Narain Karthikeyan, AT&T Williams F1 Test Driver, along with Indonesian saloon car racer Moreno Soeprapto and his brother Ananda Mikola were joined by Swiss regional stock car racer Alexandre Maus and Italian rally driver Nico Caldarola, to test two of the championship's 650bhp cars at the Dubai Autodrome, completing over 60 laps in total.

Commenting after his run, Karthikeyan is convinced that the Speedcars offer race drivers an exceptionally fun racing experience which will create tight competition and good entertainment for the crowds.

"I had a good feel for the car," said the former Jordan racer, "expecting some sliding from such a heavy car I had no surprises. But I have to say the car is a good car, despite its weight it is very balanced and pretty forgiving, it has a strong engine and is quick on the straight. The breaking distances are very long compared to those of single-seater cars of course and that took some getting used to.

"The Speedcar will create a close grid which will promote good racing and overtaking," he added. "The end of each of the Speedcar races should be very interesting as the tires will be run down and physical exhaustion will overcome most drivers, it will be interesting to see the battle between the younger and former F1 star drivers. It was really a fun car to drive, the weather was a challenge though with over 40 degrees Centigrade it gets very hot in the car.

The test was being used by drivers and engineers to perform tests on a new brake system, not to search for ultimate lap times.