UAE Motorsport Events 2026/27: Dubai & Abu Dhabi Racing Calendar

Once the Gulf summer begins to ease, the UAE motorsport calendar gets busy very quickly.

Between Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi and Dubai Autodrome, the country hosts everything from regional GT and touring-car racing to Formula 1 and endurance events. Away from the circuits, the cooler months also bring some of the region’s biggest automotive gatherings, including Icons of Porsche and the 1000 Miglia Experience UAE.

The 2026/27 season begins gathering momentum in October and continues well into spring 2027.

For the latest dates and event information, GulfShows also maintains a continuously updated UAE car and motorsport events calendar.

October: the UAE circuit-racing season gets underway

October marks the beginning of the new regional racing season.

Gulf ProCar starts with a pre-season test at Yas Marina Circuit on 1 October, before the first championship round takes place in Abu Dhabi on 23–24 October 2026. Gulf ProCar

The series brings together a mixed grid of GT and touring machinery, with eligible cars including GT3, GT4, GTX, TCR and other saloon and prototype specifications. That variety makes Gulf ProCar one of the more accessible ways to see competitive regional circuit racing without waiting for one of the UAE’s major international weekends. Gulf ProCar

For anyone following the local racing scene, the autumn months are worth watching closely: many championship calendars begin here before moving between Yas Marina Circuit and Dubai Autodrome throughout the winter.

November: Dubai takes centre stage

November shifts much of the automotive attention towards Dubai.

The month starts with several grassroots and karting events at Dubai Autodrome, while the professional racing programme builds towards the second Gulf ProCar round later in November.

An official Gulf ProCar test takes place at Dubai Autodrome on 12 November, followed by the championship's Enduro round on 27–28 November. Instead of the usual sprint format, the weekend features two 60-minute races with mandatory pit stops. Gulf ProCar

But November in Dubai is about considerably more than circuit racing.

Automechanika Dubai - 10–12 November

Automechanika Dubai returns from 10–12 November 2026, this time at its new home at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City.

The event is primarily aimed at automotive-industry professionals rather than motorsport spectators, but its scale makes it relevant to anyone following the UAE automotive sector. More than 1,500 exhibitors are expected across parts, workshop equipment, electronics, diagnostics, accessories and automotive technology. Admission is for trade visitors aged 18 and over.

Icons of Porsche - 21–22 November

A very different type of automotive weekend follows on 21–22 November, when Icons of Porsche returns to Dubai for its sixth edition.

What began as a Porsche-focused gathering has developed into one of the region's largest automotive festivals, bringing together historic cars, modern road cars, racing machinery, art and the wider enthusiast community. Porsche describes the event as the biggest automotive festival in the region. Porsche Newsroom

For GulfShows, this is an important distinction: not every worthwhile automotive event in the UAE takes place behind a start line.

1000 Miglia Experience UAE returns at the end of November

The 1000 Miglia Experience UAE begins on 29 November and runs until 3 December 2026.

Limited to 120 participating teams, the event brings historic and collector cars onto a route covering approximately 1,000 miles across the Emirates. Its organisers describe it as the largest classic-car rally in the Arabian Peninsula. 1000 Miglia Experience

Unlike a circuit race, much of the appeal comes from seeing significant cars outside a static collection or concours lawn: moving between cities, desert roads and mountain sections across the UAE.

It also means late November is shaping up to be an unusually strong period for enthusiasts in Dubai, with Icons of Porsche, regional circuit racing and the start of the 1000 Miglia Experience taking place within little more than a week.

December: Formula 1 brings the focus back to Abu Dhabi

The biggest motorsport weekend on the UAE calendar arrives at Yas Marina Circuit from 4–6 December 2026.

The Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix again serves as the final round of the Formula 1 season, with practice on Friday, qualifying on Saturday and the Grand Prix on Sunday 6 December. Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website

Yas Marina Circuit has hosted the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2009 and remains the UAE's most internationally recognised motorsport venue.

