Dubai Oct 2010 – We took some pre-season time out to chat with one of the most pleasant and articulate racing drivers in the GT class, Saad Salman who told us about his brand new GT racing team fielding the beautiful KTM XBow this opening round of the UAE GT Championship: and how proud he feels to be able to fly the flag of his homeland in such an inspiring way. He has surrounded himself with an incredible team, taking great care to cultivate his relationships with both media and other drivers and teams, always smiling and willing to promote thier team at every level, they are definately bound for great sucess.
Saad Salman, always smiling, and looking forward to the first race
What does image Sayel Racing portray and how is it different from any other racing team? Sayel Racing embraces the Palestinian identity and brings it into the motor sports scene in a professional and modern light. The team is a group of close friends and family that feel its important to gather and unite Palestinians and other Arabs in not only supporting the Palestinian team but also the Palestinian heritage that we aim to promote and keep alive.
What does the future hold for Sayel Racing? Sayel Racing sees itself as a Palestinian ambassador in the motor sports world. We feel it is important to show pride in our nationality through racing and will start of in national and regional championships with the goal of building a strong and competitive racing team that can compete on the international scene supported by like minded sponsors and fans.
Do you, as a team, have what it takes to compete against the other teams or are you in it just for the fun? To us at Sayel Racing, we have fun at competing. We definitely have what it takes on and off the track, with a strong team behind us and a determined driver behind the wheel, and a passionate pride in what the team stands for, we are bound for success. So keep an eye out for us in upcoming race seasons.
Who are the current members of Sayel Racing? Currently Sayel Racing team consists of: Saad Salman, Team Principal and Driver, Mounir Habib- PR, Sima Farouki- Coordinator, Zeid Salman- Marketing, Reef Urfali- Assistant Marketing, Ziad Mikhael- Visuals
Saad competing in the Ginetta at Yas Marina
Tell us about the driver for the team, what are his qualifications and whats with the kufiyeh pattern? Sayel Racing’s team driver is Saad Salman. He has completed extensive training and achieved the relevant certification and licensing throughout many years of development and experience: Racing license certification (National Class), Porsche Cup car race 09/10 (UAE), Ginetta G50 national racing 09/10 (UAE), KTM X-Bow race circuit training courses (Austria), Full ‘open wheeler’ race circuit training program (Dubai), Porsche Carrera and KTM X-Bow open track training (Dubai and Bahrain), Extensive go kart racing and training (Spain, Canada, and UAE)
The Kufiyeh is a symbol of Palestinian heritage and an important beacon of Palestinian opportunity. With this as our teams’ symbol, we hope to encourage pride in the hearts of Palestinians. We are entering the motorsport world and we are brining our kufiyeh’s with us.
GT4 homologated 2010 KTM X-Bow
Why this car? The car we will be racing and developing is a GT4 homologated 2010 KTM X-Bow with a curb weight of 850kg, carbon fiber body, and adjustable racing suspension.
The Sayel team has chosen the KTM X-Bow because it is new, powerful, advanced and we believe it has the potential to be competitive on track. We have gained experience testing and training in the car for the past year now and are ready to start developing it to suit the championship regulations and be competitive. It also helps our cause that the car’s design is very unique and attracts a lot of attention.
When can we expect Sayel Racing on the grid for the national races? Sayel Racing as a team will debut during the upcoming season that runs from Oct 2010 until April 2011. With races divided between the Dubai Autodrome and the Yas Marina circuit. Come join us during our first official race on 22nd October 2010 at the Dubai Autodrome.
For more information or details about the Sayel Racing team you can view their website (www.sayelracing.com) and follow the link to our Facebook Fan page.
