WE'RE IN THE RACE!

THE Arab world's leading GP2 Asia Series team 'My Qi-Meritus.Mahara' will race on through Malaysia and Bahrain flying the flag of GulfWeekly.

Based in Subang Jaya, Malaysia, Meritus's headquarters is a stone's throw away from the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) which will host this weekend's fifth round of this season's GP2 Asia Series.

Two weeks later, Bahrain will host the sixth and final round.

My Qi-Meritus.Mahara is currently eighth in the championship standings with eight points. Last season, it finished a credible seventh out of 13, a consistent start for a team making its debut in the F1 development series.

The team has been set up under the guidance of racing enthusiasts and businessmen Peter Thompson and Raad S Abduljawad.

"We renewed our relationship around the time of the first Bahrain Grand Prix in 2004 when we both decided to help grow young local drivers. I convinced Peter to help the young champion who would become the 2005 Formula BMW Asia winner, Hamad Al Fardan," said Abduljawad, managing director of Saudi Diesel Equipment, who lives in Bahrain.

"Hamad had just turned 18 and on his birthday he took his first ever Formula win in round 5 of the Formula BMW Asia Championship. Hamad drove a fault-free race, pressuring his team mate and getting the win."

Ironically, the Bahraini driver has progressed through the ranks and is now racing for a rival GP2 Asia Series team this year.

My Qi-Meritus.Mahara currently has Portuguese Alvaro Parente and Italian Marco Bonanomi behind the wheels.

Its foundation is Team Meritus, a 13-year-old multi-dimensional motorsport service company boasting race-engineering success in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Its motto is 'Creating International Motorsport Heroes' by supporting and training young drivers to achieve their dreams in the high-tech business of international motorsport.

Thompson, president and team founder, said: "GP2 is the official F1 development series and My Qi-Meritus.Mahara is the only Arab team with a license to compete in it.

"We have a strong team and a great driver lineup. Both drivers are hungry for success and have shown that they have a lot of potential. We will be fighting hard to turn this potential into results and score points in our next races, where I know we can count on the amazing support of our fans."

Abduljawad said: "We chose to work with GulfWeekly for its focus on Bahrain and its lifestyle as well as motor sport. The paper has a brilliant circulation."

Bernie Ecclestone, president of Formula One Management, described the GP2 Asia series as an aggressive racing fixture featuring quick drivers.

"I want to congratulate Peter Thompson, the team founder and owner as well as Raad S Abduljawad, the team chairman, for their enterprise starting an all Asian and Middle Eastern team from scratch."

The team is sponsored by Qi Ltd - a multi-national conglomerate with regional offices in Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore, covering retailing, travel and leisure to interactive marketing, technology, financial services, corporate investments, training and education, business consulting and logistics - and its flagship business QuestNet, a distributor of wellness products, limited edition coins and medallions, watches and jewellery, holiday memberships, and technology products.