By Baraah al Mujaini
In an unprecedented achievement in Oman’s motorsport history, Abdullah al Rawahi, an emerging Omani talent in rally races, has won the Oman Rally Sohar International 2021 round in Middle East Rally Championship becoming the first Omani to win a round in this race.
“When they announced my name as the winner, I was over the moon. The accomplishment meant a lot for me and for my country. Winning at home was even sweeter’’, he shared.
“I trained hard for this event and thankfully, it has resulted in a satisfying performance’’, Abdullah said.
Winning wasn’t easy. racing with a new car that requires familiarisation as well as exerting a lot of effort to adapt to its complex system, Abdullah has his eyes set on the prize determined to bag the championship no matter what.
The win has fuelled Abdullah’s passion and fire to aim even higher now highly considering that he might actually do well and earn his spot amongst the greats in the international scene.
Annually, Abdullah and his team prepare a rigid training schedule based on their budget, and the competitions they plan to join, either regionally or internationally.
Abdullah’s eventual love for the sport started when one of the Omani rally races pioneers, Nizar al Shanfari, suggested he joined.
“When I joined my first race, I felt like I belong. I was thrilled to finally find a sport that suited what I wanted’’, he shared.
As a sport, joining a rally race comes with its own sets of challenges. Abdullah said that they can be physically and mentally exhausting especially since races sometimes are consist of three rounds. They also have to drive long distances which requires a lot of concentration while one of the physical challenges include being depleted due to high temperatures inside the car that can reach around 50 degree Celsius.
“Despite these obstacles, I always remind myself to be patient and determined to achieve my goal and to take the Omani Rally-sport into an advanced level’’, Abdullah said.
He also mentioned that the lack of financial support is one of the biggest challenges they have to contend with as it’s usually one of the main things that hinders him and the team to compete internationally.
But while the challenges are always part of any journey, many of their sacrifices had been rewarded. Abdullah has consistently gained high scores in many different championships. Recently, he won one of the rounds in the Jordan Rally, an event that was participated by some of the most well-known racers from different countries. He also won second place in the Qatar segment of the Middle East Rally Championship.
“My favourite moments are when I am on the podium, raising my country’s flag, feeling proud and satisfied”, Abdullah expressed.
To Abdullah, this period of his life is highly critical in shaping his career.
“I am relatively young in the world of this motorsport; therefore, I am aware of the potentials I have to reach my goals and to facilitate my journey’’, he shared.
Abdullah and his team are exerting heroic efforts to elevate their existing skills and acquire new ones. They are always eager to achieve more accomplishments at all levels — locally, regionally and internationally.
“Whenever I am involved in a competition, I try to observe the strong competitors’ attitude and reflect on mine. Trying to detect my pitfalls by comparing their methodology in racing to mine. Having experienced competitors is like having treasure that guides you to enhance your current version of you”, Abdullah explained.
Behind every successful talent, is faith and support. Even in the beginning, Abdullah has been consistently supported by his father.
“I got support from my whole family generally and from my father particularly. My mother’s wholehearted support has played a considerable role in guiding me to reach an optimum balance between my academic career and my passion for Rally’’, Abdullah said.
While he is quite happy about his recent achievements, Abdullah believes that he still can push more and has set his eyes on making a well-known name in motorsport history. For now, his road is set in participating in more championships and winning. He is also networking with other international racers to gain a wealth of knowledge and experience and all this he does, not just to gain recognition for himself but also to elevate Oman as a hub for great racing talents.
