QMMF president and FIA vice president Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah (right) with FIA deputy president for sport Graham Stoker. (Right) Al-Attiyah with FIA’s Women’s Commission president Michele Mouton (left), who thanked QMMF for a “fantastic week” and also lauded them for “an incredible work to make this FIA week a superb souvenir” in a letter.
By Sports Reporter/Doha
FIA deputy president of sport Graham Stoker has praised Qatar and its contribution to motorsport.
Stoker was in Doha recently for the FIA Annual General Assembly and Prize Giving Gala and took a good impression of the capabilities of Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah-led Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation’s (QMMF).
“The Gulf region is considered one of the most important areas in motorsport. The positive ambitions here will absolutely lead motorsport into a brilliant future,” the Briton said.
Stoker added that al-Attiyah, in his position as FIA vice president, is doing an excellent job to strengthen ties between FIA, the federations and the clubs in order to promote motorsport across the Mena region.
“His leading role is really very important,” he said.
He also added that Mena, since it held its first regional meeting earlier this year, has been up-to-date in holding such meetings related to the future of motorsport in this region. “All meetings were enormously successful. I can surely confirm that motorsport is growing rapidly in the region and its progress is being steered in the right direction,” he said.
After FIA president Jean Todt’s statement that Qatar is the future of motorsport in the region, Stoker has said that the Gulf region is playing in an increasingly important role in shaping the future of motorsport and Qatar is at the heart of it. Losail International Circuit has successfully hosted MotoGP for over a decade and there is a growing interest in Qatar to stage more world class events.
Stocker said that he was hugely impressed with QMMF’s organisation of the Annual General Assembly and Prize Giving Gala. “We received a fantastic welcome from everyone at QMMF,” he said.
Stoker referred to about the Arabian culture and particularly the Qatari culture as one of the oldest and richest cultures in the world, which has brought so much to humanity. “Throughout our visit to Qatar, we managed to learn about the Qatari culture, which has been fascinating. The splendid Museum of Islamic Art was a wonderful learning experience,” he said.
Talking about FIA’s activities, he said, “Our goal at the FIA is to make motorsport safe, accessible and entertaining for anyone who has an interest to get involved in it.
“We have put in place a development strategy focusing on the growth of motorsport at grassroots globally through championships such as Formula 3, the new national Formula 4 championships and a targeted funding programme. Our worldwide network of 138 clubs allows us to have a global reach.”
He added: “It’s absolutely a very exciting time for motorsport globally. FIA recently introduced a new fully electric Formula E Championship and also launched a new World Championship for Rallycross. Both these championships are forward thinking and designed to attract a whole new generation of motorsport competitors and fans. The World Endurance Championship has seen exceptional growth.”