(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) With karting blood in their genes, and an early start to the sport, the Daman Speed Academy champion racers Amna and Hamda Al Qubaisi have taken the junior karting world by storm. Inspired by the feats of their World Endurance Championship racer father Khaled Al Qubaisi, the sisters, who chose to collaborate with the number one smartphone e-brand, Huawei honor, have taken to represent their country numerous times in the international go-karting circuit. Amna, 16, became the first Emirati female driver at an International Motorsport event when competing at the RMC Grand Finals in Portugal in 2015. Her younger sister, Hamda, 14, has been selected as an ambassador for the prestigious FIA Women in Motorsport Commission and invited to participate as the first Emirati in the CIK-FIA Academy Trophy.
Having made a name for themselves as serious podium contender in a male-dominated sport, Amna and Hamda perfectly embody the spirit of the Huawei honor brand, which is "For the Brave". On the occasion of UAE National Day, the smartphone brand aimed at young, digital natives across the Middle East, has tied up with the Al Qubaisi sisters in light of their exemplary, ambitious lifestyles and their goal to constantly inspire young people in the region.
Responses attributed to Amna and Hamda Qubaisi
What made you decide on tying up with Huawei honor for this initiative? How does the brand resonate with your own skills?
Amna: We have an ongoing relationship with Huawei honor as we value working with a brand that puts true passion and effort into the creation of beautifully-crafted devices. We resonate with this ethos as we appreciate all the hard work, skill and dedication that it takes to arrive at something beautiful, which is what we work toward in our own sport. In the world of racing, it takes a great deal of effort to turn the chaos and speed in to a performance that is beautiful enough for people to care about watching it and this has been reflected in the beauty of the honor 8.
Giving the initiative's message, do you believe you have always been brave? Is there anything you're afraid of?
Amna: Before now, I used to be really shy and I wasn't really very brave. I never thought it was inside of me; but once I started to race I started finding it inside of me, I started to become more determined in reaching for what I wanted as well as more strong and powerful. That is how I started becoming brave. Racing has really inspired me.
Hamda: We are racing in what is a male dominated sport, so it is hard to drive against them.
Amna: Because of this we are trying to stand up and show the world that women can be a part of motor sports. That message is what makes us stronger and make us go beyond our limits each day.
When did you become interested in Karting and at what age did you start? How supportive is your father? Do you think you would have become karters if he had not been a racer?
Amna: I started when I was fourteen
Hamda: I started when I was twelve
Amna: When we were younger, our conversations with our father were always about racing; what the tracks were like and what the other drivers were like - everything and anything to do with racing. Then we started watching him on the TV, going to support him and watching him race. After a while, me and my sister were like, "hey why don't we try that?" and that's how we got into it.
Hamda: If we didn't have a father that inspired us to race I think we would still have gotten into it because we love motor sports so much.
Who are your racing inspirations?
Amna: I look up to my dad, most of all because he inspired me to race in the first place. Then I would say my coach, as he provides us with all the tips and advice, and also watching him race has really helped us.
Hamda: Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi, I really look up to him, he is a professional driver. He is a rally driver but he has really inspired me with his passion and dedication to the sport and that has also encouraged me to pursue motor sports.
Amna - How did it feel to become the first Emirati female to finish on the podium at the Rotax Championship?
Amna: It was a pretty amazing feeling. Racing is such a male-dominated sport that to be the only two Emirati females racing only pushes us to take our racing further on the global stage. In motor sport, anything can happen on the day of the race. Finishing on the podium felt incredible, and proved to me that the years of hard work and stepping up for myself really paid off.
Hamda - it was your 2nd season last year, what did you learn? What will you apply to your next season?
Hamda: My first season was a great experience. There was stiff competition in my races and it definitely encouraged me to work harder. This season, I really want to work my way up in motorsports - get onto more podiums, represent my country at more races.
What would you both like to see happen in the UAE in terms of motorsports? (Would you like to see more females participating?)
Amna: We want to raise more awareness about motorsports and encourage more people to try it out, especially women. There may be few women participating in the sport right now but in karting, everybody is equal on the track. Everybody faces challenges - anything can happen, anyone can win. We believe that if you have a dream, you should hold onto it, be brave and try your hardest.
Do you think the UAE is an ideal place to begin a karting career and why?
Amna: The competition here is really tough, so it is really good place to start your karting career.
Hamda: We experience full support here in Abu Dhabi and they have a really great track.
What have been your proudest achievements so far?
Hamda: I think that starting to race and moving ahead has been great for us. We are the only Emirati girls in the sport and we want to take our racing further on a global stage.
Amna: Racing with the top five, getting onto podiums - that has all been great. I really want to work my way up in motor sports; someday, I hope to be the first female Emirati Formula 1 driver.
How do you use technology to prepare and as part of your lifestyles?
The one aspect of technology that is integral to our day is our smartphone. We are always on the go and this allows us to capture the excitement and beauty that surrounds our sport. We use the honor 8 as the visual quality of the phone is great and allows us to continue enhancing our skills through videos. If we don't have a simulator, we often watch videos of different tracks and different drivers and learn by viewing their techniques.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Amna: We would like to thank Huawei honor for giving us the opportunity to share our experiences and hopefully inspiring other people our age to strive toward creating beauty in their work through skill and dedication.
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