Dubai
Victory Team’s drive to tap Emirati talent took a step forward with the unveiling of versatile Ahmad Al Fahim to join the growing pool of drivers to compete in the F4 powerboat championship during the 2018 season.
Victory Team has already confirmed their participation in five different categories — Class 1, F1, F2, F4 and Aquabikes — of watersports during the course of the season, and Al Fahim is being seen as one of the most promising drivers making his debut in the blue colours of the Dubai-based outfit.
Al Fahim was unveiled by Huraiz Bin Huraiz, Chairman, Board of Directors, Victory Team, in the presence of board members Mohammad Al Mutawa’a and Ghanem Al Marri, on Wednesday.
“We are always on the lookout for local talent. This year is going to be special for Victory Team as we mount a serious challenge in all five racing categories that we are participating in. During testing last week, Ahmad caught our attention with his sheer capacity for pushing himself towards excellence all the time,” Bin Huraiz told Gulf News after signing up the new driver.
Born in 1980, Al Fahim has an MBA in Marketing from Coventry University in the UK, while his core interests lie in weight training, triathlon, Ironman challenges, motorsports and watersports.
“Ahmad Al Fahim stands out among the new crop of UAE talent simply with his wide range of experience and versatility in doing varied sport,” Bin Huraiz noted.
The Dubai lad, who owns a training facility for endurance sports, started off in motorsports and among his most recent major achievements is a top position in the T3 category at the 2015 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge followed by an outright win in the Emirates Desert Rally Championship in 2016. Earlier in his career, Al Fahim also had the experience of competing in wooden powerboat racing for a couple of years before switching over to aquabikes racing.
“My long-term goals are to continue racing as long as I remain competitive. I have been blessed with several gifts and it is my confidence that can take me to fulfilling the aspirations of the Victory Team. I am all for excitement and challenge in trying something new, at the same time flying the UAE flag high through sport,” the extremely fit Al Fahim said.
“Being fit helps me a lot in the concentration part. To me just staying fit and healthy is a huge advantage and I am sure it will help me and the team achieve high goals set for this season,” he added.
Al Fahim was thrilled at achieving a childhood dream. “I’ve got my eyes set on higher classes of powerboat racing. I want to get the experience and one day I will be part of the F1 team at Victory,” he related.
“Growing up I dreamt of being part of Victory Team as this is a team that is truly representative of watersports in Dubai and the UAE. Now that I have got my chance I want to excel and make myself and my team proud through results,” he added.
Al Fahim’s entry into watersports began as a jet-ski racer at various UAE Jet-Ski Championships. He started off with a second place at the 1995 Jet-Ski World Championships held in Dubai and followed up this success the following year while winning the UAE Jet-Ski Championship and taking a commendable second place at the Jet-Ski World Championships held in Mexico.
