-6th Feb 2010 supporting the GP2 Asia series. If you can make it please come along and support Meezer Racing Team and Raed Raffii as they strive to win the V8 Supercars Middle-East Championship.

Meezer Racing Team http://www.MeezerTeam.com
V8 Supercars ME http://www.SupercarsME.com

Chevrolet Supercars ME Championship ‘Development Class’ front-runner Ezra Idafar had a problematic home event at Bahrain International Circuit when mechanical troubles caused him to retire from the third and fourth rounds of the season.

Running at the Sakhir track as part of the Kingdom’s inaugural ‘Speed Weekend Bahrain’ event, the latest installment of the Chevrolet Supercars started well for the 17-year-old student. Practice and qualifying on Friday, 11th December, went smoothly with Ezra posting the second fastest time in both sessions to secure a spot on the class front-row of the grid.

Unfortunately, troubles with the clutch on his 6.0-litre Chevrolet Lumina resulted in a disappointing retirement from the first race for the youngest driver in the championship. Once again though, his pace proved to be highly impressive.

Hoping for better luck in round four on Saturday, 12th December, Ezra lined up on the grid second in the SC06 Class – 10th overall – but his chances of remaining in the top three of the Development Class standings were dealt another blow due to more problems with his car, this time with the gears.

“We’re obviously very disappointed not to have finished either of the races or to have scored any points, especially at my home circuit, but I was fast in qualifying again so we are positive about that”, said Ezra, “It’s unlucky we had the mechanical problems but that’s racing!”

Thanks to Ezra’s highly successful outing during the season-opening event in Abu Dhabi last month, he is still inside the top four in the SC06 Development Class Championship Standings even though the Gulf Computer Services-backed driver’s home races didn’t bear fruit in terms of points finishes.

Ezra will not be contesting the next round of the championship at the Reem International Circuit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in early January so his next race action will come at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi over the weekend 5th/6th February 2010.

Provisional 2009 Chevrolet Supercars ME Championship ‘Development Class’ Points:
1st Faisal Raffii, 24pts; 4th Ezra Idafar, 10pts

Bahraini Raed Raffii, representing leading motorsport solutions specialists Meezer Group, showed his unlimited potential over the past weekend by taking a double podium, including a fantastic victory, in the second round of the Chevrolet Supercars Middle East Championship at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC).

Raed, sponsored by Tamooz and Batelco, upstaged the nearly 20-car field of more experienced regional talent with third place in race one and then a dominant win in race two. The 20-year-old was in fine form from the very moment he stepped into the car for the first session of practices on Friday.

n qualifying held later the same day, Raed secured a spot on the front row alongside defending champion and compatriot Fahad Al Musalam. It was a promising start to a busy day, and was a fitting sign of things to come.

On to race one, where Raed steered clear of trouble at turn one after a rip-roaring start but lost a position to fellow-competitor Mohammed Al Owais of the UAE and dropped to third. Raed tried hard to pressure the Emirati into making a mistake over the race’s early stages and a fierce battle ensued, with both drivers touching a few times. Al Owais defended well so Raed shifted his focus to keeping his place on the podium as he was beginning to experience some car trouble. Raed eventually completed the race distance 9.852 seconds behind winner Al Musalam, and his strong showing helped him secure his first podium of the season and paved the way for even greater things to come in the round.

Raed commented: “I was thinking of avoiding any accidents at the start, so I thought I’d let Mohammed go and just follow him and hope he makes a mistake. “Once I touched him, I didn’t want to lose his race and mine, so I thought I would just maintain the car on a certain pace so I could finish in third. Mohammed was also very competitive. He did a good job defending, and he built a gap on me as I had an issue with the braking prior to the end.”

For race two, Raed was positioned in fourth for the rolling start behind pole-sitter Al Musalam, Al Owais and fellow-Bahraini Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. With all three ahead of him, Raed faced the tough task of overtaking some of the Middle East’s most renowned names in the sport, but the youngster rose to the challenge. Pushing with an unwavering determination and an SC09 car that was set up to perfection, Raed stormed down the main straight as the green lights came on and took the inside line to pass Al Musalam. By turn one, he was in front, and even to his surprise, it was a clear path the rest of the way. Raed’s pace was so impressive that midway through the race, he was six seconds clear of the trailing pack, and despite the heavy downpo! ur that blanketed BIC over the final few laps, Raed actually extended his advantage. He took the chequered flag while enjoying a 9.835-second gap ahead ofAl Musalam, who was followed to the finish line by Shaikh Hamad Ecstatic with his win, Raed was seen celebrating on top of his car’s hood and then later with team manager Fahad Hizam and Coach Malcolm Edeson. Raed then led his countrymen Al Musalam and Shaikh Hamad out onto the podium, and could not hide his ecstasy as he jumped up in joy, with fist pumped high in victory, to cap a brilliant weekend.

Raed said with a bright smile on his face: “I was totally surprised when I went through and took the lead at the start. “I was expecting Fahad to close the door on me, but he didn’t. From there, I just tried to do the quickest laps I could, as if it were qualifying. When the rain came down, I got a bit nervous, but next thing I know, I saw the chequered flag and I had won. “I’m competing against some really great drivers, and I’m so glad to be here in this championship. This is a very big win for me and the team, and I hope we can continue like this until the season’s end.” Raed’s results made up for a disappointing first round held in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit in October/November, where he was seventh in race one but did not finish race two.

An elated Fahad commented: “I’m very glad that everything we did between now and the first round has paid off today. I’m very glad that we won and that Raed did what he always wanted, and of course, what we as a team, wanted. It’s really great to be a part of this here today.”

