The UAE is to become one of only three countries worldwide to deliver young driver training as part of plans by motorsport’s ruling body, the FIA, to develop young talent and promote safety in motorsport.
The Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE), along with Motorsport South Africa, has been appointed as a Regional Training Provider in young driver education, a distinction previously enjoyed only by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport.
The ATCUAE will now formulate plans to offer a range of training programmes to develop the skills and motorsport knowledge of young drivers from across the Arab world.
It has been a Regional Training Provider for motorsport officials since December 2011, and has delivered training programmes in 17 countries.
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, welcomed the news of the new responsibility placed on the ATCUAE.
“The UAE can be proud that training programmes developed here are now helping motorsport development in many other countries worldwide,” he said.
Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority and a member of the ATCUAE’s board of directors, said: “This recognises the major steps made by the UAE in motorsport in recent years.
“The national motorsport authority is indebted to the government for creating a world-class infrastructure for the sport which is the envy of many other countries.”
Mohammed ben Sulayem, the ATCUAE president, who set up the club’s training and education arm, the Motorsport Knowledge Institute, in early 2012, said the news vindicates the work he and his colleagues have put in to developing the training infrastructure in the UAE.
“We’ve come a long way in a short period of time, and we’re proud to be given a new role in young driver training, which is vital to the future of motorsport,” he said.
The award of the status underlines the successful role played by the UAE in last year’s FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy programme.
One of five regional selection events held to pick eight of the best young drivers for the Academy was organised by the ATCUAE and hosted by Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi last September.
The ATCUAE is now a prime candidate to stage more of the regional selection events held annually by the FIA Institute to improve the level of education and training provided to young drivers in the coming months.
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