Yas Marina Circuit Opens State of the Art Driving School

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(ABU DHABI, UAE) -- You too can learn to drive on a Formula 1 track at the new Yas Racing School that opened this week on Yas Island, home of the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix.  The idea is to experience the thrills while also practicing safe driving at top speeds. 

Richard Cregan, Chief Executive Officer of Yas Marina Circuit, said, "The Yas Racing School offers any driver the chance to learn the correct technique for driving fast, in a safe and controlled environment, under the direct guidance of a professional racing instructor."

In a country where driving ridiculously fast is something of a national sport, the Yas Racing School may help keep daredevils off the public highways and teach them safe driving. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ACTUAE), said, "it's vital to keep racing off the streets and ensure the youth of the UAE have the chance to learn new driving skills and enjoy motor sport in a safe, properly controlled environment."

Ben Sulayem is the UAE's best known professional race driver who learned his skills way before there was a Yas Marina Circuit or a Grand Prix race in his country. He said, "I wish I'd have had this chance when I was young."

The Yas Racing School also offers a one-day racing license assessment course in association with ATCUAE, the official licensing body. Drivers who pass the medical examination and a written and practical test will receive a racing license.

Car enthusiasts who would rather ride than drive can be driven around the track in an open-top Yas SuperSport SSX or a two-seater Formula 1 car. Both F1 two-seaters at the Yas Racing School were built to F1 manufacturing and safety standards, are fitted with current F1 suspension, brakes and tires, and are powered by V10 engines producing more than 700 bhp.

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