“I want to win! For me, this is a passion and I know it’s a dream for every other Arab driver to have a car competing at the front. My ‘mission,’ if you want to call it that, is to educate and encourage more people from our region to get involved with racing. It’s a responsibility for me.” 

It’s this kind of fiery determination that first attracted our attention to Saif Alameri back in 2022. Then only six years into a fledgling motor racing career, the Emirati driver and team owner had just five starts in the 24H SERIES to his name. Regardless, Saif’s goal was clear: to get both himself and his team – the equestrian-inspired ‘Rabdan Motorsport’ – and, in the process, the United Arab Emirates, onto the top step sooner rather than later. 

And when last we caught up with the former Toyota TRD 86 Cup champion, things were going rather well. With the aid of three-time event winner Jeroen Bleekemolen, Saif had finished 3rd in-class on his Hankook 24H DUBAI debut, had led an all-Emirati driver line-up at the event (the first in over a decade) one year later, and, after finishing 2nd in-class – fittingly, on home turf at the Hankook 6H ABU DHABI – was just one step shy of the endurance racing win he craved so much.  

Granted, as one would expect from any new motor racing endeavour, there have been some stumbles. Two shots at the Hankook 24H BARCELONA, arguably CREVENTIC’s toughest European event, both ended in retirement, and a two-car Rabdan Motorsport dream team – one boasting an all-Emirati line-up, the other a ‘hybrid’ mix of PRO and SEMI-PRO drivers – is still a way from being realized. 

Significant process has been made though in the intervening three years. And while success for the UAE on an international stage is still foremost in Saif’s mind, there’s another title, closer to home, he’s keen to challenge for in 2024…

“Our target is to finish all three races and to win the [24H SERIES] Middle East Trophy,” Saif continues. “I think this is important. It’s a shame there aren’t more Arab competitors involved in this championship, and I think a win for Rabdan Motorsport could really help increase awareness of motorsport in the Middle East.”

Together with 24H SERIES returnee Fulgenzi Racing, Rabdan Motorsport made a good start to its 24H SERIES Middle East Trophy campaign in Kuwait, with Saif, Enrico Fulgenzi and multi-time Hankook 24H DUBAI podium finisher Christopher Zöchling, equaling Rabdan Motorsport’s best series result to-date. 2nd in-class also helped put to bed memories of a tough race at Kuwait Motor Town in 2022, during which the Rabdan Motorsport Porsche was involved in an incident with the CP Racing Mercedes-AMG, one that ended with the overall race leader in the gravel. 

“Ayrton Senna said, ‘if you don’t go for the gap, you’re no longer a racing driver.’ Racing is racing, and if there’s an opportunity in front of us, we’re a young team and we want to take it. Obviously what happened was very unfortunate, and we would have [prefered] that not to happen. Their GT3 R obviously had a lot more downforce than our Porsche.

“I know CP Racing. They are good people, and there is no personal problem between us.

“But if you don’t make mistakes, you are doing something wrong. If everything’s well, there is something wrong! You have to face these obstacles. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows. You have to expect the unexpected.”

Ironically, that troubled 4th in Kuwait ended up being the highlight of a disastrous Middle East Trophy campaign for Rabdan in 2022/2023. In Dubai, the #977 Porsche was plagued by alternator and gearbox problems, and was eventually classified a distant 14th in-class. The following weekend in Abu Dhabi was even worse, as the 992 GT3 Cup, still nursing its Dubai scars, hit the wall hard during Free Practice, and was out of the event before the race had even started.

“Last year was a VERY bad year for me and for Rabdan motorsport in general. In Abu Dhabi, the car wasn’t in great shape, and the lack of spare parts from our supplier stopped us from going on. 

“But, as I say, we have to learn from our mistakes: if you don’t do that, you can’t taste victory. For me, 2023 was a learning year. I don’t want to repeat the mistakes I made last year, so we’ve been preparing very well for this season. We rebuilt the whole car from scratch and we are feeling ready for, probably, our hardest battle yet.”

Despite the 2022/2023 backdrop, confidence is high going into this year’s Hankook 6H ABU DHABI. With the Rabdan Porsche more thoroughly prepared for both Abu Dhabi and Dubai after all, and with all five drivers confirmed for the 2024 Hankook 24H DUBAI having contested the event at least twice before (this will be Saif’s fourth run, Zöchling debuted at the event in 2016, and Salem Al Ketbi, Helal Ali Mazrouei, and Fahad Al Zaabi were all part of Rabdan’s line-up in ‘22 and ‘23), that bittersweet experience from the team’s “learning year” could make all the difference. 

Rabdan’s Middle East Trophy campaign also can’t possibly go any worse than it did last year. Indeed, its runners-up spot in Kuwait places Rabdan Motorsport 2nd in the 992 Teams’ standings, just four points behind Red Camel-Jordans.nl, heading into this year’s Hankook 6H ABU DHABI. One round in and the team is already firmly in championship contention.

On top of that, Rabdan Motorsport’s performance on its most recent European event with CREVENTIC – the 2023 Hankook 12H MONZA – admirably demonstrated the Emirati team’s potential on the international motor racing stage. Teaming with HRT Performance, Rabdan (Saif and Zöchling again, this time with New Zealand’s Anthony Leighs) exceeded expectations by finishing 3rd in a highly competitive 992 class. As well as competitive speed and consistency (there was just three-hundredths of a second difference between the 977’s fastest race laps on the Saturday and the Sunday), Rabdan was one of the very few entries not tripped up by puncture and/or setup issues at Monza.

Unsurprisingly, while his Dubai podium in 2021 and his Abu Dhabi runners-up in 2022 hold a special place in his heart, the Hankook 12H MONZA podium, on his circuit debut no less, struck a very special item from Saif’s bucket list. 

“That was a real boost for me. It helped us recover from a very bad season in the Middle East. It gave hope, for us, to keep pushing, and all of this racing experience outside the Middle East helps me get a lot more comfortable with the car. 

“Monza is legendary track, and as a racing driver, I knew I had to compete there one day. It really did not disappoint!” 

With momentum on its side, with a strong championship position to defend, and as the only Abu Dhabi-based team set to compete at its home event, it’s clear that Rabdan Motorsport and Saif Alameri are keen to ‘right the wrongs’ of last year heading into round two of the 24H SERIES Middle East Trophy. In an ideal world, there would be no better way to do so than with a first win. 

“Abu Dhabi is my hometown, and in front of my people, it would be a dream to raise the UAE flag on the top step of the podium.”