Driving the Yas Marina Circuit

I haven’t posted anything here since November 2017, and a lot has changed since then, so it’s time for an update and then something fun.

First the updates – I’m home and so glad to be here! Being home is terrific after living in hotels in the Mideast for the past 5 years. Yeah, it sounds glamorous and exciting to live and work in Abu Dhabi or Saudi Arabia, and at times it can be, but it gets tedious and very lonely after a short while. Skype is great, but nothing like the real thing!

My work was almost complete in the UAE, but I came home because Dana needed me here. In May 2016 while visiting me, she slipped and fell, and cracked her knees on the concrete floor of the parking garage below the hotel. Over the next year and a half they deteriorated to the point she could barely walk, and finally needed knee replacement, which happened for her left knee at the end of November.

I’m happy to say that after struggling with months of built-up inflammation, she has reached a point of walking with only her cane, in a driving rain, from the parking lot into Bud Walton Arena to see the Razorbacks play basketball, and back to the car! This is a major accomplishment, folks, and I am very proud of her perseverance and determination! The jury is still out on whether her right knee will also need replacement – at one point that was a near certainty, but it is holding up well so far. We’ll take good care of it and hope for the best.

While I was in Abu Dhabi I stayed in a hotel on a resort island that was also home to a Formula 1 race track – the Yas Marina Circuit. While there I often walked around it, and several times rode a bicycle around it (a wonderful family-friendly option 3 nights a week), but for a fee you can drive around it too!  In March 2017 I thought I was coming home for good, and wanted to try the driving option before I left.  I’ve always thought of myself as a good driver, so this felt like a good chance to test that supposition!

Yas Marina Circuit – the track literally wraps around the Marina and hotel!

There are several cars you can choose from for this driving experience – from a Jaguar to an Aston Martin race car, to a Ferrari racer (US$1500). I chose the Mercedes AMG GTS – just a simple, pretty little  500 HP 2-door sedan!  All these cars are track-ready with safety cages and roll bars, and the AMG was the one I was most likely to fit into. Plus, I just love the look of it!

AMG GTS

When you arrive you get a safety briefing, and a quick overview of track procedures and driving tips. Of course, you don’t get to drive these things solo – an instructor rides along with you. You get 20 minutes on the track to have fun, go fast, or slow, or whatever suits you. My goals were to finish safely, go faster each time around, and have fun!   

As luck would have it, I accomplished all three!  I saw all the other drivers spin out at some point (including the Ferrari right as I entered the track – you’ll see me point at it; I took the first curve slowly so the Ferrari could get straightened out and on his way), and one guy mowed down a long row of cones marking the driving lane. I passed and got passed, but there was absolutely no racing allowed. Just good clean motorway fun!

Thanks to a borrowed GoPro camera I was able to record my drive – which is cool. Sadly, the only available place to mount the thing was right next to my head, which limits the view, but you’ll get the idea. It took me months to get these ready, because I had to learn about video editing, but I’ve posted two videos to YouTube. One is an overview showing my only the first and seventh laps.

Click here to see the short overview video

This longer video shows the entire drive, start to finish, if anyone is interested in seeing me get through 10 laps.

Click here to see the complete drive video

This was a lot of work, but great fun! I wish I’d known the car better, and that I learned a couple of lessons faster, but all in all I’m very glad to have done this! If you find yourself in Abu Dhabi with an afternoon free, I highly recommend it!

For more info see Yas Marina Circuit website.

#YasMarinaCircuit  #DrivingExperience  #YasIsland  #AbuDhabi  #UAE