Documenting 10 years of
In a special event, held under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tareq al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture, Ahmad bin Said al Harthy, Oman’s top racing driver, celebrated the 10th anniversary of his global racing career.
It is the journey throughout which Al Harthy has raised the Sultanate’s flag high at several important international racing events; all of which have been documented in a book titled 10 Years of Achievements and one that contains a number of photographs taken by the photographers throughout his career.
Commenting on this book, Ahmad al Harthy said, “We have over the last ten years put a lot of time and effort aiming for the podium and raising the Sultanate’s name on the extremely competitive international racing scene. This book documents this historic journey with photographs, and was created in order to inspire Omani youth to strive to achieve their dreams with commitment, determination and hard work. I hope the book will achieve this goal and we get to see more ambitious Omani youth who will in the future place the Sultanate’s name on a pedestal in all sectors of sport and industry.”
The launch event, which took place at the beach in Barr Al Jissah, was attended by a number of Royal Family members, excellencies, ministers, consultants, undersecretaries, ambassadors and the CEOs of companies that supported and sponsored Ahmad al Harthy throughout his career. The event showcased Ahmad al Harthy’s success story over the last ten years. A documentary video was also shown on the various races and championships that he has raced in and even highlighted the difficult weather conditions in which some of the races were carried out; this together with the unforgettable moments of stress, exhaustion, excitement and happiness experienced over the past decade.
The guest of honour of the event, His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tareq al Said, revealed the first version of the book; which highlights Ahmad al Harthy’s career from 2006 to the end of 2016. It includes all incidents and obstacles he had faced together with the various challenges, right from the preparations for the race to the race itself, as well as his various triumphs.
His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tareq also unveiled the car which Al Harthy will be driving in this year’s championships. It was an Aston Martin Vantage GT3, brought from the United Kingdom specifically for this occasion. Al Harthy also provided the audience with a detailed overview of the car. Following which, there was a practical demonstration of the way in which wheels are replaced during a race. This was carried out by specialists from TF Sport, the British team that will be the new technical team partnering with Al Harthy’s this year. Also present at the event was Scottish driver Jonny Adam, who will be racing alongside Al Harthy in the Blancpain Cup. The Aston Martin Company’s Director of Special Projects also presented a token of appreciation to the ceremony’s chief guest — an Aston Martin logo utilising the colours of the Omani flag; a reflection of the brand’s appreciation of Ahmad bin Said al Harthy for his efforts in racing and as the brand ambassador for Aston Martin in Middle East and North Africa.