During the 2014 ATCL prize giving ceremony we had the chance to meet up with FIA and FIM vice president Nasser Khalifa Al Attiyah to discuss all the updates in the world and Middle East motorsport scene.
Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah, welcome to Lebanon for the second year in a row, you’re part of the ATCL’s prize-giving ceremony today and we are honored to have you here.
After being at the helm of the FIA Vice Presidency for two years, what changed in the Middle East Rally Championship, other Middle East championships and in Lebanon?
To be honest, a lot of things have changed. We had plenty of gains, especially at the level of the entire Middle East region after hosting the FIA World Motor Sport Council’s annual general assembly in Qatar and the FIA Prize-Giving Ceremony. It was the first time in the FIA General Assembly’s history that a karting event was held, and it witnessed the participation of all world champions; we also had plenty of regional champions including Roger and Abdo Feghali and Nasser Al Attiyah. They had a lot of fun in this event.
Moreover, there were new decisions for the 2015 season and a new calendar. There were many things going on. One of the biggest things I’ve pursued and stressed on as the FIA Vice President was to enhance the Arab presence in all of the committees, as decision-makers, observers and stewards in all different types of motorsports in the Middle East.
It is no secret that Rallying is the oldest form of motorsport in the region. Today, we have Formula 1 tracks, karting, hillclimbs, classic car races, and cross country rallies and many other forms of racing that need to be improved.
We must rely on local and regional organizers, instead of people from the outside. I am building a team, with people from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and the entire region, including North Africa. They all need to be part of this; they need to learn how to run the sport – every individual in accordance with his specialization.
We have the drifting championship, in which Abdo Feghali will play a big role in developing in the entire region.
We heard that there might be a surprise of this sort; the Red Bull Car Park Drift might become an FIA-organized championship.
For sure, the FIA is currently working on the rules and the criteria for such a championship. We will apply the existing regional rules at the moment, with help from Abdo Feghali, until we can further improve this sport. We are lucky enough to be able to shape our own regional rules, unlike international championships. We have our own criteria in the region and it is our right to apply them.
It is very important to give the Arab youth plenty of opportunities in their respective fields, and this is why we’re building a team, not just to be present at the regional level, but on the international level as well. We currently have people like Ziad Jamous and…
Gaby Kreiker, who’s a member of the FIA international Hill Climb Committee.
We have a lot of personnel from many Arab countries and I’m giving them the opportunity and supporting them to be part of the different commissions. We must build a large network in the region in order to compete with all other regions, including Europe, Latin America and the Pacific. It is very important to increase the number of championships, like Formula 1, which is now in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and soon in Qatar. We’re also trying to bring the World Rally Championship back to Jordan. We also have Cross Country Rallies in 4 different places in the MENA region, including Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Egypt and Morocco. We’re working on the karting championship with the hope of introducing a Middle East karting championship. We’re working on Hill climb championships in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria and other countries with mountainous regions.
I have assigned coordinators from the region in the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, the Circuit Commission and in many other areas. We are giving a chance for the youth, who will be working on plans and reports, and who will receive our full backing. We are looking for people in the region with discipline and loyalty. We have hired plenty of outsiders in the past years, but now it’s time for the people in the MENA, and hopefully, they’ll be able to excel.
After two years at the helm, I have managed to register 9 different countries (in the Middle East Rally Championship), six of which made it to the official 2014 calendar, while the other three rallies were candidates for 2015. Iran and Oman earned a spot for next season, but Abu Dhabi lacked the necessary safety.
This has been a particularly sensitive subject. We saw that Iran and Oman did an excellent job, and we can say the same thing about Abu Dhabi, and it’s been such a long absence for candidate rallies in the Middle East.
How is the decision to exclude Abu Dhabi not related to the conflicts between Qatar and Abu Dhabi in motorsport? Let’s not try to hide the obvious…
No, we’re not hiding the obvious. You know that my position is related to sports and it’s not political, and I don’t deal with politics. Politics is for politicians and sports is for sportsmen. On the contrary, I backed Abu Dhabi Rally’s return to the calendar, knowing that I found some difficulties because the UAE would be hosting two rallies, while plenty of other countries had applied for a spot on the calendar. However, we backed the Abu Dhabi Rally and the fact that the UAE could’ve been the only country with two rounds on the Middle East Rally Championship calendar.
The Abu Dhabi Rally did not pass the safety requirements; the marshals were not present at the special stages and there were no fire extinguishers or fire brigades available. They appeared after the third special stage, but what if a car had rolled or someone hit trouble? We had an observer in the rally, Hani Shaaban. Hani and the FIA sent us a report stating that the Abu Dhabi Rally had failed to meet the safety standards, and this is why the rally was excluded, not because of the conflicts, which are a completely different matter that I do not like to interfere in, because every FIA representative should always maintain professionalism in dealing with protocol.
Today, I represent the entire region, and never in my life have I been in any conflicts and I have never dealt with the media. I believe the organizing committee – if it wants a spot on the championship calendar – needs to meet all the FIA safety and special stage requirements. However, the political matters are very remote to this subject, and trust me, I do not interfere in it, not closely nor remotely, because I’m not a politician.
After the Dubai Rally controversy, there has been the impression that there is a split in the Middle East Region on the Motorsport front. On the one hand, there is Qatar that is supporting motorsport in all of its forms and that is being represented in the FIA by you. On the other hand, there is Abu Dhabi that also has a large motorsport investment whether via racetracks or via teams.
