There's no substitute for hard work says rally star who matched success behind the wheel with success in business
Dubai, UAE, 28th February, 2007: Arab motor sport icon Mohammed Ben Sulayem told students in Dubai today that learning from mistakes, and overcoming setbacks, are keys to building a successful career.
Sulayem, who was FIA Middle East rally champion a remarkable 14 times, said that fear of losing helped drive him to more than 60 international rally victories and a permanent place in the record books.
"I was so scared to lose - that's what made me win so many times," he told an audience of students during today's Careers Spotlight event at Zayed University, Dubai. "I would work day and night to get better. The night before a rally I would go through every twist and turn of the route in my head so that I knew it like the back of my hand by time we started the next day."
"I made mistakes, of course," he added. "But I always tried to turn a negative situation into a positive one. Some people react badly to career setbacks. Some change direction completely because they can't face the prospect of failure again. But we all have failures in life, and I always saw it is a challenge to bounce back from a setback and go on to greater things."
Sulayem has matched his success as a driver with his achievements as an event organiser, administrator, and businessman. He developed the UAE Desert Challenge into a leading world championship cross country rally, and has transformed the newly re-named Emirates Automobile and Touring Club, which oversees motor sport in the UAE and provides a range of services to travelling motorists, since becoming its President last April.
He has also built his own group of companies which includes ASTECO, one of the UAE's leading property management companies, Alandalus School in Dubai, the UAE Motorcycle Club, the Arabian Automobile Association, a 24-hour road assistance service, and Ben Sulayem Performance, a specialist car tuning facility.
During his rallying career he used his own brand of psychology to stay ahead of his biggest rivals, and become the most successful driver in international rallying.
"I put it in my head before an event that they were better than myself, and that made me try harder to beat them," he said. "Of course, I never told them what I was thinking, because I wanted to make them believe I felt unbeatable. It may sound a strange approach, but it definitely gave me an edge, and my record says it worked pretty well."
The main goal of the Career Spotlight event was to educate students about different career opportunities and career paths in relation to the national Emiratization strategy. Unlike the usual career fairs where employers are interested in gathering CVs, Zayed University set out to empower students and educate them to make the right career decisions.
"The best advice I can give to anyone planning a career, it doesn't matter in what field, is that
there's no substitute for hard work," said Sulayem. "You don't achieve success unless you're prepared to invest your time, your energy, your total commitment to getting the job done to the best of your ability."
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Note to Editors:
The Emirates Automobile and Touring Club has been an affiliated member of the Federation Internationale de L'Automobile (FIA), the world governing body of all motor sports, since 1965. The EATC is the only organisation which is authorised by the FIA to supervise motor sport events and issue competitor licences in the UAE.
It is also the only FIA authorised organisation in the UAE to issue International Driving Permits, as well as Carnet de Passage en Douane (Trip Tickets) and International Certificates which simplify customs formalities for motoring tourists and travellers.
The EATC, which has offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, has been an affiliated member of Alliance Internationale de Tourisme (AIT) since 1973. The AIT is the leading and most successful international body concerned with motoring, touring road assistance services and outdoor leisure.
© Press Release 2007
