Simply Abu Dhabi XXVIII

T he Chopard Classic Rally is world renowned, having run across Europe for many years – and it made itsMiddle East debut on 10 and 11 November with the inaugural Dubai version. Thirty classic – and some near priceless – cars piloted by 60 enthusiastic competitors headed off from the Armani Hotel at the iconic Burj Khalifa on a typically stunningwinter’smorning for the first of two days of action, making their first stop at the Hatta Fort Hotel near the Omani border. Whilst we weren’t entered because cars have to be of a certain age, our media car from Lamborghini Middle East was perhaps a touch of overkill as the Huracan LP610-4 was easily able to stay ahead of the pack for most of the route, which ventured through the northern emirates of Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah. The second day’s focus was tackling the highest mountain in the Emirates, which also happens to have a spectacularly winding road to the top of Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah. “Chopard has been associated with classic motorsports for many years,” Chopard’s Co-founder and avid car collector Mr Karl-Friedrich Scheufele said. “My family has a passion for this. In 1988 I came across the famousMille Miglia road race in Italy and ever since then we have entered classic racing. “We also sponsor the Monaco Historic Grand Prix which is held every two years; andmore recentlywe became partners with PorscheMotorsport which includes the Le Mans 24-Hour race as well,” he added. Not content to sit on the sidelines, Mr Scheufele drove a classic 1971 Porsche 911 2.4S. His co-driver was none other than six-time Le Mans 24-Hour winner, eight-time FormulaOneGrand Prixwinner, CanAmSports Car racer and Chopard brand ambassador: the Belgian Jacky Ickx. Scheufele and Ickx have become something of a team in Chopard Classic rallies, with Ickx, in typical gentlemanly style, opting to take the navigator’s seat to allowScheufele to experience the competition frombehind the wheel. Ickx raced for Ferrari and Brabham during his Formula One career at a time when death was a close companion in the early 1970s; he went on to win the Le Mans 24-Hour, first with Ford and Mirage before making Porsche his home for the next four victories. Quite appropriately, the Porsche they sharedwas previously owned by another multiple Le Mans winner and five-times IMSA champion: the American Al Holbert. Holbert – inducted into the International Motorsport Hall of Fame in 1983 – used this 911 as his daily drive; the car is nowpart of the Tomini Collection in Dubai and was on loan to Chopard for the rally. Whatmakes this car evenmore desirable is the fact that the subsequent owners maintainedHolbert’s personalised touches such as its lowered ride height, the sports steering wheel, a sportier exhaust and air conditioning. “Because this region ‘gets’ cars and you have a lot of nice, fast cars here in the UAE, I amalso sure there aremanymore classics hidden in garages, so getting this many out for the rally is job one done. Now you have to put themon the road,” Jacky Ickx said immediately after the event. “It’s amazing that no-one has thought about a classic car rally like this before here, because this was such a special event with a nice atmosphere and a unique spirit,” he added. An amazing array of 30 classics arrived at the start line, including early post- war Jaguar XK140 and XK120 dropheads, air-cooled Porsche 911s in every variety from the earliest 911E to the wildest mid-1980s 930 turbo variants, as well as Ferrari 308 and 328 GTBs, with a 1960s Ford Mustang and Chevy Corvette Stingray representing the US.