Mohammed Ben Sulayem
Encyclopedia
'"Mohammed Ahmed bin Sulayem" "Mohammed ben Sulayem" (born 1961) is a UAE
champion rally
driver who lives in Dubai
and is one the Arab world’s most famous sportsmen.
He has won more FIA regional championships, and more international rallies, than any other racer in history. His premier event has been the FIA Middle-East Rally Championship. Since first winning in 1986, he has gone on to win the event a record, 14 times, never having been defeated and making him the most successful FIA title holder in the world.
This successful career includes 61 international outings in the European, African, Middle East and World Rally Championships (WRC). During his career he drove for Opel, Toyota and Ford.
Though he has not raced competitively since the 2003 season, Sulayem has yet to officially announce his retirement from rally sport. While his official name is Mohammed bin Sulayem he is commonly referred to as "Mohammed ben Sulayem".
, located in Washington D.C., where he majored in political science
.
Sulayem has been appointed by the FIA and FIM
as the official representative to oversee all motorsports
events in the UAE. He is also Chairman of the Organising Committee for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, formerly the UAE Desert Challenge, a race that he founded in 1991. The event has since become the first round of the FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup.
He is a founding member of the Arab Council of Touring and Automobile Clubs, which aims to unite the FIA Clubs of Arabic-speaking territories.
In 2008 he was appointed Vice President of the FIA and a member of the World Motor Sport Council. The FIA is the global sporting authority for motorsport and represents 100 million car owners in almost 200 countries.
Apart from motor sport, Mr. Ben Sulayem is actively involved with social causes lending his name to fund-raising events and endorsing brands where the proceeds are forwarded to pre-selected foundations and institutes. Despite his passion for motor sport, Mr. Ben Sulayem is very conscious of the dangers of speeding and has been in the forefront championing the cause of road safety not just in the region but worldwide.
Ben Sulayem is a keen advocate of education and the creation of knowledge in sport. In 2010 in conjunction with the University of Ulster
he established the Institute of Sports Research which allows people working in motorsport and other sports to pursue post graduate degrees by research. Currently the Institute has a number of candidates for both Masters and PhD degrees mainly in the broad of motorsport management. He is also co-editor of Sports Management in the Middle East the first academic book to be published on the subject where Ben Sulayem also wrote the chapter on Governance and Ethics in sport.
In recognition of his contribution to the sport and for serving as a role model for Arab youth, Mr Ben Sulayem was declared the UAE’s Sportsman of the Century by the respected international news agency, Agence France-Presse in 1991.
modified to accept a Modified SLR
engine, providing the car with over 740 hp
and 1200 Nm (885 ft·lb
) of torque
. The modified SLK has a higher top speed (350 km/h estimated) than the production SLR due to differences in weight and was noted for a video depicting it out-performing an unmodified Enzo Ferrari.
On April 9, 2009 while demonstrating a Renault R28
F1
car – in a drag race against 2008 GP2 Asia Series
champion Romain Grosjean
, who was driving a Ford GT
– at an exhibition at the Dubai Autodrome
, Sulayem lost control of the vehicle under acceleration and crashed into the pit wall, causing extensive damage to the car. He was uninjured in the incident.
He is featured in Dirt 2 and a cameo appearance in Dirt 3
.
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
champion rally
Rallying
Rallying, also known as rally racing, is a form of auto racing that takes place on public or private roads with modified production or specially built road-legal cars...
driver who lives in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
and is one the Arab world’s most famous sportsmen.
He has won more FIA regional championships, and more international rallies, than any other racer in history. His premier event has been the FIA Middle-East Rally Championship. Since first winning in 1986, he has gone on to win the event a record, 14 times, never having been defeated and making him the most successful FIA title holder in the world.
This successful career includes 61 international outings in the European, African, Middle East and World Rally Championships (WRC). During his career he drove for Opel, Toyota and Ford.
Though he has not raced competitively since the 2003 season, Sulayem has yet to officially announce his retirement from rally sport. While his official name is Mohammed bin Sulayem he is commonly referred to as "Mohammed ben Sulayem".
Education
Sulayem is an alumnus of the American UniversityAmerican University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
, located in Washington D.C., where he majored in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
.
Post-rallying
Mohammed Ben Sulayem is the President of the Automobile and Touring club of the United Arab Emirates (ATCUAE), FIA Vice-President for Sport, and Chairman of the Institute for Sport Research UAE.Sulayem has been appointed by the FIA and FIM
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....
as the official representative to oversee all motorsports
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
events in the UAE. He is also Chairman of the Organising Committee for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, formerly the UAE Desert Challenge, a race that he founded in 1991. The event has since become the first round of the FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup.
He is a founding member of the Arab Council of Touring and Automobile Clubs, which aims to unite the FIA Clubs of Arabic-speaking territories.
In 2008 he was appointed Vice President of the FIA and a member of the World Motor Sport Council. The FIA is the global sporting authority for motorsport and represents 100 million car owners in almost 200 countries.
