Early Turns on Sand and Tarmac
Born in Dubai in 1961, Mohammed Ben Sulayem learned car control on roads that were still half‑paved. By the late 1980s he ruled the FIA Middle East Rally Championship, collecting 14 titles and pushing Group A machines far beyond factory expectations. His flamboyant victory slides turned regional rally stages into a must‑watch sport and showed a young Gulf audience that motorsport could be off the streets and on track.
From Driver’s Seat to Seatbelts
Retirement did not slow him. As founding head of the Emirates Motorsports Organization, Ben Sulayem lobbied circuit owners, sponsors, and palace advisers to bring world‑class events to the region. The result was the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, first run in 2009 under Yas Marina’s floodlights. In 2021 he became President of the FIA, the first non‑European to hold the post.
The Collector Behind the Clipboard
Off camera, his garage reads like a curator’s dream. Star pieces include a Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR, one of only 25 road cars built, a Jaguar XJ220, and an ex-works Ford RS200. It’s rare proof that nostalgia for Group B lives strong in the Middle East. He drives them, too; social media often shows the CLK stretching its V12 along quiet Al Ain highways at dawn. “Cars are stories on wheels,” he says. “If they stay parked, the story ends.”
Instagram: @mohammed.ben.sulayem
X (Twitter): @Ben_Sulayem
Steering the Future, Guarding the Past
As FIA chief, Ben Sulayem balances next-generation safety cells and synthetic fuel targets with the romance that built the sport. He backed new cost caps to keep smaller F1 teams alive, yet also greenlit historic rally classes so old Evos and Imprezas can still throw gravel. This dual lens of progress and preservation mirrors automotive culture itself.
Why His Line Matters
In a region where supercars outnumber streetlights, Ben Sulayem gives speed a structured outlet, turning raw horsepower into organised competition and job creation. For young Emiratis he is proof that a local voice can shape global motorsport, not just watch it on YouTube. For international fans he is the handshake between Europe’s racing heritage and the Gulf’s appetite for the next big thing.
Victory Lap
Whether guiding a CLK GTR through traffic or guiding F1 through budget rows, Mohammed Ben Sulayem keeps one principle in view: talent deserves a stage. Under his watch, that stage now stretches from desert rally routes to the polished kerbs of Yas Marina; each corner echoing with the promise that the Middle East’s motoring story is only moving up a gear.
