As the Bahrain International Circuit celebrated 20 years of hosting Formula 1 and being the ‘home of motorsport in the Middle East’, former BIC chief executive Martin Whitaker, during an exclusive interview with the GDN’s deputy news editor Naman Arora, reflected on how his experiences in the land of two seas helped him bring professional racing to Saudi Arabia, where he is instrumental in running this weekend’s Jeddah Grand Prix.
When His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, inaugurated the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir back in 2004, few could have predicted that 20 years later, the Middle East would be hosting the first two and final two races of the calendar.
“Bahrain hosting the first F1 Grand Prix in the Middle East in 2004 set the tone for a surge in the interest of the sport throughout the region,” Bahrain resident and the circuit’s former CEO Martin Whitaker explained.
“Today, there is massive interest in the sport. One only had to look at the vibrancy around the race in Bahrain last weekend to see how there is an insatiable appetite for F1.
“But it’s not just F1 that is seeing a growth in interest; circuit racing and off-road events are now booming with Formula E, GT Racing and events such as the Dakar Rally and local and regional rallying creating a buzz of excitement throughout the region.
“Crucially this is also being reflected in the number of young people who want to participate in the sport.”
Mr Whitaker’s role in motorsport event management in the Middle East began with the blessing and encouragement of then-Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.
The sport’s charismatic leader, commonly described as the ‘F1 Supremo’, was so impressed by Mr Whitaker’s business savvy and passion for the sport that he made him his ‘man on the ground’ as the first-ever Sakhir race was fast-tracked for action in April 2004.
“Being involved in the project to build the first Formula 1 circuit in the Middle East was a real honour,” Mr Whitaker reminisced.
“To then be part of the organising team for the first race on April 4, 2004 (04/04/04) was a magnificent experience.
“I think what I remember most about the first race was the way in which the whole of the kingdom came together in the joint belief that something very special was being created at Sakhir.
“The Grand Prix opened people’s eyes to the hospitality and culture of Bahrain and the race did so much to change perceptions and create lasting friendships with people, organisations and businesses from all over the world.”
Born into a fruit farming family in Gloucestershire, Mr Whitaker’s first venture into motor racing was as a junior reporter for the weekly racing magazine Motoring News during the early 1980s, before he became a Press officer at the Royal Automobile Club Motor Sports Association until 1988.
This was followed by stints at the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA), Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA) Television, Ford Motor Company, McLaren, and the FIA, F1’s governing body.
With his vaunted portfolio and network of contacts, it came as no surprise when HRH Prince Salman asked Mr Whitaker to stay on after the first race, leading to a six-year tenure at the BIC, until after the 2010 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix.
“My most memorable moments were those created during the 2010 celebration of the 60th anniversary of the sport,” Mr Whitaker reminisced.
“This is when the team at BIC not only pulled together all the surviving world champions across the six decades but also the cars that they drove.
“To be in the company of such an eclectic mix of champions such as Sirs Jack Brabham and Jackie Stewart, John Surtees, Mario Andretti, Keke Rosberg, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher, Niki Lauda and many others together with their cars was a feat never before arranged – and probably never will be again.
“To see Emerson Fittipaldi driving his JPS liveried Lotus 72 alongside Jody Scheckter in his Ferrari 312 from 1979 and then other special moments such as 1996 champion Damon Hill driving his father’s Gold Leaf Lotus 49 from 1968 was an extraordinary and special moment.”
In 2010, Mr Whitaker departed to lead the Australian V8 Supercar Series, but it wouldn’t be long before he began to miss the kingdom’s sunny shores and he moved back in 2012 to set up a consultancy business.
During this time, the BIC continued to evolve and hosted its first-ever night race in 2014.
Looking at the track and racing since then, Mr Whitaker noted, admiringly, that the lighting has ‘undoubtedly changed not only the look of the race but also the character of the whole circuit’.
“The ambience after dark during last weekend’s race was sensational and very much sets BIC apart from so many of the races,” he added. “There is a unique atmosphere about the F1 paddock and the recent addition of lights to the Sakhir Tower brings the whole place alive along with the journey into the circuit.”
In 2015, he was appointed as lead consultant and chief executive of the Circuit of Wales, a project to construct a motorsport venue in Blaenau Gwent, UK.
However, the venue ultimately failed to get the official support that it required, and the project collapsed, despite it being a “spectators’ paradise, where you could see pretty much the whole track from one location”, he reminisced.
The dealmaker subsequently worked on electric car and alternative fuel projects before he was contacted about plans for a Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
And here, his experience at BIC helped him immensely, especially when it came to building a dedicated team.
He added: “BIC was all about building a dedicated team. The focus in Saudi has been no different save for the fact that at Saudi Motorsport we have not only been building a team for Formula 1 but also for the other sporting disciplines such as the Dakar Rally, Extreme E and other events that we are now running at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and in KSA.
“The team under Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa at BIC also played a significant role in the establishment of the first F1 Grand Prix in Jeddah with on-the-ground support in the build-up to and during the race.”
Of course, no great undertaking like the building of a world-class circuit comes without its challenges.
And when he was tasked with overseeing the construction and certification of a circuit from scratch in 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic and its accompanying restrictions, he knew he had a “mammoth” task ahead of him, but once again, his Bahrain experience proved to be instrumental.
“The challenge was similar in Bahrain in many ways as the initial objective was for the race to be run in October but the Chinese, who were building the circuit in Shanghai during the same period, were delayed in construction,” he recollected.
“Ecclestone asked if the work could be finished earlier to allow the races to swap and as a result Bahrain ran in April 2004, just over six months earlier than originally planned.”
Now, as he oversees the fourth Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend, he sees both nations as being instrumental to F1.
“The Middle East is a powerful and influential base for Formula 1 and with four races now in the region this underlines the significant impact and contribution that it makes to the sport.
“In addition, many of the new creative ideas that have been introduced and ‘tested’ by circuits like Bahrain, Jeddah and Abu Dhabi have influenced the content of other international races on the calendar.”
Bahrain, however, holds a special place in the expatriate’s heart, as he continues to maintain residence in the kingdom, and considers pre-season testing to be “the domain of BIC”.
“The ambient conditions and track temperatures are perfect in Bahrain and make it an ideal location for the teams to test,” he added.
“The most unique aspect of the circuit in Bahrain and the race in the kingdom is the atmosphere and buzz that the race creates.
“How good is it to see the kingdom coming alive for Formula 1? Not just at the track but throughout the whole experience, from the arrival at the airport to the hotels, shops and restaurants.
“It’s been a great journey for Bahrain and everyone must be extremely proud of the place that the kingdom holds on the World Championship calendar.
“Here’s to many more years of racing at the highest level in this part of the world.”
naman@gdnmedia.bh
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