The fear of Omicron has caused organisers of a race of vintage supercars set to be hosted by the UAE this month, to postpone it.
The race was to have held for the first time to mark the country’s 50th anniversary.
The five-day 1,000-mile Mille Miglia – an open-road, motorsport endurance race, described by enthusiasts as the most beautiful race in the world – has been put on hold for “health and safety” reasons, organizers Octanium Experiences LLC have said.
The event was first slated for December then put on hold until February 18.
Organizers said only a “prologue event” will be staged on February 22 to give “a taste of the high-octane racing thrills of the historical Italian original and let participants and public alike know what to expect from the full upcoming 1000 Miglia Experience UAE.”
The full event is now slated for Q4 2022, reports Alarabiya.net.
Octanium CEO Martin Halder said: “This decision is the outcome of considerable thought, with preparations being complete for February 2022.”
“We cannot help but acknowledge the spread of the omicron variant and must place above all else the safety and wellbeing of our participants from around the world.
“We appreciate and cherish the enthusiasm our participants have shown so far and we thank them for all their support and encouragement.”
The original event was set to see 50 participants from round the world competing in 100 landmark automobiles against 50 drivers from across the Arab world, with participants passing through all of the UAE’s seven emirates.
The first ever Mille Miglia event open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the young Counts Francesco Mazzotti and Aymo Maggi, which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957.
