Dubai: His Excellency Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development and Chairman of the General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare, on Tuesday officially launched the FIA accredited UAE Formula 4 Championship, the first series of its kind in the Middle East and African region. The launch took place at the Burj Plaza area in Downtown Dubai with the presence of Mohammad Ben Sulayem, President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) and President of the Emirates Motor Sport Federation (EMSF).
On the launch of UAE Formula 4, His Excellency Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan noted that “the UAE is a global leader in motorsport with an excellent reputation for organising and managing world championship events. UAE Formula 4 is yet another great achievement for our nation. Developing the talents of a new generation of drivers, especially young Emiratis, is the main objective for the future growth and sustainability of motorsport in the UAE. I would like to thank Mohammad Ben Sulayem, his team and all those involved in UAE motorsport officials for their enthusiasm and dedication to elevating UAE motorsport to the highest levels”.
His Excellency Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan (centre) is keen to see more young Emirati drivers active in motorsport
The UAE Formula 4 Championship is organized and supervised by the Automobile and Touring Club of United Arab Emirates (ATCUAE). The ATCUAE is the only officially nominated representative of the FIA in the UAE, and is accredited by the UAE National Olympic Committee.
The UAE Formula 4 Championship is aimed at young drivers, aged from 15 years old in the Middle East and North African region. The Championship will feature 18 races held over 6 events at both the Yas Marina and Dubai Autodrome Circuits, running from October 2016 until March 2017.
Ben Sulayem stated: “The UAE is the first in the region to adopt the FIA’s new Formula 4 Championship model, and this was made possible thanks to the excellent motor sport infrastructure we have developed here over the last decade. I would like to thank His Excellency Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan for his continuous support for all the efforts to develop motorsport in our country”.
“The UAE Formula 4 Championship is a much anticipated addition to motorsport in the UAE, and wider region. It is the perfect opportunity for young drivers to graduate from karting, and is the first step on the ladder to a career as a professional driver. It would be fantastic to see a driver progress all the way from UAE Formula 4 Championship to the Formula One World Championship”, added Ben Sulayem.
The Formula 4 concept was launched by the FIA in 2014 with the objective of providing an entry level racing series, which is at an affordable price and uses the same formula in the different national championships around the world.
The UAE Formula 4 Championship is organized by the ATCUAE, in cooperation with AUH Motorsports, the vastly experienced promoters of the UAE-based, Radical Middle East Cup.
The UAE Formula 4 Championship will become an integral part of the UAE Motorsport Calendar, which already contains over 140 events across various disciplines each year, all governed by the ATCUAE.
The ATCUAE is the country’s representative of the FIA, automobile sport's world governing body, and its motorcycling and karting equivalents, the FIM and CIK respectively. Its objectives are to promote the safe and sustainable growth of motorsport in the UAE, and to ensure all events are run fairly and to regulation.
