New i1 Supercar Series to race in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Due to the elections to be held in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the inaugural i1 Supercar Series has been rescheduled - and the new schedule sees Dubai join Abu Dhabi on the calendar. Apart from pushing back the start of the series to next month, the race in Sepang, Malaysia has been replaced by an event at the Dubai Autodrome on March 17. Machdar Motorsports this week announced a revised race schedule for the series, which will see 18 cars driven by a mix of seasoned international drivers - including Jacques Villenueve, Giancarlo Fisichella and Jean Alesi - and up-and-coming Indian talent. The first race will now take place in Doha, Qatar, on February 10 and 11, followed by events in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and India. The last race of the series will be held at the Buddh International Circuit in Noida, New Delhi on April 1. Darshan M, CEO, Machdar Motorsports, said: "Due to polling in Uttar Pradesh, the Buddh International Circuit was instructed by the district administration that they can't host any public events around the dates of the elections. "It is unfortunate that we have to postpone the start of our inaugural season, but since the Indian race is central to the interests of team owners and sponsors, we had to rework the entire race calendar. We have spoken to the team owners and our partners and they are totally behind this move. "Due to clashing dates, we have had to replace Sepang, Malaysia, with the Dubai Autodrome. We are confident that the i1 Supercar Series will play a big role in developing young talent in the country and we look forward to the start of the season." Machdar Motorsports launched the i1 Supercar Series at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi. The prize money on offer is US$2 million, with nine city-based teams in the fray. New calendar February 10/11 - Losail International Circuit, Doha, Qatar February 24/25 - Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain March 9/10 - Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, UAE March 16/17 - Dubai Autodrome, Dubai, UAE March 31/April 1 - Buddh International Circuit, New Delhi, India