MSN > Autos > Sport

A New Era In Middle East Motorsport

To Draw Many Sports Tourists & Inspire Future Champions. Sports tourists will have a further pull to Egypt with the Middle East Carting Cup, as announced at the Mediterranean Travel Fair by Ghibli Raceway a few months ago, a pioneering organization for motorsport in the region and host of the series.

The Middle East Carting Cup brings to Egypt the best of the best in the exhilarating open-wheel, precision- control motorsport of carting, long considered the first step for any serious racer and the stepping stone for many Formula One and NASCAR champions such as Michael Schumacher.

The championship series, sanctioned by the Commission Internationale de Karting of the international motorsport governing body Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (CIK-FIA), brings forth its adrenaline rush in four rounds from January to June 2007.

It kicks off with the first round from January 24 to 27 at the Kartdrome in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The series comes to Ghibli Raceway in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt for the second round from February 28 to March 3 and then returns to Dubai for round three from April 26 to 29.

Egypt takes center stage again for the final championship round from June 20 to 23. This culmination to the crowning of a champion will be made all the more thrilling with a special celebrity race alongside round four.

Already confirmed to participate in the celebrity race are Mohamed Ben Sulayem, President of the Automobile & Touring Club for UAE; Ragheb Alameh and Kimi Raikkonen as invited by Ben Sulayem; and numerous other motorsport stars and celebrities to be confirmed in the near future.

“The Middle East Carting Cup marks the dawn of a new era for motorsports like carting,” states Ghibli Raceway Chairman Hany Soufrakis. “It serves as a critical development feeder for higher motor sport formulas for all aspiring Middle East nations seeking a place in the fast-developing motor sport world.” He continues, “Many of today’s racing stars started in races just like this, which prompted the series slogan, ‘Inspiring Future Champions’ – so watch the action every step of the way to get to know the future local champions of internationally accredited motorsport.”

It is large-scale events with a big draw like the Middle East Carting Cup, at top sporting facilities like Ghibli Raceway, that can be credited for increasing the profile of Egypt as a leading destination for sports tourists. “Sporting enthusiasts already know Egypt for its world-class diving and more recently its golfing, dune bugging, and even sand boarding and kite-surfing,” explains Soufrakis.

“Motorsport and carting have also been increasingly popular in Egypt, especially since Ghibli Raceway has hosted the prestigious Rotax Max Challenge World Finals in 2004 and many high-profile corporate events since on our top-notch circuits.

Now we’re raising the bar again with the Middle East Carting Cup.” This two-year deal through to 2008 is organized by Ghibli Raceway in conjunction with RGMMC, Europe's leading karting event organizers, with organizational support provided by the Middle East's top single-sealer race series, Thunder Arabia.

"RGMMC is proud and honored to be part of this pioneer event”, stated the company’s General Manager Roland Geidel. “We believe strongly that the Middle East can produce world class kart races equivalent to any of their counterparts in Europe.” He continued, “The Middle East Karting Cup will be open to drivers from around the world, similar to the 28-country Euro Challenge which RGMMC also organizes and promotes.

The MEKC concept encourages regional kart drivers to take part in an enjoyable and professional atmosphere in an international arena, putting them on the path to a successful career in motorsport.

RGMMC’s highly professional team, all of whom are used to working within the CIKFIA domain, will work together with Mr Soufrakis and his team to develop and deliver an exceptional championship series.

" In addition to Mr Soufrakis, the speakers at the press conference included Vice Chairman & CEO of the Automobile & Touring Club of Egypt, Kotb Soliman; Vice President & Head of Middle East & Africa Division of the Federation International d'Automobile (FIA), Derek Ledger; General Manager of RGMMC, Roland Geidel; Marketing Director of Thunder Arabia Motorsport & Driver Development, Sherif Al Mahdy; and Motorsport Director of Bridgestone Corporation, Peter Lohri Backgrounder:

Middle East Carting Cup 2007 The CIK- FIA Middle East Carting Cup (MEKC) is a new professional series in the exciting motorsport of carting, considered the stepping stone to Formula One racing.

This championship event will be launched to the regional automotive and tourism media at Cairo’s Mediterranean Travel Fair in September 2006 and will be held for the first time in 2007.

It will serve as a critical development feeder for higher motor sport formulas for all aspiring Middle East nations seeking a place in the fast-developing motor sport world. The series takes place from January to June 2007 over four rounds: two in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and two in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The three categories are Juniors (13 – 16 years of age), Seniors (17+), and Masters (32+). A celebrity charity race will accompany the final round of the championship.

The schedule is as follows:

This championship event is sanctioned by the CIK-FIA, the Commission International de Carting of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile *. It is organized by Middle East’s premier carting facility Ghibli Raceway in conjunction with RGMMC, Europe's leading carting event organizers.

RGMMC is responsible for the phenomenally successful Euro Challenge, today’s most successful pan-European professional kart series with an average of more than 25 countries participating and more than 130 drivers per round.

Organizational support for this series is being provided by the Middle East's leading single seater race series, Thunder Arabia Middle East.

About Ghibli Raceway:

Ghibli Raceway is the Middle East’s leading circuit for the exciting motorsport of karting. Located in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh, it is one of only four tracks in the world that is built to the latest and highest licensed requirements of the FIA, the official global association for karting and other key motorsports including Formula One.

Ghibli Raceway was home to the most popular international FIA motorsport competition in the world, the Rotax MAX Challenge World Finals in 2004, which attracted competitors from 38 countries.

Since then, Ghibli has also hosted world leaders such as the King of Bahrain, top racers including seven time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher, and numerous Arabic and European entertainment stars. Ghibli Raceway inspires a diverse demographic to come and experience an adrenaline-packed driving experience.

Related Articles:

Formula 1 Photo Gallery
Formula 1 News
Porsche Mobil1 Supercup preview