Apart from motor sport, Mr. Ben Sulayem is actively involved with social causes lending his name to fund-raising events and endorsing brands where the proceeds are forwarded to pre-selected foundations and institutes. Despite his passion for motor sport, Mr. Ben Sulayem is very conscious of the dangers of speeding and has been in the forefront championing the cause of road safety not just in the region but worldwide.
Ben Sulayem is a keen advocate of education and the creation of knowledge in sport. In 2010 in conjunction with the University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
he established the Institute of Sports Research which allows people working in motorsport and other sports to pursue post graduate degrees by research. Currently the Institute has a number of candidates for both Masters and PhD degrees mainly in the broad of motorsport management. He is also co-editor of Sports Management in the Middle East the first academic book to be published on the subject where Ben Sulayem also wrote the chapter on Governance and Ethics in sport.
In recognition of his contribution to the sport and for serving as a role model for Arab youth, Mr Ben Sulayem was declared the UAE’s Sportsman of the Century by the respected international news agency, Agence France-Presse in 1991.
Interests
As the owner of Ben Sulayem Performance, he and his team have been noted for creating super-high performance modifications to a variety of sports and luxury cars. In 2005, he received press in motorsports' circles for having a Mercedes SLK 55 AMGMercedes-Benz SLK-Class
The SLK is a compact roadster manufactured by Mercedes-Benz in three generations; R170 launched in 1996, the R171 in 2004 and R172 in 2011....
modified to accept a Modified SLR
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is an Anglo-German grand tourer car jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive, built in Portsmouth and the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England and sold from 2003 to 2009...
engine, providing the car with over 740 hp
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
and 1200 Nm (885 ft·lb
Foot-pound force
The foot-pound force, or simply foot-pound is a unit of work or energy in the Engineering and Gravitational Systems in United States customary and Imperial units of measure. It is the energy transferred on applying a force of 1 pound-force through a displacement of 1 foot...
) of torque
Torque
Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
. The modified SLK has a higher top speed (350 km/h estimated) than the production SLR due to differences in weight and was noted for a video depicting it out-performing an unmodified Enzo Ferrari.
On April 9, 2009 while demonstrating a Renault R28
Renault R28
The Renault R28 is a Formula One racing car, with which Renault F1 contested the 2008 Formula One season.-Launch: Similarly to Honda, Renault arrived at Valencia with their contender a week before its official launch, giving the first laps of the R28 to Fernando Alonso on the January 21 2008...
F1
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
car – in a drag race against 2008 GP2 Asia Series
2008 GP2 Asia Series season
The 2008 GP2 Asia Series season was the first GP2 Asia Series season. It started on January 25 and ended on April 12. Romain Grosjean became the champion, with his team, ART Grand Prix, taking the teams' title despite his team-mate Stephen Jelley scoring no points.-Entry list:-Pre-Season Testing...
champion Romain Grosjean
Romain Grosjean
Romain Grosjean is a racing driver, who holds dual nationality from France and Switzerland, but competes under a French racing licence. He was the 2007 Formula Three Euroseries drivers' champion and the inaugural GP2 Asia Series champion and drove in Formula One in 2009...
, who was driving a Ford GT
Ford GT
The Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car. Ford Motor Company produced the Ford GT for the 2005 to 2006 model years. The designers drew inspiration from Ford's GT40 race cars of the 1960s.- Development :...
– at an exhibition at the Dubai Autodrome
Dubai Autodrome
The Dubai Autodrome is an F.I.A. sanctioned 5.39 km motorsports circuit located in Dubailand, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.Opened in October 2004 with the final round of the 2004 Formula Renault V6 Eurocup season, Dubai Autodrome was the first part of the Dubai Motor City development that was...
, Sulayem lost control of the vehicle under acceleration and crashed into the pit wall, causing extensive damage to the car. He was uninjured in the incident.
He is featured in Dirt 2 and a cameo appearance in Dirt 3
Dirt 3
Dirt 3 is a rallying video game and the third in the Dirt series of the Colin McRae Rally series, developed and published by Codemasters. However, the "Colin McRae" tag has been completely removed from this iteration...
.
Major rally wins and championships
- Middle East Rally Championship (14): 1986–91, 1994, 1996–2002
- UAE International Rally (5): 1996–99, 2001
- Bahrain International Rally (3): 2000–02
- Qatar International Rally (9): 1988, 1990–91, 1996–98, 2000–02
- Jordan International Rally (12): 1984, 1987–88, 1990, 1994, 1996–2002
- Rally du Liban (4): 1987, 1997–99
- Syrian International Rally (3): 2000–02
- Dubai International Rally (15): 1985–88, 1991–95, 1997–2002
- Oman International Rally (6): 1986–87, 1990–91, 1994, 1998
- Kuwait International Rally (4): 1985, 1988–89, 1996
- Saudi International Rally (1): 2000
- India International Gundo Rally (34):2003