24 July 2016
The Dubai-based athlete is competing in the 2016 Junior World Rally Championship.

Motorsport is a way of life for 23-year-old Emirati national Mohamed Al Mutawaa. When other teenagers were dreaming of driving, Mohamed was already competing in Formula 4, an entry level category for young drivers, which, in Europe, bridges the gap between karting and Formula 3. "I was selected out of 700 UAE nationals to compete in Europe in single-seater racing," he told Zawya in an interview.

However, Al Mutawaa initially struggled to find sponsorship and it wasn't until Abu Dhabi Racing took a chance on him that his dream of a racing career really began to take off. "It's difficult for motorsport athletes to find sponsorship. It's very expensive and not a lot of people are interested in it in the Middle East."

Five years ago, the Dubai native's aim was to drive in Formula 1 and compete with the likes of British champion Lewis Hamilton. Abu Dhabi Racing then offered him a deal he couldn't refuse and his focus shifted to the world of rallying. "Now I'm in a different league and I have different goals. I want to reach the World Rally Championship, and not the junior league, which I'm competing in now."

Al Mutawaa is currently in Europe, competing in the 2016 Junior World Rally Championship, which took place in Portugal in May and Poland in June. The next race starts in Finland on July 28, before moving to Germany in August, France in September, and ending in Wales in October.

As well as driving a Citroen DS3 R3 for the last three years as part of his team, Al Mutawaa's busy schedule also includes attending university, where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree of business administration in finance. "It [racing] slowed down my studies, but I don't see that as a bad thing. It's an opportunity that not a lot of people get so I make the best of it."

Staying prepared for rallies is a daily effort for the athlete. "Preparing for motorsports is expensive. If I had the budget, I could rent a rally car and practice on a track. But that's not always feasible." Instead, he has found other creative ways of preparing, including staying fit by going to the gym and "watching videos online of the stage I'm going to be racing on to understand the nature of the stage."

Al Mutawaa's face lights up when he talks about motorsports: "I don't know what I would do with my life. It's the only thing I live for." Despite his struggle to find sponsorship and putting his education on hold for months at a time, "at the end of the day if I'm in anything with cars I'm happy with it."

For young people in the Arab region struggling to express themselves and follow their dreams, Al Mutawaa has some advice for them: "If you love something, stick to it and work hard towards achieving that goal. Sometimes you might reach downs, like when I couldn't find sponsors for Formula 1. I looked for other opportunities and other ways I can reach my goals in motorsports and that's when Abu Dhabi Racing sponsored me."

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© Zawya 2016