The Dubai 24 Hour Race is both a sports car and touring car automobile endurance race held annually at the Dubai Autodrome. It was inaugurated in 2006. Entrants and participants As with all races in the 24H Series, promoted by Dutch promoter Creventic, they are open to both professional and semi-professional teams. There are both local competitors from the UAE and surrounding nations in the Persian Gulf as well as a host of international teams particularly from European nations. Unlike the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France whereby teams are invited by the organizers to compete, the Dubai 24 Hour is solely made up of teams who have registered prior to the commencing of the actual race. Entrants must file in a registration application in order to have a chance at competing. Entry and registration fees also apply for competitors. Class structure The race features both a variety of Grand tourer (GT), touring cars as well as specially built silhouette cars from a wide range of marques which are eligible to enter. These range from small-engined Super 2000 hatchbacks (such as the Renault Clio and Honda Civic) to racing-bred sport cars (such as the Porsche 911 GT3 & Marcos Mantis GT). A method of performance-balancing by the organisers of the event is existent throughout many of the classes featured in the Endurance Race. An example of this can be witnessed in the A2 Class whereby Super 1600 cars race alongside Super 2000 and run on equal performance as the 1,600 cc cars are allowed to carry less weight. Other factors such as a larger fuel tank and also the tire manufacturer for specific classes or ensure even competition. Classes A1 This is class restricted for subcompact cars. Cars with a maximum engine displacement of 1,300 cc can run on a minimum weight of 750 kg and an 80-litre fuel tank while cars with displacements up to 1,600 cc are run with a minimum weight of 820 kg and a 90-litre fuel tank. Cars that can feature in this class include the Honda Jazz, Toyota Echo, Nissan Tiida as well as other makes. A2 The A2 class features a host of Super 1600 and Super 2000 vehicles. These cars generally feature hatchback and small sedan vehicles. The engine displacement range in this class is between 1,600 cc and 2,000 cc and turbocharging for performance enhancement is not allowed. 1,600 cc