UAE Rally driver Khaled Al Qassimi on his home turf

Take a world-leading lubricants and fuel technology specialist. Combine it with the engine power and expertise of a global car maker. Engage a medley of seasoned and upcoming racing drivers. Add one of the world’s most ambitious and fastest growing destination brands and what you have is the ultimate winning recipe.

The BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Championship Team partnership was officially launched in 2007, three years after BP and Ford teamed up with the Flying Finns, Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala, who won back-to-back WRC Championship manufacturers’ titles in both 2006 and 2007.

Abu Dhabi was quick to tap into the unprecedented success and global popularity of the team and sealed a major sponsorship deal aimed at supporting the UAE capital’s ambitions of becoming a global leisure, business and sporting events destination.

The deal was sealed under the direction of President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Executive Council Chairman, and is driven by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, ADTA, under the chairmanship of H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan.

Last year, the BP-Ford Abu Dhabi Team welcomed to its ranks UAE driver Khalid Al Qassimi, who enjoys legendary status amongst hard-core rally enthusiasts across the Arab world. The 36-year old joined the BP-Ford World Rally Team for the second half of last season and tackled four events in the Focus RS World Rally Car. His best result was 14th in Spain. He combined that programme with another Middle East campaign and finished second, missing out on the title on a tiebreak after finishing on the same points as Nasser Al Attiyah. Al Qassimi’s appeal is at the core of Abu Dhabi’s innovative ‘Young Driver Development Programme’, designed to develop the sport nationally by identifying talented local youth and honing their skills to create the next generation of local racing heroes.

The BP-Ford Abu Dhabi partnership sets new standards in a sport that enjoys die-hard support by an estimated 800 million fans worldwide. With the technological edge of BP and Ford, the undisputed talent of two of the world’s most recognised drivers, the backing of Abu Dhabi and the national pride and commitment of a local hero, the team permeates an inherent enthusiasm and energy propelling it to reach the highest echelons of performance, endurance and skill.

Each partner is highly committed to the Team’s success and dedicates know-how, resources and talent to ensure its continuous dominance of the WRC stage. Taking advantage of their long association with motorsports, the equipment and technology stakeholders have reaped the tremendous benefits of Abu Dhabi’s financial muscle and its unwavering ambition to develop the UAE capital into a global motorsport hub in line with its scheduled hosting of a Formula 1 race in late 2009.

BP invests huge resources in the development of leading fuel technologies. A leader in global automotive lubricants, BP offers a range of advanced performance fuels. An example of these fuels is BP Ultimate. A range of advanced performance fuels designed to deliver a combination of enhanced engine performance and reduced exhaust emissions, BP Ultimate is formulated to burn better than ordinary fuels and cleans the engine while driving. It brings more power, sharper acceleration and better economy - all from a fuel which is less harmful to the environment than ordinary fuel.

Success in the FIA World Rally Championship epitomises the BP-Ford relationship which includes working together through the lubricants, fuels and alternative energy businesses, to improve vehicle and manufacturing efficiency, and lessen both companies’ impact on the environment.

The BP-Ford Abu Dhabi Team is part of BP’s diverse sponsorship portfolio. It is a logical opportunity to tie-up BP’s leadership in delivering advanced performance automotive lubricants to one of the world’s most competitive and exhilarating rallies, the FIA World Rally Championship.

A platform for corporate visibility, individual sporting excellence and destination branding, the BP-Ford Abu Dhabi Team is a formula for success.

Manchester City Executive Chairman Gary Cook, left, and the new Club Chairman, H.E. Khaldoon Al Mubarak, right - the new UK-UAE partnership. Photograph: Getty Images. It is probable that virtually the entire populations of both Britain and the UAE are now aware that the Abu Dhabi United Group, owned by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Minister of Presidential Affairs, bought a 90 per cent stake in the Mancester City Football Club in September. It’s probably the first time that Abu Dhabi-related news occupied the front pages of every single major British newspaper, including the down-market tabloids! The new Chairman of the Club is H.E. Khaldoun Al Mubarak, who told the British press that he wished to create a ‘dynasty’ out of Manchester City in a “sustainable manner”. “The watchwords are patient, committed, and long term. If you look at Sheikh Mansour’s track record and Abu Dhabi’s track record in general, they are always sensible investors, well regarded by everyone.” Responding to worries that the Club’s new owners would intervene in issues like player transfers and team management, as has been the case with some other foreign owners of British football clubs, Al Mubarak noted: “We are genuine people and we want to develop this club in a sustainable manner. Nothing rash is going to happen, we are not going to do crazy stuff. We will work with (executive chairman) Garry Cook and Mark (Hughes, the manager). They call the shots and we are here to support to help build a sustainable club. Mark is as good as they get and we are backing him all the way. He makes the football decisions and we are here to learn. We want to hear from the fans and the community. We want to bring this club back to the community and to the fans. We are here as long-term investors, and it makes sense for us to build a dynasty. Between Mark and Garry, I think we have a dynasty in the making. With our backing, with the commitment we are going to make to the academy in the next ten years there is going to be a tremendous period for Manchester City and for us. And I think we are going to have a blast doing it!” “One thing I have made very clear to Mark is that any player he wants comes from him. I am not an expert. It is Mark who runs the club and Mark who makes the football decisions. We are here to support and make financial decisions, but we are not here to teach Mark or Garry what to do. They are the professionals, we trust them, we have confidence in them and we are going to support them. Mark is an honest man, he’s a leader, he’s tough and he is everything you would want in a head coach. We trust him, he’s one of the gems we saw in this club once we came here. He will put a plan together to win trophies, but we will be patient. As long as it is being managed properly and the players are doing what they need to do, then it will take whatever it takes.” Al Mubarak also stressed that the new Abu Dhabi owners fully supported the ground-breaking Football Academy run by Manchester City, which has produced some of its best young players. After meeting City Academy manager Jim Cassell he said: “That was one of my most enjoyable experiences. I have the highest confidence in him, we will be working a lot with him. We want to learn from the model that has been so successful here. My mandate from Sheikh Mansour was to spend as much time as I could with the academy, and I have promised him that’s what I am going to do. I have promised him that I’ll do what I can to ensure that this academy is the best not just in England, but in Europe.” The combination of Abu Dhabi ownership and the footballing skills of Manchester City represents a new kind of partnership between the UAE capital and Britain – but it’s one, too, that might well provide a much needed boost to football here in Abu Dhabi. City’s blue shirts are already being seen around town. What’s needed next is for our own local football clubs to benefit from the expertise so evidently present in Manchester City, especially in training some of our home-grown Emirati soccer talent.