Four Emirati members of the ATCUAE’s growing family of motor sport volunteers have become the first UAE nationalsto qualify as officials to run and adjudicate at national and international motor cycle events staged within the Emirates.
Mohammed Al Shatri, Saeed Al Marzouqi, Mohammed Al Hashmi and Tuaiba Al Darmaki have each received Clerk of the Course Licenses issued by the FIM, the international motorcycling federation.
The licenses were presented by Dr Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, the national motor sport authority and official representative of the FIM in the country.
“This is another significant step forward in our efforts to make the UAE fully self-sufficient in the running of motor sport even to the highest international standards, with an emphasis on safety for all involved,” said Sulayem.
Al Shatri, Al Marzouqi, Al Hashmi and Al Darmaki were awarded their FIM licenses after coming through a demanding two-day course supervised by the FIM in the UAE last month.
“It was an in-depth examination of their knowledge of the latest FIM rules and regulations for international events,” said Sulayem. “They were trained here in the UAE, and we’re as proud of their achievement as they all are.”
The four Emiratis, and a growing number of other UAE nationals, are among more than 1,000 volunteers within the UAE Motorsport Marshals Club, set up by the ATCUAE in 2009 to manage and promote the growth of a national framework of motorsport officials and run events.
The FIM licenses allow them to now operate at motor cycle events as Clerk of the Course, the key official in charge of all on-track operations, including management of safety and rescue teams.
They are also able work as event stewards, who interpret incidents and decide whether penalties or fines should be issued, while also overseeing the activities of the Clerk of the Course.
The UAE has a growing calendar of competitive motor cycle events, highlighted by the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, a round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, but also including 600 cc and rookies classes, as well as the National and Club Motocross series.
Tuaiba Al Darmaki, a Middle Managers Curriculum Specialist in the leadership programmes department at the General Secretariat of the Executive Council, Abu Dhabi, is one of the few Arab women to have earned the FIM license.
She was introduced to motor sport marshaling by a friend in 2011 and was convinced she should volunteer when she heard Sulayem speak at an initial training session.
“He inspired me,” she said. “It’s my passion to volunteer, help other people, and help my country. I’m so happy and proud to be the first Emirati lady to have the FIM license. I hope more will follow.”
Al Darmaki, a member of the marshals team at the F1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for the last two years, added: “Just recently, I was talking to four Emirati girls at a leadership programme and when they heard me talk about my volunteer work they all decided to join. We have our own Emirati marshals committee and we are hoping to recruit many more Emiratis in future.”
