Abu Dhabi, 4 February 2011 – Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk will be opening and closing the Real Action Heroes weekend at Yas Marina Circuit when he gives demonstrations of his spectacular skills in the main oasis area on 11 and 12 February.

Hawk became the first skateboarder ever to land a 900, the two-and-a-half aerial turns that are the holy grail of vert skateboarding, and continues to give demonstrations and exhibitions all over the world. He has won numerous awards including Teen Choice Awards' Choice Male Athlete and Nickelodeon’s Kid’s Choice Awards’ Favourite Male Athlete. The popular American athlete is one of the most recognised action-sports figures in the world.

“I am excited to be back in Abu Dhabi, especially at the skating at Yas Marina Circuit,” said Hawk. “I performed in Sydney at the end of last season’s V8 Supercars Championship and it’s an honour to be invited to the opening round for 2011. Yas Marina Circuit will be providing an action-packed weekend of thrills and entertainment – definitely the place to be on February 11th and 12th.”

Hawk’s performances will open and close the Real Action Heroes weekend, with slots at 3.45 pm on Friday 11th and 8.30 pm on Saturday 12th.

Yas Marina Circuit is importing a special half-pipe for the demonstrations. The pipe will then remain at the circuit to form the basis of a possible special skateboarding area close to the existing Yas Kartzone. Plans for the permanent skateboarding section are not yet finalised and will depend in part on public response and reaction to the initial exhibition by Hawk and his crew.

“At Yas Marina Circuit, we always try to provide our fans with top entertainment to combine with the excitement of the main motorsport attraction,” said Richard Cregan, Chief Executive Officer of Yas Marina Circuit. “We are proud to welcome such a skateboarding legend as Tony Hawk to the circuit. He fits perfectly with our Real Action Heroes theme for the weekend.

“We believe that a permanent skateboarding facility would be a great addition to the range of options here at the circuit, so we are giving serious consideration to creating a skateboarding park here. People now come to Yas Marina Circuit not only for our big race weekends but also for karting, drag racing, our weekly cycling and running nights, track days and our two Racing Schools for drag racers and track cars. Skateboarding would be a natural extension of those attractions.”

The Real Action Heroes weekend offers racing from the opening rounds of the Australian V8 Supercar Championship and the GP2 Asia Series and a round of the Cytech UAE GT Championship races. Tickets are available for AED 50 per day from the gate at Yas Marina Circuit. The gates open to the public from 12.30 pm on both days. Further details are available on www.yasmarinacircuit.com