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THE last man to flag home the winning driver at a grand prix in Bahrain has returned to play a significant new role in motor sport and help promote the kingdom.
Charismatic Martin Whitaker, the former chief executive officer at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), has launched a new business, will continue to help the Australian V8 expand its operations globally as well as work with the Bahrain Economic Development Board.
“I have always kept in touch with Bahrain since leaving after the last Grand Prix in May of 2010,” he said.
“There is something that draws one back to the kingdom. I have always had a passion for the island, it gets into your soul and it is extremely easy to return and to be with so many friends once again. In fact, the minute you walk out of the airport one is immediately immersed by the warmth and friendliness of the people and it’s almost as if you had never left!”
Mr Whitaker, 52, has moved to Amwaj Islands, and has recently taken on a new role as the international director of V8 Supercars, deeming the kingdom as the perfect location to base his operations as he promotes its development abroad with races in Abu Dhabi and the US already scheduled this year.
He was originally lured away from the kingdom to join the Australian-based racing series which, for many seasons, held its only foray abroad at the BIC.
Mr Whitaker spent six years as the Sakhir circuit’s CEO and a further year as an F1 race advisor.
However, trying to source international events from a base on the east coast of Australia was well nigh impossible, hence the move back to a central global location and the perfect choice was Bahrain. He said: “The future for V8 Supercars is very exciting as it considers new races in the Middle East and throughout Asia.”
The move ‘back home’ also offered him a unique opportunity to establish his own business venture entitled Sportique88, a sports events company, which is a play on his sporting background as well as the nickname that he used to have when running a family fruit farm in Herefordshire, west of England.
“Setting up a base in Bahrain gives me the chance to expand my new activities,” he explained. “With the knowledge and experience that I have in the sport, going back over some 25 years, I felt it was the right time to establish a new direction and the V8 international work gives me that opportunity, at the same time allowing me the chance to expand into other areas of the sport.
“The business attributes associated with Bahrain are very attractive; not least its location. As a result it was an easy choice to establish a new business here. Bahrain is a perfect base for the establishment of any business and with work in sporting championships such as Formula One and V8 it was an easy decision to make.
“The establishment of Sportique88 was the platform on which to do this and I am sure that it will prove to be the right decision.”
Meanwhile, Mr Whitaker has joined the Economic Development Board to support the kingdom which he has professed his love of on many occasions.
He said: “My focus has been on giving support to the BIC and the country, where needed, in creating confidence within the sport and the Formula One community prior to its return to the kingdom for this year’s race.
“This has been an interesting and demanding role but one that has been extremely fulfilling as we have been involved not only in ensuring confidence in this year’s event but using it as a stepping stone for the country in the months and years to come.
“It has provided me with a great chance to work once again with many of my former friends and colleagues at the BIC and to provide a credible third-party role in promoting the grand prix. Everyone in the sport knows my links and stance as far as Bahrain and the BIC are concerned and I hope, therefore, that it has been helpful to BIC chairman Zayed Al Zayani and CEO Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa to have me working on their team.
“The grand prix is so fundamentally important to Bahrain and never more so than now. I feel that the 2012 event is probably the single most important grand prix that has been run here. It is a massive boost for the country’s economy as well as for its awareness on a world stage.
“Many will have heard me say it before, but the race puts Bahrain in the spotlight and the weekend becomes the focal point of the sporting world. This year the race has an even more significant role to play.
“Once again the hotels and airlines will come close to full occupancy, the restaurants will see an upsurge in business, rent-a-car companies and taxis will be inundated with business and the retail community will have its chance to appeal to a fresh set of customers and businesses will be able to use the event as a significant networking and development tool.
“All this is a direct result of the grand prix and the economic impact that it brings. The wider community certainly benefits from this and long may it continue.”
Mr Whitaker believes that sport has always been a great unifier and that the grand prix in 2012 has the power and the potential to be a force for good.
He added: “There has hardly been a day when Bahrain has not been in the Formula One spotlight in recent months. This weekend gives Bahrainis the chance to understand the positive aspect that the race has on the business community.
“I have a base here now and I will continue to be here for as long as I can and as long as I can be of use and support as we all collectively work towards building confidence back into a country that has so much potential in the years to come.”
During his final stint at the BIC in 2010, Mr Whitaker was given the honour of flagging the end of the race which coincidentally was also the last grand prix to be staged in Bahrain since the cancellation in 2011 due to civil unrest.
He said: “It was a very special moment for me as not everyone flags the end of the GP. It was very touching because it’s as though it brought down the curtain on my time with the BIC, which as you know I loved very much.
“It seems extraordinary that it was the last grand prix in Bahrain. This GP is going to be another special moment when the race starts on Sunday afternoon.
“This season looks like it is going to be a vintage year for Formula One anyway. Three different winners in three races and some fantastic driving to go with it have provided a magnificent and exhilarating start to the season.
“There is something for everyone in this year’s championship and it was good to see Nico Rosberg scoring his maiden victory in China and Mercedes winning their first Grand Prix for 50-odd years. Formula One has a unique knack of providing something spectacular just when you thought it couldn’t get any better.
“We are obviously in for an enthralling Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix and what better way to welcome the country back to the championship and use it as a showcase for reconciliation and continued success.”
