Qatar Motorsports Academy (QMA), an international facility for training young talented motorcycle riders, was officially launched this past Friday at the Losail International Circuit during the WorldSBK Pirelli Qatar Round and is due to kick off on November 23.
Losail Circuit Sports Club (LCSC) vice-president and general manager Khalid al-Remaihi was joined by Aspire Academy’s Sport and Strategy director Markus Egger and QMA’s Motorcycling head and former MotoGP and WorldSBK rider Jose Luis Cardoso for the announcement.
The project was first announced during the Grand Prix of Qatar earlier in March 2018 in the presence of the three main partners — Dorna Sports SL, Aspire Academy and LCSC. The main objective of this academy is to give young riders the tools to learn the basics of motorcycle racing and improve their skills in a safe environment.
Al-Remaihi said: “We have made this announcement because we know this country has huge racing talent. We want to train young kids from Qatar and abroad the right way with expert help coming from Dorna Sports SL, Aspire Academy and José Luis Cardoso. With all of them, we will have a great experience in developing young riders.”
Egger said, “We have been talking ‘what is the best way to get involved?’. In Qatar Motorsports Academy, our role is not technical. What we can do is look after the physical and mental condition of the elite athletes. We have loads of expertise in this field.”
Cardoso has vast experience in motorsport and is very excited about this opportunity to build a new generation of riders in Qatar.
“This project is very important for Qatar and Losail Circuit Sports Club,” Cardoso said.
“We are working on a very exclusive and high quality programme, and I am sure it will bring us many successes. It will give an opportunity to boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 16 years old to learn and evolve in a sport as elite as motorcycling.”
QMA will have both theoretical and practical lessons for all types of tracks with experienced instructors leading them. These lessons will take place on Tuesdays and Saturdays. For all-round development, the academy will also be working on physical preparation and nutrition.
A family open day will take place on November 23 for all the participants, who have previously registered on the website. Online registration is still available at lcsc.qa/qma.
(From left) Aspire Academy’s Sport and Strategy director Markus Egger, Losail Circuit Sports Club vice-president and general manager Khalid al-Remaihi and Qatar Motorsports Academy’s Motorcycling head and former MotoGP and WorldSBK rider Jose Luis Cardoso.
