prince feisal unveils ambitious reforms for motorsport
Jordan has marked the first anniversary of the historic announcement that it would be the first Arab country to host the FIA World Rally Championship by unveiling its dynamic reforms for the future of Motorsport.
With the Jordan Rally WRC less than six months away, HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, Chairman of Jordan Motorsport, has announced that a sporting commission is to be formed to oversee the running of Motorsport with more autonomy handed to the individual disciplines of carting, speeds tests and rallies.
In another huge step forward, experienced rallying figure Peter Silberberg is joining the company as Chief Operating Officer to work alongside Sporting Director Ziad Louza as the country heads towards hosting its biggest ever social and sporting event. Raja Gargour, who has been Acting Director for the past year, will revert back to his responsibilies as a Member of the Board.
“These are very ambitious reforms that will ensure Jordan, in the short term, hosts a world class event in April next year and, in the long term, it will ensure that Motorsport as a whole will develop and expand,” said HRH Prince Feisal.
“We can be proud of what we have achieved to date. However these latest changes will take us to the next level which is required for an event like the WRC.”
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In another pioneering move, HRH Prince Feisal has appointed a Nominations Committee that will decide the very best people to become the organising committee for the WRC event. This six-man panel will include Louza and Silberberg as well as four established rally figures from Jordan. They will consider suitable names for each position within the organising committee with the recommendations forwarded to the Board of Directors and HRH Prince Feisal for final decision. The WRC organising committee will commence its work immediately.
Silberberg has been involved with rallying for more than 30 years and has moved to Jordan full time having worked on the Jordan Rally for several years. He will be responsible for the day-to-day running of Jordan Motorsport and will also assist Louza on the sporting side.
The newly appointed Sporting Commission will come into force by the year's end and will oversee the running of all sports, reporting directly to the Board of Directors. It will consist of the heads of the four new committees (WRC, Carting, Speed Tests, Rallies) as well as three selected members. Louza and Silberberg will also sit on the Sporting Commission.
The Jordan Rally round of the WRC will take place from April 24-27 with thousands of visitors expected to travel to the Kingdom. Preparations have been in full swing since Jordan got the nod from the world governing body, the FIA, last year with a state-of-the-art service park and more exciting new routes currently under construction. More than 800 hotel rooms have already been reserved at the Dead Sea in readiness to welcoming the world, with Amman (40kms away) also bracing itself for a rally invasion.