But Formula 1 isn't the end of the year's racing.

Yas 12 Hours follows the Grand Prix

Just one week after the Formula 1 weekend, endurance racing returns to Yas Marina Circuit.

The Michelin Yas 12 Hours is scheduled for 12–13 December 2026, bringing GT endurance racing back to Abu Dhabi. CREVENTIC's current calendar confirms Yas Marina Circuit as the venue for the December event. 24H Series

The contrast with Formula 1 makes the December calendar particularly interesting. One weekend is built around the world's largest single-seater championship; the next shifts the focus to multi-hour GT racing, strategy, traffic and endurance.

For spectators more interested in GT machinery than Formula 1, the Yas 12 Hours may be one of the most interesting UAE events of the winter.

Gulf ProCar continues into 2027

The regional season does not stop when the calendar changes to 2027.

Gulf ProCar currently has further UAE rounds scheduled at both major circuits:

• 22–23 January 2027 — Yas Marina Circuit
• 12–13 February — Yas Marina Circuit
• 26–27 February — Dubai Autodrome
• 26–27 March — Dubai Autodrome
• 16–17 April — Dubai Autodrome Gulf ProCar

That gives the UAE a relatively long circuit-racing season, stretching from October into April rather than concentrating all of its motorsport into a handful of international weekends.

It also gives visitors several chances to see the two main UAE circuits outside Formula 1 weekend.

No 24H Dubai in January 2027

One notable change to the original 2026/27 calendar concerns the 24H Dubai.

The endurance race had originally been scheduled at Dubai Autodrome for 8–10 January 2027, but organiser CREVENTIC announced on 18 September that the event would move to Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in South Africa.

The organiser cited ongoing uncertainty in the Gulf region and its effect on logistics and transport planning. The January event will therefore run as the Michelin 24H Kyalami rather than the 24H Dubai. 24H Series

For anyone who had the Dubai event saved, that is worth checking before making travel plans.

Dubai Autodrome has much more than the headline events

The professional championships only show one part of the UAE motorsport scene.

Dubai Autodrome also runs track days, testing, karting and endurance competitions throughout the season. Its Dubai Kartdrome Endurance Championship, for example, includes the Dubai 700KM on 24–25 October, a 13-hour event in November and a 26-hour event in December. Dubai Autodrome

The 2026/27 DAMC Cup karting season also runs from September through May, adding another layer of competition below the country's larger circuit-racing championships. Dubai Autodrome

This is an area GulfShows will continue expanding as more grassroots and club-level events are added to the UAE calendar.

Dubai or Abu Dhabi: where is most of the motorsport?

Both cities play different roles.

Abu Dhabi is centred heavily around Yas Marina Circuit and tends to host the largest international events: Formula 1, endurance racing and major regional championship weekends.

Dubai has a broader mix. Dubai Autodrome supports regional circuit racing, testing and karting, while the city also hosts major automotive events such as Icons of Porsche and Automechanika Dubai.

Anyone visiting specifically for motorsport should therefore check both cities rather than treating the UAE calendar as one location.

What are the UAE motorsport events worth watching?

For international scale, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix remains the obvious headline event.

For GT and endurance fans, the Yas 12 Hours offers a completely different style of racing only a week later.

To see more of the UAE's domestic and regional racing scene, Gulf ProCar weekends at Yas Marina Circuit and Dubai Autodrome are particularly useful, while Dubai Kartdrome provides a much more grassroots view of motorsport in the country.

And for enthusiasts whose interests extend beyond racing, November is especially strong thanks to Icons of Porsche, Automechanika Dubai and the 1000 Miglia Experience UAE.

Keep checking the UAE calendar

Motorsport calendars can change, particularly as individual championship schedules, support races and event programmes are finalised.

GulfShows tracks upcoming car, motorcycle and motorsport events across the UAE and updates event pages as new information becomes available.