Kuwait & Formula 1: Old news for some... New for me!!!

April 12, 2007

Kuwait plans a race track

The surge of interest in motorsport in the Middle East has resulted in a number of race tracks and proposed race tracks in Bahrain, Dubai and Qatar. Abu Dhabi has also jumped on the bandwagon and now Kuwait says it wants to join the party. The country used to run major rally events in the 1980s in the Middle East Rally Championship but when the country was invaded by Iraq in 1989 the activities stopped. There was a brief revival of rallying in 1995 and 1996 but since then the country has sunk into inertia. That is about to change. Ahmad Al-Dawoud Al-Sabah, a member of the Kuwait ruling family, that has ruled the country since 1752, has established the Kuwait Motor Sports Club (KMSC) and has been granting the sporting power for the country by the FIA, following an agreement with the Kuwait International Automobile Club.The aim now is to raise the finance to construct an international level circuit.

From --- http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns19010.html

April 15, 2008

Berger Looking to Kuwait

Toro Rosso co-owner Gerhard Berger is this week in Kuwait, the Middle Eastern state, to explore establishing a Kuwaiti Formula One team, according to local reports.

Less than a month after Red Bull magnate Dietrich Mateschitz declared that his 50 percent share of the Faenza based squad is for sale, the Arab Times newspaper reveals that Berger was invited by Anwar Bukhamseen, the wealthy president of the Kuwait International Automobile Club.

"I see great potential, and I am hopeful that one day we can develop a team," Berger said in a news conference on Monday.

The Austrian will reportedly make more visits to Kuwait, which borders Iraq and has the world's fifth largest oil reserves, in the next few months.

He said it is more important for Kuwait to buy into a team than to build a circuit and bid to host a Grand Prix. 

"If there is a team in the country, you are in action every 14 days," he said, adding that his talks are only in the initial stages.

"There is a chance for development. I am expecting to meet more Kuwaiti businessmen who are willing to be part of this project to develop motorsport in Kuwait," Berger added.

From --- http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080415103846.shtml