The second round’s results helped Raed rocket to third place on the championship standings after a 17-point haul that brought his overall season tally to 19 points. He continues to trail leader Al Musalam, who extended his total to 34 points, while another Bahraini, Shaikh Salman bin Rashid Al Khalifa, stayed in second place with 20 points.

Fahad added: “Raed has always been ready to race, but the car did not perform to its best in the previous three races. Today, the car was ready, so Raed won by a big gap, beating the defending champion.”

Coach Malcolm said: “To see him on top of the podium is extremely satisfying. I was worried prior to the last race that he had taken too much out of the tyres previously because we put new ones on for race one. But I told him he would actually be in better position from the start, and that proved to be the case. He was in first by turn one and he had no tyre problems from there. “I feel for Raed because he had such a terrible weekend at Yas Marina Circuit through no fault of his own, but because of car issues. He knew he was fast, but at this level you’ve got to prove it. That’s what counts. You can be fast, but if you don’t finish, there’s no points. “But following this spectacular second round, I think he can win the championship. That’s what we’re here for. In race one, we had many problems in the car, which we sorted. In race two, he was dominant. With reliability on our side and with a little bit of luck in this game, Raed can be the new champion.”

Raed will definitely get a chance to show his worth once more when the season heads to Reem International Circuit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for round three on January 6 and 7.

Meezer Group
Supercars ME

Bahraini youngster Ezra Idafar produced a tremendous performance on his competitive debut in the Chevrolet Supercars ME Championship at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi over the weekend, the 17-year-old securing a double podium finish in the SC06 ‘Development Class’.

On the same weekend as his older brother Menasheh took his maiden Formula Renault UK podium finish during round two of the 2009 Winter Championship in Britain, Ezra earned two pole position starts in his class in the Chevrolet Supercars before mounting two excellent comeback drives to claim a second place finish on Saturday, 31st October, and a third place result on Sunday, 1st November.

Racing as support to the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix, Ezra – the youngest driver in the Chevrolet Supercars this season – made a perfect start to the weekend on Friday, 30th October, during qualifying where he was utterly dominant at the wheel of his 6.0-litre Lumina.

Running strongly during the opening half-hour practice session earlier in the day, he stepped-up a gear in qualifying to post a best lap of 2m43.003 seconds – exactly two seconds quicker than his closest rival – while his second fastest time was more than good enough for the race two pole.

At the beginning of the opening encounter on Saturday, Ezra had a problem at the start to slip to the tail of the field but he mounted a stirring comeback to battle his way through into second place in class and 13th position overall to grab a podium finish on his category debut along with the fastest lap.

In race two on Sunday, the Gulf Computer Services supported driver was caught up in an incident with the car ahead as they battled for position causing him to slip to the back of the order again. Once more a determined and spirited drive resulted in a class podium with third position, 12th overall, and he also posted the fastest lap in class for the second time in as many races.

“I’ve had a lot of fun this weekend, it’s been great being part of a Formula One event and to get two class podiums on my debut in the Chevrolet Supercars is fantastic”, said Ezra, “Qualifying went far better than I could have expected and although the races were tough, I really enjoyed them.”

There is now a break of almost six weeks in the Chevrolet Supercars ME Championship calendar with round two of the season taking place at Ezra’s home track, the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, on Thursday, 10th December, and Friday, 11th December.

Provisional 2009 Chevrolet Supercars ME Championship ‘Development Class’ Points:
1st Alqassim Hamidaddin, 14pts; 2nd Ezra Idafar, 10pts

Bahraini youngster Ezra Idafar produced a tremendous performance on his competitive debut in the Chevrolet Supercars ME Championship at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi over the weekend, the 17-year-old securing a double podium finish in the SC06 ‘Development Class’.

On the same weekend as his older brother Menasheh took his maiden Formula Renault UK podium finish during round two of the 2009 Winter Championship in Britain, Ezra earned two pole position starts in his class in the Chevrolet Supercars before mounting two excellent comeback drives to claim a second place finish on Saturday, 31st October, and a third place result on Sunday, 1st November.

Racing as support to the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix, Ezra – the youngest driver in the Chevrolet Supercars this season – made a perfect start to the weekend on Friday, 30th October, during qualifying where he was utterly dominant at the wheel of his 6.0-litre Lumina.

Running strongly during the opening half-hour practice session earlier in the day, he stepped-up a gear in qualifying to post a best lap of 2m43.003 seconds – exactly two seconds quicker than his closest rival – while his second fastest time was more than good enough for the race two pole.

At the beginning of the opening encounter on Saturday, Ezra had a problem at the start to slip to the tail of the field but he mounted a stirring comeback to battle his way through into second place in class and 13th position overall to grab a podium finish on his Chevrolet Supercars debut along with the fastest lap.

In race two on Sunday, the Gulf Computer Services supported driver was caught up in an incident with the car ahead as they battled for position causing him to slip to the back of the order again. Once more a determined and spirited drive resulted in a class podium comeback to third position, 12th overall, and he also posted the fastest lap in class for the second time in as many races.

“I’ve had a lot of fun this weekend, it’s been great being part of a Formula One event and to get two class podiums on my debut in the Chevrolet Supercars is fantastic”, said Ezra, “Qualifying went far better than I could have expected and although the races were tough, I really enjoyed them.”

There is now a break of almost six weeks in the Chevrolet Supercars ME Championship calendar with round two of the season taking place at Ezra’s home track, the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, on Thursday, 10th December, and Friday, 11th December.

Provisional 2009 Chevrolet Supercars ME Championship ‘Development Class’ Points:
1st Alqassim Hamidaddin, 14pts; 2nd Ezra Idafar, 10pts