Mohammed ben Sulayem is confident there is even more to come from Emirati rally driver Mohammed Al Sahlawi following an impressive start to his rally career.
Ben Sulayem, the FIA vice president and the president of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE), presented Al Sahlawi with his championship trophies for winning both the 2WD and Junior categories of the 2013 Middle East Rally Championship (Merc) season.
It was Al Sahlawi’s first season in the series, having previously competed only in karting and the occasional track day at Dubai Autodrome.
Al Sahlawi, 25, drove a Citroen DS3 R3T as part of Abu Dhabi Racing (ADR)’s team after earning a spot as he shone during a three-day selection programme organised by ADR and held at Yas Marina Circuit in 2012.
He competed in four of the six events on the calendar in 2013, with his best result coming on home turf in Dubai in November as he finished ninth, his second top-10 finish of the season after he had finished 10th on his debut in Qatar in January.
He also competed in rounds of the World Rally Championship alongside ADR chairman Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi to cap a memorable first year in the sport.
His efforts impressed compatriot Ben Sulayem, who won the Merc title a record 14 times during his own rally career.
“Mohammed has made an excellent start to his rallying career and is a great example to other young Emirati drivers who want to find success in the motorsport arena,” he said.
“But he must continue working hard, listen to those who have good experience to pass on, absorb all the advice he gets, and remain dedicated in the years ahead. If he does that, and keeps his feet on the ground, he can go on to achieve a lot more.”
Sheikh Khalid bin Faisal Al Qassimi, chairman of Abu Dhabi Racing, said that Al Sahlawi’s success was already creating more interest in rallying.
“Mohammed showed great commitment, passion and dedication to the sport and to his team instructions in the Middle East Rally Championship last season,” he said. “This season, we have added three new junior drivers to the programme, and we will keep on working and investing in local talent to achieve our goal of building a new generation of local race drivers.”
Al Tareq Al Ameri, the chief executive of Yas Marina Circuit, who was part of the presentation committee with Ben Sulayem, said: ”We’re very happy to see a young Emirati driver achieving success, and capitalising on the opportunities created by the government’s investment in motorsport.”
sports@thenational.ae
Follow our sports coverage on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE