Yas Marina Circuit is best known for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but it is also home to a state-of-the-art drag racing facility. We caught up with self-confessed speed demon Rashed Al Qubaisi, manager of the Yas Drag Racing Centre, to find out more
Since officially opening in March 2010, the Yas Drag Racing centre has been a huge success with its inaugural Yas Drag Racing Festival being named the “Motorsport Event of the Year” by CAR Middle East magazine, and it is the only drag racing strip outside North America to be sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).
The addition of the Yas Drag Racing Academy earlier this year was another step in helping to increase the popularity of drag racing regionally and is one of only two NHRA-sanctioned drag racing schools in the world that offers professional certification.
“To certify people and give them an NHRA driving license means that our students can race in any NHRA national events in the United States. This is a big deal, no one outside the US offers this service. Only time will tell but hopefully we will soon see UAE racers competing not only in Abu Dhabi but also in the world’s most competitive drag racing region – the USA,” says Rashed.
In fact, the school has already trained more than 20 local racers to take their NHRA licenses and is continuing to expand all the time.
“We plan on having more students graduate under the tutelage of our drag racing instructor Rod Fuller – the more we nurture people and tutor them on how to be professional drag racers, the better the sport will be.”
As if looking after the Yas Drag Centre wasn’t enough, Rashed is now also the manager of the Yas Drag Racing team and is currently spending most of his time in the US with “Hot Rod” Fuller and the rest of the team as they compete in the 2011 summer drag racing season.
Despite having a disappointing start to the season in the first race last month in Tennessee (Rod Fuller lost in the first round to the eventual winner Larry Dixon), Rashed remains extremely excited about competing against the best drag racers in the world.
“Pitting our team against the best in the world is nothing new to Yas Marina Circuit. We are competitive in everything we do. We have the best crew working for us and one of the world’s top drivers – I think it is just a matter of time before we prove this.
Abu Dhabi Week caught up with Rashed ahead of the team’s next race in Chicago this weekend to find out what drives him on.
7.30am: After waking and taking a shower, Rashed’s day can’t start until he’s had his morning espresso! Only then is there time for a spot of breakfast before heading to work.
9am: Safely at work, the first thing Rashed does is check his emails, plan his to-do list for the week and prepare for any meetings that he may have coming up.
“A very important part of my job is organisation, getting prepared, planning ahead for upcoming events and brainstorming new ideas. I’m always thinking of things to help make the Yas Drag Racing Centre a central location for drag racing.”
11am: As manager of the Yas Drag Racing Team, Rashed is involved at every level and there’s always plenty to keep him busy.
“I oversee the entire Top Fuel operation. I make sure everything is in line with our contracts, I have a say on who gets hired to our crew and manage all our research and development. I have to approve and order new parts, as well as act as liaison between ADMM [Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management] and Bob Vandergriff Racing [who look after the Yas Top Fuel dragster in the US].”
2pm: While he’s on tour with Hot Rod and the team, Rashed also has to make sure that he spends time mixing with the crew and picking up as much as he can.
“I am relatively new to this sport and have learnt a lot just by being alongside the world’s best crew members. I am full of questions, and I’m learning a lot from the answers I am getting. I just try to make sure that the atmosphere is good and reduce the pressure on everyone. I’m glad we have such a good team to work with.”
Of course, any racing team is only as good as its driver and, in Hot Rod Fuller, Rashid believes they have one of the best.
“I think he is one of the top five drag racers in the world. A lot of things make a good Top Fuel driver: you need to know how to pedal the car when it gets into trouble, hit the gas before your opponent, save the car if it gets out of control and come back to the crew chiefs with important info about the run – I think Rod is great at all of these things. You simply could not ask for a better driver.”
6pm: Juggling two jobs doesn’t leave Rashed with much time for anything else – not that he seems to mind too much.
“This job is very time consuming but I am not complaining because I’m enjoying every second of it! When I do get time to relax, I like to spend some time with my twin boys – Saif and Ali. They’re growing up almost too fast and will be racing in no time!”
Final thoughts: “Yas has already contributed a lot to the racing community, especially in the Middle East, by setting a new standard. I am very proud of what I do and want to continue to do my part to improve racing in this region.
“I try my best to always bring something new to the table. This is a great experience for me and I am just so happy to be in my dream job.”
Jon Muller
