|
Dubai, UAE, 6th
April, 2006: Motor sport in the Emirates has been brought under the
overall control of a new-look Automobile and Touring Club for the
UAE under the patronage H.H.Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Established in 1965, the
ATCUAE is the officially nominated representative in the Emirates of
both the FIA, motor sport’s world governing body, and its motor
cycling counterpart, the FIM. On their behalf it supervises all
organised motor sport events in the UAE for cars and bikes.
H.H.Sheikh Mohammed has approved the appointment of a board of
directors for the ATCUAE, with 14-times Middle East rally champion
Mohammed Ben Sulayem acting as President, and Khalfan Hareb,
Mohammed Atik Al Qamzi and Saeed Al Tayer serving as board members.
“This is a very significant development for motor sport in the
country which will benefit tremendously from Sheikh Mohammed’s
support and overall guidance,” said Sulayem.
“He felt it was vital that the organisation which represents both
the FIA and the FIM in the UAE, and which is dedicated to
maintaining consistently high standards in the staging of events,
should play a growing role in shaping the future of motor sport
here.
“Myself and my fellow board members are honoured that he has placed
his trust in us to oversee the ATCUAE’s affairs on a day-to-day
basis, and we look forward to working together to achieve our new
goals.” 
Added Sulayem: “Sheikh Mohammed is particularly
anxious to keep racing off the streets and ensure the youth of the
UAE are encouraged to indulge their passion for motor sport in a
safe, properly controlled environment.”
“The UAE has earned a huge amount of international recognition
through the successful staging and promotion of sports events, from
horse racing to tennis, golf, rugby, powerboat racing and so on, and
Sheikh Mohammed has been a key figure in this process.
“He believes motor sport here has a very big future, and wanted to
ensure that all branches of the sport are overseen by one body with
the know-how and resources to provide effective overall direction.”
Sheikh Mohammed is among a distinguished line-up of national motor
sport patrons that includes King Abdullah in Jordan, King Juan
Carlos in Spain, Prince Albert in Monaco and Prince Michael of Kent
in Great Britain.
The ATCUAE currently organises two rounds of the FIA Middle East
Rally Championship, the Dubai International Rally which concluded
the 2005 regional series in December, and the UAE
International Rally which launched the 2006 calendar in Al Ain in
January.
It also supervises the UAE Desert Challenge, which Sulayem has
established as the leading event in both the FIA Cross Country Rally
World Cup and the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship. In
its new expanded role the ATCUAE will oversee the complete range of
motor sport activities in the UAE, including rallying, karting, drag
racing, hill climbs and a variety of motor bike activities such as
moto cross.
It will also have overall responsibility for circuit racing, which
was propelled into the limelight by the Middle East’s first A1 Grand
Prix in December. |
 |
