Dubai: Mohammad Bin Sulayem, who created the Middle East's first World Championship motor sport event, believes Iran's own version of the UAE Desert Challenge could be built into a top-class international cross country rally.
Bin Sulayem, President of the Emirates Automobile and Touring Club (EATC), is in Tehran for official talks aimed at reinforcing links between the UAE and the Islamic Republic in motor sport and tourism.
Backed by an EATC team, he is observing and supporting a round of Iran's national rally championship, as well as a cross country rally which the Desert Challenge founder feels has what it takes to become an international success.
"Iran has some great terrain for cross country rallying, and from what I've seen so far this rally has all the ingredients needed to become a successful international event," said Bin Sulayem, the first UAE motor sport official to be invited for talks in Iran.
Bin Sulayem has been in meetings with Ali Abadi, Vice-President of Iran, Head of Sport, and Rasheem Mashaii, Vice- President of Iran, Head of Culture, Heritage and Tourism, along with Ahmad Ghalebani, President of the Motorcyle and Automobile Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
He also flagged off a national championship event yesterday, and later accepted an invitation to get behind the wheel of an Iranian rally car on a special stage to demonstrate the skills which took him to 14 Middle East Championship titles.
"We're here to offer our Iranian neighbours the benefit of our many years of experience in staging international events," he said. "We want to work with them to help develop motor sport in Iran and build links between our two countries so that drivers and riders from the UAE and Iran could soon be competing against each other in various events."
