Qatar Motorsports Academy Officially Inaugurated

Doha, October 28 (QNA) - Losail Circuit Sports Club has officially inaugurated Qatar Motorsports Academy, which aims to give young riders the tools to learn the basis of motorcycle racing and improve their riding skills providing a platform for young motorcycling talents in the region. The project of the Academy was first announced earlier in March through the official partnership between Losail Circuit Sports Club (LCSC), Aspire Academy and Dorna - the exclusive rights owner of the MotoGP World Championship. Commenting on the occasion, Vice President and General Manager of Losail Circuit Sports Club (LCSC) Khalid Al Remaihi said that the establishment of the Academy is one of the main steps in the Club's strategy to encourage sports, which is one of the axes of Qatar National Vision. He said that the aim of the academy is to establish an ideal environment that is professionally managed for the development of motor sports, in light of the Club's continuous interest and care for the new generation. "We have been working on this plan for some time now. We want to train young kids the right way with expert help coming from Jose Luis Cardoso and Aspire Academy. Hopefully with our friends at Aspire Academy and at Dorna, we will have a great experience in building young riders," Al Remaihi said in a press conference. He noted that the programs of the Academy will focus in the beginning on the interest of talents and lovers of motorcycling, but in the future it will include many other categories such as cars. He added that the program to the MotoGP will be one of the programs that will be implemented by the Academy, in cooperation with Dorna which has considerable experience in this field, and Aspire Academy which adopts various educational programs that would help the development of the members of the Academy. Al Remaihi said that the Academy, which will be based at Lusail International Circuit, will provide safe and secure environment for those who wish to practice motorcycles, noting that the talents will be selected from among the Academy's members and will be directed to the MotoGP program, which includes outdoor camps and participation in European tournaments. They will also be provided an opportunity to take customized educational programs according at Aspire Academy in order to develop their abilities and skills. Al Remaihi explained that the applicant must be aged between 8 and 16, but he stressed that there are many children who have the ability to learn and excel at a younger age, and those will be allowed to join the Academy after the evaluation of Jose Luis and the approval of their families. He noted that a family open day will be organized on November 23 for all the families and children to meet and see the facilities. For his part, Director of Sport and Strategy at Aspire Academy Markus Egger expressed delight to partner with Losail Circuit Sports Club and Dorna to establish Qatar Motorsports Academy, which aims to develop motorsport, manufacturing and graduating champions representing Qatar in the future. He underlined that Aspire Academy will do its best to make this Academy a success, noting its great experience in graduating many champions in different games. He stressed that Aspire's strategy is based on providing sports training and education to talented athletes in a unique educational and sporting environment to create Qatari champions at the international level. He noted that Aspire has succeeded in producing various talents in various sports including football, athletics, squash and swimming. Egger explained that Aspire's role in Qatar Motorsports Academy will not be in the technical aspects, but it will take care of the physical and mental state of the participants. Meanwhile, Jose Luis Cardoso, former MotoGP and WorldSBK rider and Head of Motorcycling at Qatar Museums Authority, who will be in charge of the training programs in the Academy, said that he is very excited with this opportunity to build a new generation of riders and to give the opportunity to boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 16 years old to be involved in the motorcycling world. He stressed the importance of the project because it will give the opportunity to many young children to learn and evolve in a sport as elitist as motorcycling. He added that the program will be very exclusive and of a great quality, and will many successes. (QNA)