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Y - Issue 175 - June 21 2011 - Y-oman.com

Y - Issue 175 - June 21 2011 - Y-oman.com

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Words Clint Derric EgbertOmani championsin full throttleSTAY IN SCHOOLAs much as <strong>com</strong>peting is essential to the success of any racer,a good education is also a vital ingredient in achieving truegreatness, especially in this day and age. “We are very proudto see Sanad and Abdullah so <strong>com</strong>mitted to the sport and alsodoing well at school. Their grades have actually improved inthe last two years. I would like to thank the Azzan Bin QaisInternational School for their support and understanding,”says the proud father. “First of all I would like to advise youngracing enthusiasts not to allow their enthusiasm for racing getin the way of their schooling. They have to take it step-by-stepand make it as enjoyable as possible.”“All my friends are always asking me when the trackwill be ready. I think there is a big interest in kartinghere in Oman, but without the right facilities we can’tdo anything and I feel sorry to see all the interest gonowhere.”AbdullahRACING TO SAFETYKarting in a controlled, monitored environment is the safestplatform to develop racing skills and the ideal opportunity topromote safety awareness. Drivers require a high standard ofsafety awareness before they are allowed onto the track torace. The more people exposed to this knowledge, the saferthe roads in Oman will be<strong>com</strong>e, especially among the youthof the country. Racing increases driving ethics on-track, whichwill inevitability improve driving temperaments on our roads.“Through racing, I have learned a lot about safety in general.I will take part in the FIA/CIK under-18 World ChampionshipTrophy Academy, and the slogan for this year is on road safety.I hope we learn more through this experience and are able totransfer it to the youth of Oman,” says Abdullah."I believe when you be<strong>com</strong>e a racer you learn torespect safety at all times, and I feel that we as racershave a big responsibility to promoting road safety."THE NEXT GEARBoth racers, Sanad and Abdullah, have set their sights on biggergoals after karting, to someday be<strong>com</strong>e the first Formula 1drivers from the region. In order to achieve this, their father/manger is working hard to help them achieve this tremendousfeat. Suleiman says, “The ultimate goal for the boys is toprogress through a well-planned projection plan which willsee them move steadily up through the ranks of motorsport,including lower Formula racing, eventually to representOman in the Formula 1. The immediate plan for this year isthe preparation, and <strong>com</strong>peting in the FIA/CIK Under-18 WorldChampionship and also the Rotax Max Grand Finals, one ofthe biggest karting races in the world. This is a very importantstage before moving to car racing.” He goes on to say, “Themain problem we have as a team racing internationally andrepresenting Oman is the luck of support. This sport requiresa lot of funding and I hope that help will <strong>com</strong>e from withinour country, in order for us to be able to continue. At thesame time, I would like to thank all our partners and sponsorsand close friends who believe in us. Special thanks to KhimjiRamdas, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), the Ministryof Sports and Azzan Bin Qais International School (ABQIS), fortheir support and encouragement.”SanadIN UNION THERE IS STRENGTHThey say behind every successful man is a w<strong>oman</strong>, but in the caseof Omani racers Sanad and Abdullah Al Rawahi, it is not only theirmother who makes sure they practice regularly, as well as attendschool, but also the one man in their life whose constant supporthas helped them achieve their dreams. Manager and fatherSuleiman Al Rawahi was the light that led the way to a bright futurefor Oman’s latest racing duo.What began as a hobby from watching local kart races, is today adream being pursued by Sanad and Abdullah. “They asked me ifthey can take part in the next local race. I told them first lets trainfor two weeks and then we will see! I trained them for the twoweeks and I was convinced that they had the ability to <strong>com</strong>pete.After a few races they improved dramatically, and started winningconsistently,” says Suleiman. Taking this as a sign, their fatherquickly realised that this hobby could easily turn out to be morethan just a pastime, but training was still required or the pair toprogress further. This, however, posed a problem, but one that theyhave not backed away from, but instead chose to tackle, together.GOING THE DISTANCEDue to a lack of racing facilities in the country, the boys, along withtheir father, have to travel hundreds of kilometres in order to pursuetheir dreams. “Training is always a problem for the boys as we don’thave any place here in Oman to practice safe motorsports; so wedon’t have any choice but to travel to the UAE, or in the summer, totravel to Europe for testing and racing in international races. I hopethe authorities will realise the importance of motorsport facilitiesin the county, and encourage the youth to practice this hobby ina controlled, safe environment. This will also help to reduce thenumber of road accidents and improve road safety awareness. Itwill help over<strong>com</strong>e the problem of street racing and also Oman willbenefit in the long run, to have good foundation in the future ofmotor racing,” Suleiman tells Y.Suleiman believes that to promote racing further in the country, thisresponsibility lies in the hands of the Oman Automobile Association,and with the assistance of the public and private sectors. With this,much can be done for motor sports in the Sultanate; the mosturgent of these is to establish a proper kart track.We at Y believe that it won’t be long before we see Sanad and Abdullahmaking their parents and country proud, igniting the F1 circuit and<strong>com</strong>peting against the best in the world, and we would like to wishthem the best in all their endeavours.34

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