22-year-old sheik spending $10M a year to become the Yankees of drag racing?
There are a number of parallels with an all-American tale of racing fan turned team owner: Man loves drag racing since boyhood, comes from a region crazy for the sport, started off in racing's little league, and races to win even in the big leagues. Yet the differences are enough to inform us that this is a Yankees tale, not an Oakland A's tale: the team owner in question is Qatari native Sheik Khalid bin Hamad Al-Thani, all of 22 years old, with a bank account that would make Croesus blush.
When Al-Thani was ready to start a top-level drag racing team after owning outfits in the lower grades, he called Alan Johnson, who had run the five-time championship-winning Army dragster team. With the aim of turning Qatar into a dragster's paradise and an estimated $10 million per year budget for a two-car team (top fuel dragster and funny car), Johnson signed up for the challenge.
A top team spends about $4 million and up for the NHRA series, which could put Al-Thani even above the U.S. Army team's expenditure. Both teams are sixth in the standings right now, with Larry Dixon (dragster) and Del Worsham (funny car) behind the wheels, but with Al-Thani committed to doing – and spending – what it takes, he might just be the Steinbrenner of drag racing before long, for better or worse.
[Source: Wall Street Journal]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
timbo 10:12AM (4/29/2009)
Why isn't the dragster be-dazzled in opulent bliss like every other (super) car we see from the middle east?
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EEL 4:26PM (4/29/2009)
LOL.
Every culture and nationality has someone among them with very bad taste. Thank goodness Al-Thani isn't one of them.
John P. 10:11AM (4/29/2009)
I'm sure his parts suppliers are happy. Spend Al-Thani spend!
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Azael 11:33AM (4/29/2009)
I bet when he buys fuel for his cars the money eventually comes back to him.
UCJR 11:46AM (4/29/2009)
At which time the sport begins to atrophy and die because the other teams can't compete. Then, then non-competitive division goes away (ALMS GT1, for example), and there's a regression back to cheaper, more grassroots-based competition. It's all cyclical.
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anthonypbhs 10:13AM (4/29/2009)
Kind of sad seeing the Pontiac logo in that photo.
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Al Terego 10:16AM (4/29/2009)
I think I hear a redneck stampede in the distance....
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Mazda FTW! 10:18AM (4/29/2009)
It's very interesting. For a region which hates the US...I was looking at pictures of Bahrain and the neighbourhoods look like carbon-copies of Californian/Texan cities. Spanish haciendas (spl?), Caddys, sidewalks, kids wearing Lakers jerseys, BBQs, malls...now drag-racing.
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John P. 10:25AM (4/29/2009)
I think it's a love/hate thing. Kinda like how the french absolutely love McDonald's (Second only to the U.S. in McD's profitability) hehe
sledge 10:26AM (4/29/2009)
Yours is a common misconception - you'd be surprised at how pro-US places like Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE are. Hence the similar living styles too.
timbo 10:32AM (4/29/2009)
When the US spends billions of dollars on their oil.....it's kinda hard to hold a grudge, lol.
The anti-american sentiment comes mostly from the extremist, "have not's" of the population.
turbotronic 4:43AM (5/15/2009)
Not all countries in the region hate the US. Qatar is definitely a country that is not anti-american. Go back to watching CNN or Fox News and believe everything you see and hear.
Sheikh Khalid, the Emir's son, loves anything that has to do with fast cars. I see this as only beneficial to the sport. If the people aren't happy about the money he puts into his team, then the spectators should complain to the NHRA officials about creating a spending cap.
I was lucky enough to be on the plane with a few of the team members; very down to earth guys.
Timothy Auhll 10:21AM (4/29/2009)
Kinda of interesting article in the Wall street Journal, I got to wonder if he's interested in any other motorsports teams?
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Say What? 10:34AM (4/29/2009)
The US Army spends $4 million per year on drag racing? Really? REALLY? Hmm... Interesting.
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Ian 11:21AM (4/29/2009)
No, the US Army sponsored team spends $4,000,000 a year, not the US Army spends $4,000,000 a year. They have much more than just the Army as their sponsor. Honestly though, is 4Mil a year that much for marketing in the grand scheme of things? Think about how much a 30 second commercial during the super bowl costs, and tell me spending that much on something tangible that is seen every weekend for 9 months a year by hundreds of thousands of people in person and who knows how many more on TV (granted it is on ESPN2, so probably what? 10 people watch it? hehe).
Anti-believer 1:38PM (4/29/2009)
Army has been a sponsor long before Schumacher. Don Purdhomme was sponsored by them in the 70's.
Yes, they spend a whole lot of money cause at every race they have soliders. When Schumacher wins an event, they stand in the camera fram behind him.
Not every Arabic person hates America.
The industry needed new sponsors because a number of drivers lost them at the end of 2008 due to the economy.
Justin 8:52AM (4/30/2009)
typical leftist response of stupidity. learn to read in detail before showing off your ignorance.
mxzhonkey 11:06AM (4/29/2009)
anyone else find it different that the driver was on the army team but is now on a team from the middle east. kinda of irronic if you ask me
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Ian 11:21AM (4/29/2009)
No, its the crew chief, Alan Johnson. Schumacher stayed with the Army team.
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kholiq 11:47AM (4/29/2009)
You wouldn't believe how pro-American Qatar is. I know I live there.
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