A new target… the Middle East!

Not long ago, motorsport was banned in Saudi Arabia, but as the sport spreads across the Middle East, things are changing.

In 2007, the kingdom was included in the FIA calendar for the first time with a round of the International Cross-Country Cup. In 2008, laws were modified to allow the construction of circuits. Very quickly, several facilities were established, including a private circuit organization near Riyadh called the Reem Auto Club.

Saudi Arabia has great potential for this sport. It is the largest automotive market in the region with half a million new vehicles sold each year. The country also has its own international auto show in Jeddah.

Its oil-based economy is thriving since the state holds 25% of the world’s oil reserves and 75% of the national revenue comes from black gold. The government is keen to reduce the country’s dependence on this single element and is investing in a number of sectors, notably tourism along the Red Sea coast.

To date, Saudi Arabia’s involvement in motorsports has been purely financial. In the 1970s, when a consortium of Saudi companies including Albilad and Dallah-Avco financed Williams. This consortium later became a partner of McLaren by financing the Porsche turbo in the 1980s.

It is interesting to note that Saudi Telecom, the largest telecommunications company in the Middle East, has just formalized a five-year sponsorship with the Manchester United football club.

If football can find money in Saudi Arabia, it’s easy to imagine that motor racing can do the same, especially considering the links between the automotive industry and oil.