Sulayem says volunteers will return home with new knowledge, experience to help develop sport
Motor sport in Bangladesh may be still in its infancy, but the development process will gather pace on the World Cup stage in Dubai next week.
A team of 28 trainee volunteers from the Automobile Association of Bangladesh (AAB) will gain invaluable experience on the staging of a top-class cross country rally during the Dubai International Baja powered by Nissan and AW Rostamani.
The event is the second round of this year’s FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies for cars and buggies and the opening round of the FIM Bajas World Cup for bikes and quads, and for the young Bangladeshi visitors it represents an important step in their motor sport education.
“We are very happy to be hosting a group from the AAB and look forward to showing them what it takes to stage a rally at the top level,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the Automobile and Touring Club for the UAE and Emirates Motor Sport Federation, the rally organisers.
“Volunteers play a crucial role in motor sport, and our intention is that they will return to Bangladesh with a great deal of fresh knowledge and experience which can be put to good use to help develop the sport there.”
Three years ago Sulayem, the FIA Vice President for sport, sent a team from the ATCUAE’s training and education division, the Motorsport Knowledge Institute (MKI), to Dhaka to instruct AAB officials on key aspects of rally organisation and other grass roots motor sport activities.
The ATCUAE team was led by Ronan Morgan who is Clerk of the Course for the Dubai International Baja powered by Nissan and AW Rostamani, taking place from 8-10 March place under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai
The ATCUAE, which represents motor sport’s world governing body, the FIA, set up the MKI to deliver motor sport training worldwide after being awarded Regional Training Provider status by the FIA Institute in 2012.
The Dubai International Baja gets under way with a 5pm ceremonial start on Thursday March 8 at
Dubai Autodrome, the new Rally HQ.
The second edition of the event sends a powerful line-up of cars, buggies, bikes and quads into action over a demanding 174 km special stage running through the dramatic Al Qudra desert terrain on
on Friday, March 9, and Saturday, March 10.