"Do Buy" - the Citroën CX Cup in the Middle East
11/19/2024
On December 4, 1981, the first ever car race in the Middle East took place in Dubai. In addition to the perhaps somewhat unfair duel between two Formula 1 cars - a McLaren with John Watson and a Theodore with Patrick Tambay at the wheel - which battled it out for the fastest lap time on the 2.6 km circuit, albeit one worth DM 12,000, there was also a Cup race with Citroën CX vehicles .
The trip to the desert was made palatable to the stars of the racing scene by an English jack-of-all-trades who had already celebrated a similar spectacle on the streets of Birmingham in 1980: Martin Hone, then head of the company "International Fortical Services".
Hone came to Dubai for the first time on January 19, 1981, Sheikh Rashid gave his OK on March 15, and nine months later the Briton John Watson raced around the race track around the Hyatt Regency Hotel at an average speed of 150 km/h in the then current McLaren F1.
With a budget of 2.5 million marks, Hone brought 120 racing cars from Europe to the United Arab Emirates. Dubai's Citroën importer at the time, Abdul Wahab Galadari, also ordered 16 Citroën CX GTi cars with roll cages and fire extinguishers in France to stage a 10-lap battle between old and young racing drivers from all over the world. The original plan was to run the race in Citroën Visas, but when the enthusiasm of the Formula 1 drivers for the small cars was limited, they were quickly replaced by the premium CX model. Of course, the marketing idea of the importer was also in the background, as there was hardly a better platform to offer the cars.
The Citroëns were driven by: Bruno Giacomelli, who won the Chase, Marc Surer from Switzerland, who came second, David Kennedy, John Fitzpatrick, Jack Brabham, Innes Ireland, Dan Gurney, Patrick Tambay, Roy Salvadori, Richard Attwood, Derek Bell, Dennis Hulme, Phil Hill, John Watson and Stirling Moss. Hone had invited them all to Dubai along with their companions. Evening balls with the finest drinks and exquisite food kept the racing drivers in the best of spirits.
Dan Gurney quickly recognized the deeper meaning behind the name Dubai, which he was visiting for the first time: "When I look at this place, I know why the city is called 'Do buy'."
Marc Surer (73) also remembers the event well: "It was an invitation race around the then newly built Hyatt Regency Hotel. The course ran along the roads around the hotel, which had already been completed for a planned urbanization. Although the 16 Citroën CX GTi cars were somewhat lowered, they were anything but racing cars. Front-wheel drive was unusual for most of the racers and this sluggish handling led to many collisions. I was rammed a lot on these ten laps, but I also had to constantly fight back. Without the constant fighting, I could have easily won the race. Only the Italian Bruno Giacomelli miraculously managed to stay out of all the battles and finished ahead of me. My CX showed a lot of battle scars, none of the four doors remained intact."
However, the dream of his own F1 Grand Prix has not yet come true in Dubai, although one was actually planned for 1983 after this event. But honestly, anyone who can build indoor ski slopes and ice rinks in the desert should also be predestined for an F1 Grand Prix.
