Abu Dhabi: The Yas Marina Circuit is working on a competition for adults on the lines of the F1 in Schools, according to their Chief Executive Officer Richard Cregan.
Speaking to Gulf News, Cregan said the success of the F1 in Schools had encouraged YMC to come up with a similar programme for adults in a bid to enhance the outreach to the community as a whole.
Cregan also said that last week's announcement regarding the scheduled opening of Ferrari World on October 28, three weeks before this year's Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, would prove a huge boost to motorsport in the UAE.
Following are excerpts from the interview:
Gulf News: How has the interaction with schools and other UAE organisations been ever since the launch of Yas Marina Circuit last year?
Richard Cregan: It has been very positive. We are very young as an organisation. Part of our programme is focused on the community. We have this amazing facility and we have to get out to the community and give them the benefit of this facility. Part of that is F1 in Schools programme. We are also looking to place students here together at various areas in coordination with a few Abu Dhabi institutions like HAAD, Police and a few others.
How will the competition for adults work?
Right now our focus is to get it right for the students first and with two of the UAE schools in the world championship that is a good start. But we are working on a programme for the adults and are hoping that we can do it before this year's Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, if we possibly can.
By involving the parents, teachers and the adults who are passionate about Formula One, it means the outreach is far greater. It is fun, a sense of great competition by putting together a team, by your presentation. If we achieve it before the end of the year we will be very happy. We want the community to feel the ownership of this facility. It is a community circuit.
Aldar have announced that Ferrari World will open in late October. What does that mean to YMC?
We are working very closely with Ferrari World and because it is going to be a popular venue it is going to play a huge role in the activation of Yas Island. We are going to be working with them on different programmes. The marina, the Yas Hotel, the other group of hotels here, the links golf course, there are a lot of things which are coming to stream now. This can only benefit YMC.
Are you expecting a surge in ticket sales for this year's Grand Prix after the Ferrari World announcement?
The initial response to ticket sales has been very good. Now with this announcement it will get better. Ferrari World will have over 20 rides and attractions, an aerial voyage with a G-force experience taking passengers over 62 metres, blasting away on the world's fastest roller coaster reaching speeds of up to 240 km/h. For people coming back here for the Grand Prix, they have got something new and that is a huge plus point for Abu Dhabi as well as motorsport in the UAE.
