Off-road racing is quite popular here thanks to all the dunes and kilometres of desert throughout the region and let’s not forget racing stars such as Dr. Mohammed Ben Sulayem. There are even local rally races and championships spanning the Emirates. One company is looking at further expanding the off-road racing scene and they are Zarooq Motors and they have one incredible vehicle.
Designed in the UAE by Anthony Jannarelly, who also designed the gorgeous Lykan Hypersport, it’s to be built in the UAE in partnership with JJ Special. The off-roaders chassis is produced in conjunction with Campos Racing who have a very impressive history in terms of motorsports including Formula E, World Touring Car Championship and GP2.
This beast of a vehicle is not limited to dunes, it’s also street legal much like Local Motor’s Rally Fighter. Powered by a V6 3.5-litre petrol engine sending power to all four wheels, it’s estimated to pump out 300 horsepower and if requested 500 hp. Weighing in at just 950 kilos it’s sure to gobble up sand at a rapid pace.
Additionally a special mixture will coat the tyres to reduce dust clouds for better visibility for those behind.
Inside the cockpit, it’s aimed at an authentic racing experience with lightweight carbon fibre. Air Conditioning has been left in as we all know hot the desert can be. It’s hand-built and bespoke meaning anything can be placed inside such as a radio tuner for some entertainment when you’re craving your way through the sand.
As well as building the vehicle, Zarooq Motors is setting foundation down for an off-road race track just for unleashing its full potential. To be built in an unconfirmed location somewhere in the Dubai desert spanning across roughly 40 hectares, the course will feature sweeping curves, long straights, jumps and a secret message when viewed from above. Want to know what that secret message is? Part of the track will spell Dubai in Arabic.
Not just intended for racing purposes, once everything starts up arrive and drive sessions will be available to whizz around in the Zarooq Sand Racer, training sessions in privately owned or track owned vehicles and much more. Sign me up! Clubhouse and a swimming pool will be available too.
Zarooq Motors is not just about the car and track, they plan on creating a single-make championship featuring the offroad machine. With a race prepped chassis, dedicated crews on hand to fix anything mechanical and ex-racing driver instructors, it sounds very similar to what Aston Martin, Ferrari and McLaren are offering for their Vulcan, P1 GTR and FXX K programmes. No pricing for this package has yet to be revealed, however rest assured it will be a lot less than those ones mentioned before. No word has been spoken if you have to own the vehicle to race it or if you can borrow one straight from them.
The name Zarooq Sand racer is inspired by Schokari Sand Racer, which is one of the fastest and agile creatures of the sand.
Pricing starts at$80,000 (approx 294,000 AED) and top out at $160,000 (approx 588,000 AED), deliveries are expected early 2016 with two vehicles being built a month and the first 20 will be special Inaruagal Edition. One day we could see a Zarooq Sand Racer in the Dakar rally or the Abu Dhabi Offroad challenge perhaps.
