Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Motor racing pioneer and visionary Barry Hope aims to develop young racers from across the region in a bid to find the first Arab F1 driver.
Hope, 59, is the owner of GulfSport Racing, one of Dubai's leading racing products and services company in the Middle East committed to developing grassroots racing and drivers. He currently resides in Dubai and works with his son Martin, a successful race car driver and an Oxford Brookes university graduate in automotive engineering.
Hope said: "I have spent 15 years living and working in the UAE and Bahrain so I am very much aware of how things go in the Middle East in terms of motor racing.
"I've raced in the Middle East for 10 years and was also vice chairman of the Al Nasr Motor Sports Club in Dubai."
"I then got into karting with my son, who started racing seriously at the age of 11. So, as his career developed we got heavily involved in karting and motor racing."
GulfSport was established in 2004 the same year that the first Gulf Air Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix was held at the Bahrain International Circuit. Since then, the company has developed its business and resources and now has the experience and technical expertise to help unearth budding local talent.
Hope added: "It has always been our aim to help pave the way for the region's young racers to compete at international level. This is why we created Formula Gulf 1000."
Formula Gulf 1000 is a one-make single seater championship aimed at young Arabian Gulf-based racing drivers and karters who wish to graduate to cars. It will debut in October this year with 16 races over eight events, held at the Yas Marina Circuit and Dubai Autodrome.
It focuses on the development of driving skills, improvement of fitness and providing media skills at the highest levels of motor racing. Competitors will be trained by some of the industry's most experienced coaches. Open to Gulf residents younger than 25 years, with the appropriate racing licence, the series provides a less-expensive alternative to similar circuits in Europe or Asia, where drivers face high costs and often lack the experience needed to compete successfully.
The winner of the 2010/11 FG1000 Championship will win a scholarship to compete in Formula Renault BARC in the UK, valued at $90,000, where they will gain training and racing experience.
Hope said: "Motor racing is certainly a booming industry in the region but I have noticed that there is no racing series for young drivers. Formula Gulf 1000 is designed specifically to train and develop young drivers who aspire to race at a very high level.
"On top of that we've now had eight F1 Grand Prix in the region and everyone is wondering when and where the young Arab F1 drivers are going to come from.
"If we are going to have an Arab driver then we need to discover the young talent in the community and help them."
The cost of a full season in FG1000 is $84,250 (BD31,764.78). All FG1000 cars are built by the legendary Ralph Firman (www.rfrcars.com) in the UK, and will be maintained and run by the experienced GulfSport team. Drivers will benefit from advanced training headed up by international driver coach Andy Pardoe and his team.
Hope would really like to see some of the young talent in Bahrain representing the kingdom in the series. He said: "Unfortunately, no Bahraini drivers have yet been able to find the financial support required to race in FG1000.
"There is plenty of talent in Bahrain but presumably not enough financial support for young drivers. We did have Bahrain's Team 777 - Fahad Al Musalam and Shaikh Salman bin Rashid Al Khalifa - win the Gulf Radical Cup a couple of seasons ago in Dubai and it would be great if a Bahraini driver won the FG1000 too.
"We need to support youngsters such as Hamad Al Fardan. He is a great example for why Formula Gulf 1000 should be around.
"In my opinion, Hamad is the most successful young driver in the region and has progressed further than any other. You can tell he wants it badly but he can't do everything on his own. With the right package around him I think he can get to F1 within the next two or three years.
Aspiring drivers interested in entering the FG1000 championship should check out www.fg1000.net for more information or contact Barry on +971505951791.
GulfSport Racing has also set up www.SingleSeaterBlog.com to provide racers and fans with easy access to local and international single-seater news.
