Ahmed Al Kamda (25 years old) and Saeed Al Shamsi (24 years old), talented young UAE karting champions arrived home from Bahrain yesterday after successfully completing the Thunder Arabia Training Course in preparation for the 2006 Thunder Arabia Middle East Series (TAME) due to start in April 2006 at the Bahrain International Circuit home of the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix. Nahla Al Rustamani (22 years old) also attended the course, becoming the first female from UAE that has ever passed such a course.
Thunder Arabia is the first Middle Eastern company to specialize in motor sport development with the main objective of preparing Arab drivers for the Formula One. The TAME Series will feature 18 drivers from 9 different countries from the region inclusive of Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, KSA, Oman, Kuwait, UAE and Iran. The series will include 7 rounds with two races per round. The cars used are MH1 formula single seaters, constructed with safety in mind to establish an entry level platform for young talents, enabling future competition in the world of international racing. All drivers participating in the championship will be talented national drivers ranging in age from15 to 25 years old.
The three UAE drivers attended the three days training course (1-3 February) with one aim, to represent the UAE in the upcoming series. The course consisted of three full days of training, inclusive of test drives and extensive instruction, culminating in a full evaluation by the expert team of instructors (from the UK, Netherlands and Switzerland).
“We are very happy that the three drivers from the UAE have been evaluated and approved by our instructors, as this means that the UAE will be present on the grid of the TAME 2006 Series. Our next step is to visit the UAE to meet with potential sponsors from the UAE who are willing to support the UAE young heroes in their quest to raise their country’s flag in the championship” said Sherif Al Mahdy – Thunder Arabia Marketing Director.
“We were extremely satisfied with the performance of the three drivers from the UAE, they are talented and their age is suitable to start a career in motor sport. We believe with their passion and dedication, they will be real stars in motor sport” said Hassan Al Wardany – Thunder Arabia CEO.
Saeed started his motorsport career in 1995 with karting, he won his first title in1998, and in 2003 he secured the second place in the UAE Karting Championship. Since 2003 Saeed has been chosen as the best UAE driver in the Karting Championship. Saeed also received his International license in 2005.
Fellow karting champion Ahmed Al Kamda started his career in 1993, with his first major achievement in 1997 when he won the UAE National Class Championship followed most recently, as a member of the winning Batelco Team taking the title in both the 25 hour Kuwait and Bahrain races. Ahmed has also had some experience with single seaters, participating in several Formula BMW and Formula X events.
Racing enthusiast, Nahla only started karting in 2004, and participated in a Subaru Impreza training in 2005. Fond of drag racing and rallying, Nahla has her mind set on becoming the first female UAE professional driver.
Lastly, Yasser Al Shamsi (UAE Team Manager) said “I feel so happy that our drivers passed the evaluation, I consider this championship as the first step to achieve our main goal which is reaching Formula One. A teamwork spirit is essential for any team to succeed and after consulting with the course instructors, it has been agreed that Ahmed Al Kamda and Saeed Al Shamsi will be the UAE team’s main drivers with Nahla as reserve driver giving her time to benefit from the experience of her team mates who will support her in training. We are all honored to have the opportunity to represent the UAE in the championship and we will do our best to raise the UAE flag at the Bahrain International Circuit. We look forward to getting the needed support from our great national companies enabling us to represent the UAE on the podium!
