(MENAFN- Gulf Times) In
what is undoubtedly a huge step towards unearthing motorsport talent in
Qatar, Losail Circuit Sports Club (LCSC) yesterday announced the launch
of the Qatar Motorsport Academy.
At a press conference on the
sidelines of the MotoGP Grand Prix of Qatar at the Losail International
Circuit, LCSC Vice President and General Manager Khalid al-Remaihi said
the academy will come into effect from October 2018. For its ambitious
project, LCSC has tied up with Dorna Sports, the commercial rights
holder for the MotoGP, and Qatar's Aspire Academy.
The announcement
was made in the presence of Minister of Culture and Sports of Qatar HE
Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser al-Ali, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, General
Director Aspire Academy Ivan Bravo, QMMF President Abdulrahman al-Mannai
and Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) President Vito
Ippolito.
Al-Remaihi said the aim of the Qatar Motorsport Academy was
to create a platform for younger talents in the age bracket of 6 to 14
and nurture them into future MotoGP riders.
'The Qatar Motorsport
Academy will more or less be the platform for youngsters to get into the
sport. We want to accept 6 to 14-year-old kids into the academy, which
includes locals, people of different nationalities living in Qatar and
also those who are living around us in the region, said al-Remaihi
yesterday.
'We want to capitalise on the opportunities we have in
Qatar, like in the winter season where we can practice the sport here.
At the same time in Europe and other parts of the world it's the off
season. With the help of Aspire and Dorna we can provide that service
even for people in Europe, he added.
The LCSC Vice President said
one of the major objectives of the club was to create an environment for
the existing motorcycling enthusiast in the country and in the Gulf.
'Since
the establishment of the Club in early 2016, we had three major
objectives. One to promote the sport to get the community in Qatar
involved in the sport, and the second was to make full use of the
facilities. I am happy to say that we have achieved those goals. An
example of that is 81% utilisation of the facilities, which shows how
much we have increased the events and quality of the events and how we
have attracted people come to come to the circuit, said al-Remaihi
'Now
when it comes to promoting the sport, we understood that we needed to
create an environment for the existing enthusiast, people who like the
sport already. Those who come enjoy the championship and atmosphere in
the events as that would help in creating the culture in the country for
the sport. We also understood that we need to create a platform to
nurture younger talent and we were working on the possibilities we
have, he added.
On LCSC's tie up with Dorna Sports and Qatar's
Aspire Academy, al-Remaihi hailed them as the best possible partners in
reaching academy's goals. 'What we found out is we need to have an
alliance with right partners. This is why Losail Club has tied up with
Dorna Sports, who with their vast experience and knowhow of the
motorcycling racing will create programmes for younger generations that
will be their stepping stone into MotoGP. And also Aspire Academy is an
icon in sports training, education and excellence in sport. To have that
kind of support in Qatar is a great value to us, al-Remaihi said.
'Specific
to Dorna's and Aspire's involvement from a collective point of view,
it's a platform for growth of MotoGP. Our friends in Dorna have a great
record and we believe in their great capabilities and support to reach
our goal. And with the help of Aspire they will cater to the special
talents selected. It's an opportunity for us achieve our maximum
potential. Our target is to launch this programme in October 2018, which
is the beginning of our season. From now on until that point of time,
we will fully mobilise all our collective resources to be able to
deliver our programme. We hope people will see the fruits of our
collaboration, he noted.
The LCSC General Manager also thanked QMMF
and its' President Abdulrahman al-Mannai for the support. 'We do not
want forget the cooperation of local federation QMMF and Abdulrahman
al-Mannai and his team, which is essential for what we want to achieve.
Hopefully in near future, we will get to see Qatari rider or someone
living in Qatar or someone from the region in the MotoGP class, he
said.
Carmelo Ezpeleta, the Dorna CEO said the Qatar Motorsport
Academy is very important to the future of sport and was excited to
collaborate with LCSC. 'Qatar was the first country to conduct
floodlight race, which was necessary for MotoGP. They have conducted the
MotoGP races successfully over the last 15 years and have been pioneers
for the sport in general. Through this academy, it's a continuity of
our association with them. It's a social responsibility for us to teach
the sport to newer and enthusiastic audience. That's what we intend to
do with our tie-up with LCSC and Qatar Motorsport Academy. For us at
Dorna its very exciting project. One of the main aims is to give
opportunities to people, who have never raced before. The Qatar
Motorsport Academy is very important to the future of the sport and we
are excited to collaborate with LCSC, Ezpeleta said.
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