Y - Issue 162 - March 22, 2011 - Y-oman.com

I first met Haitham and Maher in an office block overlooking
the service road in Al Khuwair. They both immediately
struck me as confident gentlemen, and won me over by
citing Ayrton Senna as their hero. A refreshing change from
the ‘Schumacherphiles’ I meet every day. Having proved
themselves racing go-karts at tracks both here and abroad,
the pair were quick to explain how they entered the sport
and why they love it so much. They take racing seriously;
they live it each and every day. The picture they paint is one
of international racing success and clearly they both want
to be the first Omani circuit-racing star to dominate the
international scene.
But underlying their sporting dreams lies a much more
serious agenda. The two are committed to improving road
safety, and correcting the tainted image of fast cars and
racing here in Oman. “When I see a young Omani guy driving
recklessly, with his mirror pitched vertically, I have two
reactions; at first I want to laugh, but then I want to get out
of my car, stop him and explain how idiotic his behaviour
really is, and how he is stifling people who are truly
passionate about cars.” Haitham believes that this widespread
behaviour is a clear sign that positive steps must be put in
place to curb reckless driving. “It is no good being forceful
with these drivers, because first you need to explain better
road safety. They don’t know otherwise. If you tell someone,
“Hey, don’t think about a juicy delicious hamburger, what are
they gonna do Straight away the hamburger goes into their
mind, right It is the same with speeding and reckless driving.
We need a different approach rather than hidden speed
cameras and severe punishment.”
But in order for these kids to vent their frustration,
along with their enthusiasm for speed, Oman needs
to develop a high level of road safety and car culture,
then, a real race track could follow, professionally
built and professionally managed, so that school
children, teenagers and adults alike have a place to
experience controlled motorsports and advanced
driver training. Discussing this with Maher and
Haitham I seem to have struck a nerve. “The ROP,
Ministries, and various government institutions
can be involved, and the efforts can be translated
into road safety campaigns that are truly effective.
I would like to see our efforts translate into fewer
accidents on the road,” explains Maher. And this
indeed seems to be what the pair are championing
with their new Formula Oman Team.
Formula Gulf 1000 is a new one-make series of
racing that separates the men from the boys.
That’s the purpose of formula motorsports after all;
controlled tyres, identical cars, and industry leading
technology roar in perfect harmony to identify true
talent. Suzuki’s Hayabusa engine provides enormous
grunt, approximately 150bhp, and in the 400kg
‘4130’ chrome-moly chassis, that equates to a powerto-weight
ratio of 375bhp per tonne. For those that
don’t know, that is Ferrari-like power. Formula Gulf
1000 brakes are ‘face tearingly fierce’, and combined
with massive down force from an adjustable
aerodynamic package these cars are a step closer to
young racers getting into Formula 1.
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