How much work does it require to regroup the two parties and solve all of the problems that were the result of some petty matters. How much can you fix the problem after all the controversy?
There is no controversy. People never accept negative results the way they accept positive ones. We need to be professional. We need to accept both victories and losses. There’s plenty of stuff going on in Rallying, we’ve seen teams and drivers being punished on the international level. There are world champions like Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier who have committed mistakes and they have been punished. There are rules and regulations that are set by the FIA, there are stewards and there are courts that we don’t interfere with. Every competitor has the right to appeal or protest, and these things, such as making a shortcut, were overlooked in the past.
I would like to send the following message to all of the competitors: the rallies will be extensively supervised, unlike previous years, because we must be fair and logical with the results. Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah is a big name in the region, and he has clinched the WRC2 title; he’s not the kind of competitors to be affected by such a rally or championship loss. However, the rules and regulations will be unforgiving in the case of cheating.
Nasser Al Attiyah is a champion, Khalid Al Qassimi is a champion and there are many other champions like Roger and Abdo Feghali. There are plenty of champions in the region. There are people who respect the rules, and this is what we’re aiming for. As of now, the regulations will act as a wake up call to a lot of people, who will have to think twice from now on. They have to respect the regulations and the special stage limits. We will not accept any breaches. Things will be very strict, especially at rallies with very “open” stages like Qatar, Dubai and Kuwait; those are sensitive rallies and we will heavily supervise them, we will have officials in every corner and every place. We hope that every competitor abides by the rules starting next year, and commit to every special stage as specified in the roadbook, which is approved by the FIA.
We hope that the organizers, not just the competitors, comply with the regulations. We will not be lenient with any of the organizers in the region, and they need to be up to the required standards.
We saw you visit the Emirates a while ago; you were at an event in Umm al-Quwain. Was this a message that there is nothing going on, and does it prove to the people that there are no conflicts, and that your conflicts were purely within sports and that you organized this event in the UAE to show your support to every country in the region?
I was in Abu Dhabi not a long time ago…
We saw you at the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East and in Bahrain…
I respect all of those who invited me and I would like to thank Sheikh Marwan Al Mualla, chairman of the Emirates Motorsport Federation, for developing the sport, and for supporting athletes in the region. Like I told you, I don’t have any political sensitivity; I don’t mix my job with my personal life, I always separate the two. I respect my region and I wish to see it become the best, and I wish to see the tension between competitors disappear, and I wish to not see it reflect on the presidents of the different clubs, because presidents are the most logical and open-minded people, and this sort of tension is for competitors. This tension might increase the excitement in the championship and it might give the championship a bigger value and a new flavor.
We now have credibility: we will not tolerate any mistakes, and we will reward any winners, and this is what we’ll be working on from now on, to be fair towards everyone. I swear to God, if Nasser (Saleh Al-Attiyah) commits any mistakes, he will be punished, and Nasser was already punished this year during the Sealine Cross Country Rally in Qatar. Everybody was there and everybody saw it.
We have no sensitivity towards anyone. Whoever acts professional, in a professional and sporting mentality…
They will be rewarded accordingly?
They will be rewarded accordingly, and believe me, we don’t do any favors for anyone when it comes to the regulations.
Nasser, last question. We know motorsport in Lebanon has the power and talents, but there’s a big financial issue, there’s a budget issue on all levels: drivers, organizers and the absence of racetracks. We know that you are supporting ATCL and its members as much as possible but, when it comes to the actual racing, how can the FIA support Lebanon especially that the country represents the disparity of motorsport in Middle East, and has there been any plans with the them to tackle this matter?
The ATCL is one of the oldest and most prestigious clubs in the region, and despite all of the economical and political setbacks, Lebanon has a solid sports culture, and that is what’s special about the country. Lebanese people are very passionate about motorsport, and the same can be said about the drivers who have a very strong sports knowledge. I’ve noticed many parents next to their children here today, which gives us an idea about the cultural orientation of the Lebanese.
Of course, Lebanon is very important to the FIA, and I do not speak solely of Rally of Lebanon, but of motorsport in general, and Lebanon is a major player in the region and we heavily rely on the country. Trust me, Lebanon is very important to the FIA and we hope that it recovers and that we see Lebanese drivers in international competition, and important events being hosted in the country. The Arab countries are all in support of Lebanon amidst the country’s turmoil. I hope that politicians are aware of the importance of sports in developing a generation that overlooks extremism and political conflicts, and moves away from anything that separates society. Sport is a very important power in that regard and it has a very positive impact on society, and it is a very important tool that fights petty conflicts.
I think the solution to political conflicts is sports, for it is the only power with a substantial positive effect. Motorsport has a significant value in the Middle East, and it is competing with very popular sports such as Football.
The FIA will not brush off any opportunities to help and support Lebanon on all levels, as it is a key player in the Middle East and on the highest of levels. There are plenty of qualified people such as Ziad Jamous and Imad Lahoud who work in motorsport on an international level; we have a group of Lebanese people who we are very proud of, and it is the media’s duty to support them.
Motorsport in Lebanon is maltreated, and that is down to the political and economical issues, which we hope that the country will recover from as soon as possible.
We would like to thank you for your time, and we would once again like to welcome you in Lebanon, we hope to see you in future events.
Thank you.