Automobile and Touring Club

Mohammed Ben Sulayem,born in Dubai on 12 November 1961, is the President of the ATCUAE and an FIA Vice-President for Sport, who studied Political Science at the American University in Washington, D.C.

Over his 17 year competitive career, he won more FIA regional championships than any other driver, although he has not competed since winning the 2002 Dubai International rally. In that time he secured an unprecedented 14 FIA Middle East Rally Championship titles (1986-1991, 1994 and 1996-2002), scoring 61 individual international rally wins in the process, including 15 in Dubai, 12 in Jordan, nine in Qatar and six in Oman. His record is unlikely ever to be beaten in the highly-competitive modern discipline of Group N rallying. He secured his first regional title in 1986 and his last in 2002.

In 2006 he took over as President of the ATCUAE, the officially nominated representative in the Emirates of the FIA, motor sport's world governing body, and its motor cycling, karting and classic car counterparts, the FIM, CIK and FIVA.

Ben Sulayem was instrumental in Abu Dhabi being awarded a round of the Formula One World Championship, and has been deeply involved with the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since the inaugural event in 2009. He is also Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, formerly the UAE Desert Challenge which he launched in 1991.

Emphasizing his regional influence, Ben Sulayem was also an advisor behind Bahrain's bid for a place in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. After the first Bahrain Grand Prix in 2004, he was awarded a Medal of Honor by King Hamad Bin Isa of Bahrain. He was also a strong supporter of Jordan's successful bid to break into the World Rally Championship. He also played a pivotal role in the formation of the Arab Council of Touring and Automobile Clubs, set up to unite the FIA Clubs of the Arabic speaking territories.

In recognition of his contribution to the sport and for serving as a role model for Arab youth, Ben Sulayem was declared the UAE's Sportsman of the Century by the respected international news agency, Agence France-Presse in 1991.

A strong believer in the value of research and education, Ben Sulayem formed an academic partnership between the ATCUAE and the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, which resulted in the formation of the Institute of Sport Research (ISR), of which he is Chairman. The ISR provides motorsport professionals in the UAE with the opportunity to undertake academic degrees through the University of Ulster, allowing knowledge transfer back to the Emirates. The partnership with the University can also be seen through the UAE Motorsport Star programme, launched by Ben Sulayem in 2011. As head of the selection committee, he identified two of the UAE’s most talented young drivers and sent them to the University of Ulster’s elite athlete training facilities in Belfast to undergo an intensive motorsport training course.

For over two decades, Mohammed Ben Sulayem has also been at the forefront of promoting safe driving habits on the region's roads, apart from ensuring that motor sport clubs without exception follow safety guidelines laid down by the FIA. For his contribution, he was recognized with the Safety/Environment Campaigner of the Year award from the Institute of Motor Industry in 1991.

A philanthropist by nature, it came as no surprise that when TAG Heuer added Ben Sulayem to its sparkling array of brand ambassadors, he donated the entire proceeds of the deal to an international charity organization, Save the Children.

As the owner of Ben Sulayem Performance, he and his team have been noted for creating super-high performance modifications to a variety of sports and luxury cars. In 2005, he received press in motorsports' circles for having a Mercedes SLK 55 AMG modified to accept a Modified SLR engine, providing the car with over 740hp and 1200Nm (885 lbf•ft) of torque. The modified SLK has a higher top speed (350 km/h estimated) than the production SLR due to differences in weight.