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UAE nationals have always loved their racing - be it horses or automobiles. And the creation of a truly world-class circuit in what is the Yas Marina, has seen a rise in racing in a safe and controlled environment.

Published: Sat 16 Jul 2011, 11:54 PM

Updated: Thu 11 Jul 2024, 2:26 PM

  • By
  • (James Jose)

The grassroot level of racing — go-karting has also contributed to their passion. And two of them are products of that. Al Ain’s Mohammed Al Dhaheri and Dubai’s Mohammed Al Mutawaa could well become the UAE’s first two Formula One drivers in the near future. But for now, they are being carefully nurtured through the ranks.

The duo won the inaugural UAE Motorsport Star Programme 2011 for young UAE drivers.


As part of the prize, 24-year-old Al Dhaheri and 18-year-old Al Mutawaa, the youngest circuit racing driver in the Middle East, will undergo an intensive training course at one of Europe’s leading elite athlete facilities based at the University of Ulster in the UK this September. The duo will undergo a stringent training course designed to condition them for a successful career in world motorsport.

Al Dhaheri started motorsport in karting club races in Al Ain Raceway in 2008. He won the championship twice in 2010 and this year. He will represent the UAE in the Rotax MAX World Finals, which will be hosted in Al Ain.


The two-day UAE Motorsport Star Programme 2011 was aimed at providing opportunities for young and upcoming drivers to develop their skills and attitude that is needed to progress their motorsport careers. The candidates for the programme were in the age group of 16 to 24 years and from all disciplines of racing such as track, rallying and karting all over the UAE.

The five UAE nationals Mansour Bel Helei, Mohammed Al Dhaheri, Mohammed Al Mutawaa, Saeed Al Mehairi and Shaikh Khalid Al Nahyan were chosen for this programme. The programme assessed the candidates’ physical fitness and media handling skills.

The drivers were subjected to intense, physical and mental fitness, media handling skills and also interviews with a panel of experts. On day one, the drivers undertook an array of media tests, including one to one interviews, Press conferences and television appearances at the Dubai TV Studio, which was overseen by Sean O’Connor, director at the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE).

They also underwent a fitness and strength analysis at the Higher College of Technology, Dubai, supervised by a team of doctors from the University of Ulster to ascertain their physical fitness levels.

On day two, the drivers underwent a test designed to examine their psychological conditioning and mental ability in motorsport situations conducted by top sports psychologist from the University of Ulster, Dr Gareth Davison.

It consisted of a strenuous schedule of seven physical and stamina-based tests in determining their true fitness levels. The tests the drivers experienced comprised of aerobic fitness, lactate threshold, maximal heart rate, body composition, strength, flexibility and hydration status test.

The conclusion to the programme dealt with individual interviews with an expert panel.

The panel was chaired by Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the Automobile and Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates (ATCUAE) and vice-president of the FIA. The panel also featured Mahir Badri, chief executive of the ATCUAE; Khalid Al Hussein, director of sport administration at the General Authority of Youth Welfare and Sports; and Dr David Hassan, research fellow at the University of Ulster and head of the academic board of the Institute of Sport Research.

“It is great to see a selection of outstanding drivers with so much potential. The two successful drivers Mohammed Al Mutawaa and Mohammed Al Dhaheri have excelled during the testing and they have great potential in their careers as professional drivers,” Ben Sulayem said.

“This programme has shown the motorsport talent that the UAE have and also the team spirit shared among the drivers. We look forward to working with them in this exciting new stage in their life. I feel UAE motorsport is the true winner because this programme has proven that we have an adept of talent across all the disciplines of kart, rally and racing and we look forward to growing this exciting scheme,” he added.

—james@khaleejtimes.com



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