It was like clockwork, until time came to install the fia-approved after market seat

I know what you're thinking. Why would somebody take a pristine Porsche 996 GT3 with not a single scratch on it and enter it in the FIA-sanctioned saloon car series at the Dubai Autodrome? Well, for as long as I can remember I wanted to race cars - and what better car to race than a GT3?

But first I needed to go through the comprehensive regulations of the series; detailing eligible cars, what modifications are allowed and the safety equipment requirements. I also asked around for advice, speaking with fellow racers and other knowledgable people from the motorsports scene.

As soon as I had found my bearings, I bravely purchased a Porsche 6-point bolt-in rollcage ($ 2725), Sabelt GT3 FIA seat ($ 800), Schroth Racing Hans Device 6-point harness ($ 518), Schroth Racing passenger 6-point harness ($ 409), Schroth Racing Hans Device ($ 1206), an electrically-operated fire extinguisher ($ 752), electronic battery kill switch ($ 436) - and finally, tow-hooks and panel pins ($ 109). Then, with the help of Boelo Lussenburg, a mechanical engineer and fellow Porsche Club member, we jointly trundled along to Porsche Al Nabooda and ordered the necessary parts to convert two cars - his 2004 Speed yellow GT3 and my 2004 Basalt black GT3. We even decided to run our team under the name 'Team Bumble Bees'.'It was beautiful. Then Boelo got the call from his employer, 'pack your bags, you're going to Florida'. Team Bubble Bees just lost an "S".

To speed things up I decided to actively assist Boelo in preparing my car. I had a baptism of fire.

Our first task was to install the Performance Friction front discs and change all eight brake pads (retailing for $ 2505). I was covered in black soot by the time we were done. The procedure is simple enough, but it's a workout. The original brakes are more than adequate for the task, but I had heard so much about the Performance Friction brakes that I wanted to try them out firsthand. They are very noisy though, and require more force than usual when operated from cold, but they have great modulation and do not display any obvious fade on the track.

By the time we'd installed the brakes Boelo had become somewhat passionate about the rest of the build. So much so that he would start work on my car, many hours before I was able to join him. To be fair, he actually got the entire family involved: Tina his wife was the carpet specialist, doing the fine work of cutting the upholstery around the 6-point bolt in cage and rust proofing and painting the welded plates of the cage, while his son Boelo Junior would hold the flashlight and make us copious amounts of coffee, as well as provide a steady flow of cookies.

It was like clockwork, until time came to install the FIA-approved aftermarket seat, without the bottom of the pew interfering with the sliding mechanism. And you only find out the mistake once the entire assembly is completed and the - and then you have to dismantle everything, and start all over again, a little wiser. I mean, who knew that the seat runners are offset for the right and left seat, only way to find out is to get it wrong - and you guessed it, we did.

Hopefully all the tricky stuff is now done, making way for an easy journey - but looking at the box of bits still waiting to be installed, I s bits waiting to be installed on the car I sort of doubt it.