Qatari petrol-heads put Ferraris through their paces

The desert nation of Qatar is a hotspot for lovers of the Italian supercars, with many taking part in high-octane track days.

The petrol-heads meet at the Pearl-Qatar- a 400 million sqm artificial island within the nation’s capital- before taking the cars to stretch their legs on the circuit.

Qatari-based Ferrari distributor Alfardan Sports Motors host the events- lining up everything from the £177,000 Ferrari 458 Italia, to the £250,000 458 Speciale.

The star attraction is the £1,200,000 LaFerrari, which can hit speeds of up to 217mph.

Supercar film-maker David Jeffery captured footage of the showdowns in April this year and November 2014.

The 22-year-old, who is originally from Newcastle, said: “Upon arrival at the track, current Ferrari owners and their cars are registered and put into groups based on model, power and layout.

“All of the cars are then checked over and adjusted for the track by authorised Ferrari technicians to ensure safety.

“Prospective owners may register and select a car to test drive for a few laps of the track with a professional racing driver in the passenger seat, whereas those with their own cars can spend four to five hours at the track, doing laps with their assigned group.”

Also featured in the clip are the 570hp Ferrari 458 Spider, which will set you back a cool £198,000, and the F12, which costs £240,000.

David continued: “Being raised in the Middle East for the large majority of my life meant that I was always in touch with the culture, a lot of which revolves around high-powered vehicles.

“From an early age, I found that this suited me quite well, as I had always had an overwhelming passion for automobiles and their accompanying activities.”