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Being selected by HSBC Racing Academy and Dubai Autodrome to fly the UAE flag internationally was the easiest part of the journey for Emirati trio Saeed Al Mehairi, Mohammad Al Awadi and Mohammad Al Mutawaa, but as last week’s season-opening Formula Academy Euro Series race showed, their real troubles have only just started.
The group was handpicked from among 850 entrants who contested vigorously for the three seats offered by the academy.
However, being a race driver is no joke as these young Emiratis would have learnt after only Al Mehairi managed to finish among the top 10 in one of the two races during the first weekend’s action in Ledenon, France.
Al Mehairi’s impressive driving on his debut helped him finish ninth in the first race and notch up two points, while Al Awadi crossed the finish line in 14th after encountering problems early on in the race.
Al Mehairi followed up his exciting ninth-place finish, by taking 11th in the second race, while Al Mutawaa did well to take 16th.
Al Mehairi, a business administration student at Al Ghurair University, is a relative newcomer to motorsport. He started with karting a couple of years ago and was thrilled when chosen to be a part of the serious endeavour to find the UAE’s first single-seater gem.
Al Mehairi believes motorsport is in his blood and that top-10 spot has really got him fired.
“I started karting for fun when I was 19, but soon noticed that my timings were not far away from the professionals,” says the 21-year-old, who finished fifth in the 2008 Middle East Karting Cup in Dubai.
“I started to practice a lot more seriously and eventually bought a kart of my own and began competing. Motorsport is in my blood, but I know I have to stay 100 per cent focused and improve.
“I work part-time in a company, study and race. I used to have difficulty [managing my time], but I am used to it now. When we went to Magny Cours in France for practice earlier, I saw myself improving constantly.”
“I barely have any free time for myself, but I would like to thank God for this opportunity because I never thought I would get the chance to prove myself in motorsport. I hope to raise the UAE flag high and make the country proud of me.”
Like Al Mehairi, Al Awadi too had been karting for a couple of years before he was spotted by academy scouts. An ardent fan of McLaren F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, Al Awadi said he got to know about the academy while at school.
“I used to practice on rented karts. Then I bought one of my own and raced it in Holland, which was an amazing experience. I know racing in Europe is going to be a difficult task because the competition is always tough, but I’m ready for the experience because I want to see myself developing.
“My aim is to finish on the podium and then move to Formula Renault, Formula 3 and eventually GP2 Asia.”
Al Mutawaa, 15, who completes the trio, is considered the “baby” of the team. But the younger brother of Khalid, who was part of the racing academy trio last season, exhibits a kind of maturity that is well beyond his teenage years as he declares that his ultimate goal is to race in Formula One.
His target seems a bit overambitious — even cliched, doesn’t every young motorsport enthusiast hope to finally land himself an F1 seat?
History can cough up enough instances where drivers have made it big despite getting into the sport at an age much older than Al Mutawaa’s 15 years.
Reigning F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen is perhaps the best example. The Finn entered F1 as a regular driver for Sauber-Petronas in 2001 when he was 22, having previously raced in only very junior open wheel categories.
However, two years down the line he was being considered a serious title contender.
Unlike the Finn, Al Mutawaa has age on his side, and with HSBC and Dubai Autodrome providing him with the backing necessary to take the first steps, the Universal American School student could go further provided he impresses sponsors with good performances during the course of the season.
Al Mutawaa says he has similar ideas. “Racing cars is not just about driving fast, you have to be really fit to be able to control the vehicle. I’m hoping to gain as much experience as possible from this first season. We’ve been given the opportunity to race in France and I want to justify my selection.
“My ultimate ambition is to reach F1, but my short-term goal is to master single-seater racing. I am looking forward to each and every race and I have a good feeling about the future.”
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