H.H.Sheikh Mohammed builds New 'Home' for UAE Motor Sport

The Automobile and Touring Club for the UAE is to have a permanent new headquarters in Dubai to centralise its control of motor sport in the Emirates as well as its services for motoring tourists and travellers.

H.H.Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the ATCUAE’s patron, has allocated a 30,000 sq ft plot in the city’s Al Mumzar area for construction of purpose-built premises which will open late next year.

This follows Sheikh Mohammed’s decision in April to bring motor sport in the UAE under the overall control of a new-look ATCUAE, which is officially the sole nominated representative in the Emirates of both the FIA, motor sport’s world governing body, and its motor cycling counterpart, the FIM.

On their behalf it supervises all organised motor sport events in the UAE for cars and bikes, and the plush new headquarters will reflect the important and expanding role the ATCUAE is to play in overseeing all motor sport activities in the Emirates.

Work on the new premises will start later this year after plans have been finalised in consultation with ATCUAE President, 14-times Middle East rally champion Mohammed Ben Sulayem, and board members Khalfan Hareb, Mohammed Atik Al Qamzi and Saeed Al Tayer.

“Sheikh Mohammed wanted us to have a permanent new home to provide a solid base for our efforts to maintain the highest standards in motor sport and host many more international events in the future,” said Sulayem.

“His support and overall guidance in this mission is invaluable, and myself and my fellow board members look forward to an exciting new era for motor sport in the UAE.”

The ATCUAE currently organises two rounds of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship, the Dubai International Rally which concluded the 2006 regional series in December, and the UAE International Rally which launches the 2006 calendar in Al Ain in January.

It also supervises the UAE Desert Challenge, which Sulayem has established as leading events in both the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup and the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship, and takes place this year from 5-10 November.

In its new expanded role under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed, the ATCUAE now oversees the complete range of motor sport activities in the UAE, including rallying, karting, drag racing, hill climbs and a variety of motor bike activities such as moto cross.

The ATCUAE is also increasingly active outside the sporting arena. It is the only FIA authorised organisation in the UAE to issue International Driving Permits, as well as Carnet de Passage en Douane (Trip Tickets) and International Certificates which simplify customs formalities for motoring tourists and travellers.

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