Golfers gear up for Dubai Desert Classic with Autodrome visit

Simon Collings 15:56 27/01/2014
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  • Different driving: The golfers swapped driving golf balls for cars.

    Wade Ormsby, Richard Green, Marcus Fraser and Peter Hanson swapped the golf course for the race track as they visited the Dubai Autodrome on Monday.

    The golfing quartet will all be competing at the Dubai Desert Classic, which starts Thursday January 30 and boasts a prize fund of $2.5million.

    However before the tournament gets underway, Hanson and co. took the opportunity to experience Dubai’s famous Autodrome in Formula 1 style Single Seater cars.

    The quartet donned race suits and helmets as the sped around the racetrack, all under the watchful eye and guidance of Autodrome instructor Tarek Elgammal.

    After the adrenaline filled fun, Green, who won the Dubai Desert Classic in 1997, admitted that the racing had been an entertaining experience.

    "Thanks heaps @tarekelgammal for the skid around tonight loads of fun. Get yourself to @Dubai_Autodrome and learn from the best,” he wrote on Twitter.

    The golfers’ instructor, Elgamal, confessed he was amazed at the fours driving prowess.

    "I was extremely impressed by the professionalism and speed shown by professional sports people from a totally different sporting discipline than motorsport,” said Elgamal.

    "All of them were super quick by the end of the session and I had to push very hard in order to keep pace.

    “I have the utmost respect for the mental and mechanical ability Richard, Peter, Wade and Marcus showed today and can see why they are such successful professional sportsmen.

    "I wish them all the best in the Dubai Desert Classic this week and I'm sure they will be back at Dubai Autodrome again after hearing their enthusiasm for the Single Seater experience.”

    The Dubai Desert Classic is set to welcome one of its most competitive fields to the UAE, with a galaxy of stars heading to the Emirates Golf Club.

    2009 champion Rory McIlroy, Race to Dubai winner Henrik Stenson and world No1 Tiger Woods will all be hoping to lift the title on Sunday February 2.

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