Middle Eastern GT Academy Winner to be sponsored by Nissan in 2016’s Hankook 24H Dubai

Nissan has confirmed it will be sponsoring the winner of its 2014 GT Academy, Ahmed Khaled, in the Hankook 24H Dubai endurance race, which is to take place at Dubai’s Autodrome between 14 and 16 January.

The race, which constitutes the first round of Hankook’s 24H Series, marks a symbolic return for Khaled, having competed in it for the first time as a professional race driver in 2015.

“Nissan’s GT Academy has proved, beyond doubt, that racing talent can be bred with gaming as its starting point,” says Samir Cherfan, Nissan Middle East’s Managing Director. “With the backing of Nissan, Ahmed Khaled has been able to turn dreams into reality and his story will inspire generations to come. We are all extremely proud of what he and others like him have achieved and to be competing once again at this prestigious event is an honour.

“It’s only through carefully constructed continuous development programmes that drivers with his talent can continue in their success story and Nissan has been happy to help him exploit many opportunities and continue to nurture his racing career.”

Having won the Middle East round of 2014’s GT Academy was only the start point for Khaled and, since then, he has competed as one of Nissan’s drivers in the Altima 24 Hours, as well as in Drifting competitions across the region. Now Nissan is continuing its support by sponsoring him in Molitor Racing’s GT-R GT3 for the highest profile endurance race in the Middle East.

“I am extremely happy to be back racing at this event,” says Khaled. “For me, it is even more special as this is where my racing career began a year ago. To be competing at the top level in such a car is an enormous privilege and I am looking forward to hopefully improving on last year’s debut performance, which is something I am still very proud of.”

The 24H Dubai event is one keenly followed by motorsports fans all over the world and is open to both professional and semi-professional teams. It is grueling for everyone concerned, with drivers, cars and team members pushed to unimaginable extremes over an unbroken 24-hour race.

“To succeed in endurance racing,” adds Cherfan, “everyone needs to operate under enormous pressure and Nissan’s Nismo GT-R GT3 has proved its mettle time and again in the world’s toughest competitions. The legacy of Nissan’s GT Academy is unparalleled in this industry and all of us at Nissan wish him and the team well and look forward to seeing the action unfold.”