(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Rizwan Rehmat | The Peninsula
DOHA: The Losail Circuit Sports Club (LCSC) yesterday confirmed that it had joined hands with Dorna Sports and Aspire Academy to launch the Qatar Motorsport Academy (QMA), the region's first learning school of its kind for budding riders.
The aim of the academy is to nurture young riding talent in Qatar and the region, Khalid Al Remaihi, Vice President and General Manager LCSC, said yesterday.
Al Remaihi was joined by Carmelo Ezpeleta, Dorna CEO, Ivan Bravo, General Director Aspire Academy, Abdulrahman Al Mannai, QMMF President and Vito Ippolito, FIM President, at a press conference called to announce the details of the academy.
Minister of Culture and Sports of Qatar, H E Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali, also attended the press conference.
'We are thrilled to have this partnership with Dorna Sports who have vast experience in this field. They have vast knowledge in the field of bike racing. They have done this around the world. They have created platforms for younger generation to take up the sport with the right kind of training, Al Remaihi told reporters. 'Aspire Academy is also an icon in sports training and education. Their forte is excellence in sports. To have their support is also a big plus for us. This partnership is about an academy that will be a platform for those wanting to get the right training and support.
'There will be a lot of programmes and segments to the specialised training we are going to impart at the academy, he added.
'The platform is for kids falling in the bracket of 6 to 14 years of age. Whether you are a Qatari or resident of this country, everybody is welcome. People living around the region can also be part of this programme. I would said even those living further away from the region can benefit from this academy, he added.
'Our target is to launch this programme on the first of October later this year. That is the time when we begin our regular racing season. We will keep spreading the word about this academy. We will make the most of our resources to get everything moving. We thank QMMF for their cooperation. Hopefully some day we will have our own riders in the world of MotoGP, Al Remaihi said.
Ezpelata said Qatar - who were the first and only country to host a MotoGP round in the region since October 2004 - were moving in the right direction with the launch of the academy.
'Today is a very important day for motorsport in Qatar, Ezpelata said yesterday.
'Dorna has created systems around the world to reach young riders the right techniques. We have given them good education. All of this helped us build a team of people who could go on to show the young people the possibilities of becoming top riders.
'Two years ago, when we visited Aspire Academy - which I must say is an incredible place to train and educate young kids - I saw what kind of work was going on. We talked if something could be done about young riders with their help. Then we thought let's have LCSC, the QMMF, Aspire Academy and Dorna to create possibilities about creating an academy, Ezpeleta said.
'I have been told the academy will be opened for everybody. This will be a new motorsport family. Qatar will be the first country in the world to do something like this at the national level. It is very important for the region as well. For us, it is a very exciting project. Right now we have the required experience to push this on. This is even bigger of a project than we thought of initially. We will do everything in our power to help talented riders get to Moto 3 and beyond, the Dorna Sports CEO said during the press conference.
QMMF President Al Mannai said: 'I think this will make our job easier with the launch of this academy. With expertise of Dorna and Aspire Academy, we feel this is a perfect combination. When you think of a sport-related project, you have to see that is comprehensive. As President of QMMF, I support this initiative. We are very happy about it.
Bravo said: 'Our part will be what Aspire Academy really does. Once you have base of the pyramid - when you have a lot of kids maybe starting to ride or getting exposed to the sport - it is then Dorna's technical expertise will tell us ‘here is this kid with special talents or potential'. That includes their physical or psychological conditioning or preparation. Everything that comes around in sports science, we will look after those aspects. Except for the coaching and training, the rest will be handled by us.
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