Sulayem helps Rallying look to the future from Ras Al Khaimah 10.04.2015: Good signs of sport’s revival as UAE Championship event attracts 25 entries; Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi in starting line-up

- Good signs of sport’s revival as UAE Championship event attracts 25 entries;

- Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi in starting line-up




photo caption:    Mohammed Ben Sulayem –“We are moving in the right direction.”



When Mohammed Ben Sulayem “discovered” rallying in the UAE by accident in 1982, it was the start of a record-breaking career which appeared to have turned its  final corner when he won his 14th Middle East Championship title 20 years later, and promptly retired.


Just over a month ago, Sulayem’s return to competitive action in the Sharjah Rally created an unusual amount of interest in Round 2 of the UAE Rally Championship 2015.


TV crews normally enjoying the weekend off were suddenly rushing to the Sharjah Corniche on a Friday morning to capture images and sound bites as Sulayem returned to action in a Ford Escort WRC which had been out of action - and gathering dust in a Dubai garage - for three years longer than its driver.


On a hill overlooking one of the rally’s special stages a couple of hours later,  people who had abandoned their barbeques and sunbathing stood in wait for the Escort and its driver to smoothly negotiate a twisting track of sand and gravel,two decades on from their last event together,  as if it was yesterday.


With his haul of Middle East titles, and 60 international rally victories, Sulayem has a different target now. He was among 25 starters in Round 3 of the UAE Rally Championship, the Ras Al Khaimah Rally, which got under way in earnest this morning (Saturday) after the previous evening’s ceremonial start.


His return to rallying is in response to a request from his friend and rally compatriot, Sheikh Abdullah Al Qassimi, Founder and President of the Emirates Motorsport Club, organisers of the UAE National Rally Championship.


“Sheikh Abdullah felt that by taking part I could help him raise the profile of the championship, attract more competitors and in the long run, help revive rallying in the UAE,” said Sulayem, President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE.


“He has done a great job so far, and 25 entries this time show that we are on the right road. There is more work to do to attract young drivers into the sport, but we are moving in the right direction.”


Sulayem entered rallying in 1982 after stumbling across a rally as he drove home in Dubai one day. “I remember it well,” he recalls. I saw a lot of cars on the side of the road and stopped to ask what was going on. They told me it was a rally, and I got interested.”


He secured the first of his 14 Middle East titles in 1986, and the only other Emirati driver to win the regional championship, Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi, brother of Sheikh Abdullah, was also drawn to the Ras Al Khaimah Rally.


Sheikh Khalid entered a Group N Ford Fiesta in partnership with Khalid Al Kendi, who has made a complete recovery from injury sustained while co-driving for Yahya Al Helei in last week’s Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. But Sheikh Khalid, who was chasing a podium finish on his debut in the event when he was halted by a broken gearbox, had to withdraw yesterday when a new engine failed to arrive in time.


Partnered by his long-time co-driver Gaby Khoury, Sheikh Abdullah is aiming to build on the 37-point championship lead he currently holds over the UAE’s Nooh Buhomaid and Saudi Arabia’s Ibrahim Al Mohana,who are also in action in Nissan Patrols.


Getting under way at 9am on Saturday from Al Hamrania and Khat area, the Ras Al Khaimah Rally consists of three special stages each to be run three times for a total competitive distance of 127.95kms. The rally finishes at  Al Manar Mall at 5.30pm




photo caption:    Sulayem – back in action in his Ford Focus WRC in the Ras Al Khaimah Rally.


UAE Rally Championship standings after 2 rounds

1. Sheikh Abduballa Al Qassimi (UAE) 75pts
2. NoohBuhomaid (UAE) 38
3. Ibrahim Al Mohana (KSA) 38
4. Ali Al Shawi (UAE) 28
5. Ian Barker (UAE) 26
7. Khalid Al Manji (Oman) 15
8. Mohamed Ammar (UAE) 12
9. Faisal Al Rashidi(Oman) 12
10. Ali Mattar Al Ketbi (UAE) 10




- Tony Lewis, Total Communications Dubai - also photos