Gianni Morbidelli triumphed in the inaugural Speedcar race this afternoon at the Dubai Autodrome with an 8 second lead over the two other podium drivers German, Uwe Alzen and Austrian, Mathias Lauda.

With the exception of Gianni, starting from pole position and dominating the race through all of the 20 laps, the race was thrilling and close with drivers battling for position down to the last lap.

Mathias Lauda qualified second, however, had to concede his position to Uwe Alzen who started fourth on the grid. The German's handling of the V8 stockcar was impressive considering that this morning was the first time he drove the car.

David Terrien drove with heart and won fans with his performance when his car went into a spin causing him to fall to 8th position. He still battled his way back up the order to finish in 4th. David's team mate Hasher Al Maktoum followed 7 seconds behind.

Apart from Gianni Morbidelli who stole the show, the other ex-F1 drivers did not fare as well. Johnny Herbert managed to finish all 20 laps with engine trouble that slowed him down. He will have the engine replaced in time for tomorrow's second race. Ukyo Katayama retired after 7 laps in which he and Stefan Johansson collided twice. Jean Alesi finished in 6th place and admitted to making a few mistakes that cost him some positions.

Gianni said at the press conference, "It was an excellent inaugural race and gave us all a chance to size up our competition. It was hard though and long, but exciting and I can't wait for the next one."

Race 2 will be held tomorrow as part of the Grand Racing events also featuring GP2 Asia at the Dubai Autodrome before the Series races in Indonesia next month.