A racer from Kazakhstan will participate for the fourth time in the prestigious "24 Hours of Dubai" endurance race.

Seven-time champion of Kazakhstan and a prizewinner of prestigious international car races, 40-year-old Almaty resident Alexander Artemyev is set to participate in his fourth career race, the "24 Hours of Dubai." A correspondent from Caravan.kz reached out to the compatriot to gather details from the starting line.

Alexander already boasts accolades from major international racing events, including 2nd place at the "24 Hours of Barcelona" in Spain, an honorable 5th place at the "24 Hours of Dubai" (UAE), and 8th place in the Porsche Carrera Cup Le Mans (France). On January 9, 2025, Alexander Artemyev will once again take to the starting line of the "24 Hours of Dubai" (for the fourth time in his career) with aspirations for new achievements.

Since the Dubai race occurs annually, preparation spans the entire period between competitions. For instance, Alexander regularly ran throughout the year and worked out in the gym five days a week to strengthen his neck and back muscles. Additionally, he honed his racing skills on a homemade simulator, adapted to the actual car he will race, and analyzed his training sessions. Since September 2024, Alexander has been collaborating with a French team that invited him under favorable conditions with a strong lineup. However, challenges arose—just weeks before the race, the conditions from the French side changed and became less appealing, but this did not deter Alexander, as pursuing his goal is of utmost importance to him.

Participation in the "24 Hours of Dubai" costs the team around 150,000 euros, a sum that is divided according to agreements made between the team, drivers, and their sponsors.

“With support, things didn’t work out. To cover my share of the expenses for participating in the race, I worked for over a year. But I have a goal, and I am moving towards it,” Alexander Artemyev stated.

Currently, Artemyev is in Dubai, where test runs will begin on January 9. Despite this, it remains uncertain in which category Alexander's team will compete.

“One driver from France encountered passport issues—there are only 6 months left until the document expires, but he overlooked it, resulting in him being denied entry to Dubai. Consequently, our participant count will decrease. Whether he resolves his documentation issues in time will determine the class in which we will compete. At this moment, there are more than enough challenges before the start, but I hope that by the main event, they will be behind us,” Artemyev explained.

This year, the Kazakhstani racer hopes to improve his performance and emphasizes that no difficulties will stop him on this path.

“The mindset is solely to win. Yes, the rival drivers are strong and skilled, and there have been plenty of challenges, but that’s not a reason to stop,” Alexander assured.