Mohammed Ahmad Sultan Ben Sulayem ( ar, محمد بن سليم; born 12 November 1961) is an
Emirati former rally driver and current president of the FIA (
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; en, International Automobile Federation) is an association established on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users. It is the governing body for ...
).
He is one of the Arab world's leading motor sport figures. As President of the
Automobile & Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates since 2006 he is a patron of a wide range of charities and ambassador for road safety in the UAE; supports motor sport officials' and young drivers' education, training and research to promote motor sport safety; co-edited an academic book on sports management; supporter of classic vehicle movement and automotive heritage.
In 2008, he became the first Arab named as Vice President of the FIA, and the first to be elected to the
FIA World Motor Sport Council. As the Vice-President he has pioneered teaching, research and knowledge transfer initiatives in motor sport. He was a key person in the formation and running of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009. In June 2013, he was appointed as chairman of the new Motor Sport Development Task Force set up by the FIA to build a ten-year plan for the sport's global development. In December 2021, he was appointed the FIA President.
Education
Sulayem studied at the
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
in
Washington D.C., and at the
University of Ulster
sco, Ulstèr Universitie
, image = Ulster University coat of arms.png
, caption =
, motto_lang =
, mottoeng =
, latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae
, established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...
where he majored in business.
In July 2012, was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Science from the University of Ulster, in recognition of his services to sport, civic leadership and charity.
Car collection
Sulayem is a prominent car collector in the UAE, known for his extravagant taste in hypercars. Sulayem's collection includes the following:
*
Koenigsegg Agera RS in blue carbon
*
Koenigsegg Regera in burgundy carbon with gold wheels
*
Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Super Sport (1 of 5)
* Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster (chassis #6 of 6 built)
*
Ferrari F40
The Ferrari F40 (''tipo'' F120) is a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive sports car engineered by Nicola Materazzi with styling by Pininfarina. It was built from 1987 until 1992, with the LM and GTE race car versions continuing production until 1994 ...
*
Ferrari F50
The Ferrari F50 (Type F130) is a mid-engine sports car manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer Ferrari from 1995 until 1997. Introduced in 1995, the car is a two-door, two seat targa top. The car is powered by a 4.7 L naturally asp ...
*
Ferrari Enzo
The Enzo Ferrari (Type F140) is a mid-engine sports car manufactured by Italian automobile manufacturer Ferrari and named after the company's founder, Enzo Ferrari. It was developed in 2002 using Formula One technology, such as a carbon-fibre ...
*
Ferrari LaFerrari
LaFerrari, project name F150 is a limited production mid-engine mild hybrid sports car built by Italian automotive manufacturer Ferrari. LaFerrari means "The Ferrari" in Italian and some other Romance languages, in the sense that it is the "d ...
*
Porsche 911 GT1 Straßenversion]
*
Porsche Carrera GT
*
Porsche 918 Spyder
*
McLaren P1
*
McLaren Senna
The McLaren Senna is a limited-production mid-engined sports car manufactured by McLaren Automotive. The car is the third addition in the ''McLaren Ultimate Series'', joining the F1 and the P1; however, it is not a direct successor to either o ...
*
McLaren Speedtail (x2)
*
Pagani Huayra BC Pagani may refer to:
* Pagani (surname), including a list of people with the name
* Pagani, Campania, town and comune in Campania, Italy
* Pagani (company), Italian car manufacturer
* Pagani Detention Center, detention center in the island of Lesbo ...
*
Bugatti EB 110 SS
*
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport
*
Bugatti Chiron
*
Jaguar XJ220
The Jaguar XJ220 is a two-seat sports car produced by British luxury car manufacturer Jaguar from 1992 until 1994, in collaboration with the specialist automotive and race engineering company Tom Walkinshaw Racing. The XJ220 recorded a top sp ...
*
Lexus LFA
The is a two-seat sports car manufactured by Lexus, the luxury car division of Toyota. It is the second model in the Lexus F, F marque line of performance vehicles from Lexus, following the Lexus IS F, IS F, and also the first standalone Lexus ...
* 2005
Ford GT
* 2017 Ford GT
* Multiple
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, including
Phantom
Phantom may refer to:
* Spirit (animating force), the vital principle or animating force within all living things
** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living
Aircraft
* Boeing Phantom Ray, a stealthy un ...
and
Cullinan Cullinan may refer to:
*Cullinan (surname), a surname
*Rolls-Royce Cullinan, an ultra-luxury SUV produced by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
*Cullinan, Gauteng, a small town in South Africa
*Cullinan Diamond, the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found ...
.
FIA role
In 2008, Sulayem was appointed Vice President of the FIA and a member of the World Motor Sport Council.
The FIA is the global sporting authority for motorsport and represents 100 million car owners in almost 200 countries. The World Motor Sport Council meets at least four times a year to decide on rules, regulations, safety and development of motor sport at every level, from karting to Formula One.
Headed by the FIA President, its membership is chosen by the FIA General Assembly, which contains representatives from national automobile clubs throughout the world.
In his FIA role, Sulayem has pioneered teaching, research and knowledge transfer initiatives in the UAE and elsewhere throughout the world.
In June 2013 he was named as chairman of the FIA's Motor Sport Development Task Force, with the responsibility to devise a strategic plan to develop and grow motorsport in a sustainable manner over the next ten years. It will be the first such plan in the 109-year history of the FIA, and Sulayem immediately started a consultation process with motor sport stakeholders, including manufacturers, the media, promoters, fans and FIA member clubs around the world. He will brief the World Motorsport Council on progress at its September meeting in Croatia, when the other members of the task force will be nominated. He will present the ten-year plan to the FIA General Assembly for approval at the end of 2014.
Sulayem is a founding member of the Arab Council of Touring and Automobile Clubs, which aims to unite the FIA Clubs of Arabic-speaking territories.
In December 2021, Sulayem was elected president of the FIA, succeeding
Jean Todt.
References
External links
Mohammed Ben SulayemJalopnik ''More on the SLR-Powered Mercedes SLK: Out of the Mouths of Mechanics''Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sulayem, Mohammed Ben
1961 births
Living people
Emirati rally drivers
Sportspeople from Dubai
Middle East Rally Championship
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile presidents