Khaled Al Qubaisi, one of the most well-known and successful racing drivers from the Middle East, is taking part in the 5th Gulf 12 Hours at the Yas Marina Circuit today, racing the Mercedes SLS. The Executive Director of Human Resources & Administration at Mubadal speaks about the plans for Abu Dhabi Racing for 2016 and about the great work with his Driving Academy.
What is behind the name of Abu Dhabi Racing?
Abu Dhabi Racing started in 2012 to promote motorsport in Abu Dhabi and also to promote Abu Dhabi in motorsports on an international level in addition to developing future talents. It was established by the directors of leadership, who moved into this direction. So this had been a test and we are now moving into our fourth year, establishing ourselves with big programs in the WRC, in both Rallye championships and endurance racing. We also have a Driving Academy for youngsters.
The Driving Academy has experienced great success from the beginning.
We were able to set up the Academy with the help of our sponsors and the national insurance company Daman. It has been running for three years now and we have great kids from the age of nine years to 16. We also have two girls, my daughters, and they are all really good and I am very much impressed with how they have developed.
With this program, you are offering young talents the opportunity that you did not have.
When I started in Motorsport in 2008, I realised that all the people I competed against, started with racing when they were five or six years old. Coming into motorsports, the drivers are more than ten years younger than me and have already over ten years of experience. You cannot really compete on a high level when the others have started so early and that was the reason behind starting the Academy.
Will you try and find the next Formula One star coming from the Gulf region?
What we are basically trying to do with the Academy is to get the ground work and infrastructure sorted and to support people with talent in the early stages, which is karting. It is just a matter of finding these talents and give them the right coaching and financial support. There are a lot of things that need to come together to make it into Formula One, but we do what we can do.
You mentioned your daughters are competing in the Driving Academy. Is this just a bit of fun for them or do you think they will go on to be professional racing drivers?
It is their passion and I would like to support them in what they love doing. Up to now, they are very competitive in the championship which sees up to 200 kart drivers in five different categories. I think, it is the strongest kart championship in the whole region, if not as well as in South Africa. It is a good ground for them to develop. They are doing really well, they are always in the Top-10 group and we will see how it will go. We will continue to support them as long as they love it.
One of your sons is also already competing.
Yes, I have two sons and my eldest is already racing. In the last race, he surprised everyone by taking pole position, which was a complete turn-around in his performance. So you can see how the kids are growing into this sport and showing their capabilities.
What is the championship line-up for Abu Dhabi Racing in 2016?
We are working to do the World Endurance Championship (WEC) for the third time and hopefully this time, we are planning to go for the class win. It takes time to finalise the details and we are currently working on that.
What is your personal look out for next year?
I would like to win a world title, that´s why we are aiming to race in the WEC. Closing this season with the Gulf 12 Hours is a great way to end the year. We have raced here four times, we won it two years ago and came second last year and this year I would like to win the GTE Am. Hopefully, we will start the year in January with a good result at the 24-hours of Dubai as well.
What has been your best experience at a race ever?
I had too many good races and therefore it is hard to choose between them. It really is hard to say, but the one with the biggest impact was Le Mans last year, where we came second. We were so close to winning it and that was my best feeling, especially driving during the race. Le Mans is a very demanding track with a very high average speed and you need to be very, very focused not to make a mistake, because it can be deadly. But I am hoping to have many more great races to remember.