BAHRAIN, 26 November 2006 — Saudi Arabia’s Abdul Aziz Al-Yashie took the lead in the Lumina SS race in the V8 Supercar Australia series that made its debut in the Middle East. The Saudi racing driver came first following stiff competition. Thunder Arabia claimed second position.
Al-Yashie had a tough drive in the rain, which almost stopped him from continuing the race. The Bahrain International Circuit attracted more than $9 million in revenues. This raised the expected revenue in the next four years to $55 million.
The Australian race was held in Bahrain for the first time and helped in increasing the number of tourists arriving in Australia from across the globe.
Speaking to Arab News, Al-Yashie said, “I faced many difficulties during the race including a technical mistake I made in negotiating one of the curves. My Lumina SS shuddered when I upped the gear from second to the fifth, and that almost knocked me out from the first position as my car nearly zoomed off the main track.
“I controlled my nerve and focused on the race. My experience helped me. Although I was in third place at that time, I managed to make ground and finish in the first place,” he said.
He expressed his happiness on winning, especially in the Lumina race, and also his efforts resulting in hoisting the Saudi flag high.
He urged major companies and Saudi businessmen to come forward and sponsor drivers. He said that he had unsuccessfully tried to find a sponsor and none of the leading companies were ready to sponsor them.
He said that in such races it depends a lot on the ability of the driver and many Saudis have shown that they have a flair for this. If sponsors come forward than the driver and the sport would get a boost.
Al-Yashie said that the Lumina race offers Saudi companies a big chance to enter motor sports and that could attract many Saudis to the sport in trying to get international acclaim.
The race attracted more than 30 million viewers the world over because the popularity of V8 Supercars is second only to Formula One.
