Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management Company (ADMM) is supporting Emirati karting superstar Rashid Al Dhaheri, following his nomination for the Favourite Sports Star at the Kids’ Choice Awards Abu Dhabi 2019. This event will be held on 20th September 2019 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). With Yas Marina Circuit, ADMM plays and actively continues to play an instrumental role in UAE and global motorsport as organiser of the iconic Yas Formula One Grand Prix.
CEO of Yas Marina Circuit, Al-Tariq Al-Ameri, believes that the grassroots initiatives and support the circuit provides is already paying off when it comes to nurturing young talent like Rashid. He said: “Our goal has always been to identify future motorsport stars and do everything we can to help them get established and further their career ambitions from junior karting to the F4 series. It is fantastic to see that up and coming Emirati talent like Rashid Al Dhaheri being nominated for the Favourite Sports Star award, which we see as a platform to highlight promising Emirati talent in the field of motor racing, and a way to highlight to the public the great and unique achievements Rashid has achieved. We believe Rashid has great career ahead of him and we look forward to seeing him take part in an Etihad Airways Formula One Grand Prix in the future and playing a key role to inspiring the youth of the UAE.”
In response, Rashid Al Dhaheri commented: “I am honoured to receive support from Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, which has done so much to promote motorsport in the UAE and the wider region. It reminded me of the first Formula 1 race I saw in my life when I was four years old with my Father at the Yas Marina Circuit. This experience marked the start of my growing interest in the motor racing, which quickly became a passion. I will continue to fulfil the prestigious ADMM’s faith in me and do all I can to keep succeeding and continue competing for win.”
Rashid proved incredibly consistent. The excellent year by the 11-year has seen him achieve a great deal including WSK, 2019 World Series Karting Super Master Champion and World Series Karting Euro Series Champion, all in the Mini Series category. This, all in his first season with Parolin Racing Kart.
Rashid’s coach, former Italian Formula 2 champion Fausto Ippoliti said: “Rashid has fantastic abilities, the most important of which is the amazing command and control he has of his kart, which really comes through during the race rounds. When you look at his trajectories entering the curves, he is hitting bumps at the right angles and speeds and barely put a wheel out of place”.
Karting requires significant skills to extract its best such as the ability to deal with race developments within few seconds, which proved essential for Rashid in the Rock Cup Italia competition, where the prize was won with a significant 4.5 second gap from his nearest rival. Here, he pushed his advantage ahead of the competition by dealing effectively with wet and mixed conditions, handling them well and taking first place in the competition. That “push for more” attitude is very much part of his style. Motorsport is gaining significant momentum in the UAE, where the racing community is growing. This is in some part due to the passion and interest in the sport and racing in the Emirate, as well as the availability of facilities for this type of sport, and the support of organisations and authorities who encourage and nurture young talent.
