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Mark Hughes has worked in professional motorsport for over 20 years having started in the UK with rallying before moving to circuit racing and circuit operations.
Mark's first senior management position was as Operations Manager at Brands Hatch, then part of the Octagon Motorsport group which ran Silverstone, Cadwell Park, Oulton Park and Snetterton as well. Mark primarily oversaw the operation of the circuit but also the rally and race schools and all corporate products.
In 2002 Mark went back to rallying and worked for the MSA, the UK governing body for motorsport and was the Commercial Manager for their subsidiary, IMS. IMS events included Wales Rally GB, the British Rally Championship, the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run and a number of other classic car tours.
The MSA British Rally Championship is a rallying series based in the United Kingdom. The first championship was run in 1958 and it has been licensed by the Motor Sports Association (MSA) since 1999. MSA has opted not to run the series in 2015, instead giving its promotion to its own subsidiary (IMS) for 2016.
Arguably Mark biggest break came in 2004 when he relocated to Bahrain to run the new Formula One circuit there. He was appointed as the Operations Director, reporting to Martin Whitaker, CEO and formerly the head of Ford Motorsport. A Tilke designed track in the small GCC Kingdom of Bahrain, this was without doubt one of the most spectacular new tracks on the F1 calendar. Constructed in an incredible 16 months the track hosted their first Grand Prix in 2004 and won the prestigious FIA Formula One World Championship Race Promoters Trophy. In addition to F1 the track also hosted FIA GT's, the Formula BMW World Final, Australian V8 Supercars and major drag race events. The circuit also developed numerous corporate and retail products such as the Caterham driving experiences, the BMW school and the only Hummer Off Road Academy outside of the US.
Whilst in Bahrain, Mark was appointed to the Board of Directors of Motorsport Development UK, a UK government body established to support the UK motorsport industry. His appointment was made by the Secretary of State and was for three years.
Mark left Bahrain in 2009 and was asked to help set up the new Middle East facility in Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina Circuit. Mark was a specialist consultant on the project and contributed significantly in getting the venue ready for the first race in November 2009. The Yas Marina Circuit set new standards for a motorsport venue and was the first circuit to host a day/night race. Yas Marina Circuit also won the prestigious FIA Formula One World Championship Race Promoters Trophy.
Abu Dhabi is the capital and the second most populous city of the United Arab Emirates. It is the largest of the UAE's seven emirates and also capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi city is situated on an island in the Persian Gulf off the central western coast, while the majority of the city and Emirate reside on the mainland connected to the rest of the country. As of 2019, Abu Dhabi's urban area has an estimated population of 1.45 million people, out of 2.9 million people in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, as of 2016
The Yas Marina Circuit is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and is situated on Yas Island, about 30 minutes from the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi. Yas Marina is the second Formula One track in the Middle East, with the first being in Bahrain. A two-day GP2 Asia Series test was held to officially open the circuit, which was held a week before the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It also hosted the opening event for the Australian V8 Supercars series, the Yas V8 400, in February 2010. Outside motorsport the circuit was used for the final stage of the inaugural Abu Dhabi Tour cycle race in 2015. The circuit has FIA Grade 1 license.
The Abu Dhabi consultancy was a stop gap for Mark who already had plans to go to India to work for the Jaypee Group who were just starting construction of their new F1 facility 50 km (31 mi) outside of Delhi. The Buddh International Circuit would be the first F1 track in India and their inaugural race would be in October 2011. Mark was appointed as Vice President - Operations to head up JPSI, the sporting division of Jaypee. JPSI not only planned the F1 circuit but an entire sports city including an international cricket stadium, sports complex, residential and commercial developments. Mark's input into the infrastructure and planning for the Grand Prix led to JPSI hosting an extremely successful inaugural Grand Prix. One that also won the FIA Formula One World Championship Race Promoters Trophy.
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. It is bordered by Haryana on three sides and by Uttar Pradesh to the east. The NCT covers an area of 1,484 square kilometres (573 sq mi). According to the 2011 census, Delhi's city proper population was over 11 million, the second-highest in India after Mumbai, while the whole NCT's population was about 16.8 million. Delhi's urban area is now considered to extend beyond the NCT boundaries and include the neighboring satellite cities of Faridabad, Gurgaon, Sonipat, Ghaziabad and Noida in an area now called Central National Capital Region (CNCR) and had an estimated 2016 population of over 26 million people, making it the world's third-largest urban area according to the United Nations. As of 2016, recent estimates of the metro economy of its urban area have ranked Delhi either the most or second-most productive metro area of India. Delhi is the second-wealthiest city in India after Mumbai and is home to 18 billionaires and 23,000 millionaires. Delhi ranks fifth among the Indian states and union territories in human development index. Delhi has the second-highest GDP per capita in India.
The Buddh International Circuit is an Indian motor racing circuit situated in Delhi NCR at Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. The track shares its name with Gautama Buddha, as does the district the track is located in.
India is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.
In late 2010, Mark was persuaded to go back to Yas Marina Circuit as Operations Director, heading up the largest team at the track. Mark's responsibilities at YMC include all event planning and delivery, sporting, safety, venue management, security, maintenance, retail and corporate products (drag, karting, race school, community) and food and beverage.
The Bahrain International Circuit is a motorsport venue opened in 2004 and used for drag racing, GP2 Series and the annual Bahrain Grand Prix. The 2004 Grand Prix was the first held in the Middle East. Beginning in 2006, Australian V8 Supercars raced at the BIC, with the event known as the Desert 400. However, the V8 Supercars did not return for the 2011 V8 Supercar season. 24 Hour endurance races are also hosted at BIC. The circuit has a FIA Grade 1 license.
Mohammed Ahmed bin Sulayem or Mohammed ben Sulayem is one of the Arab world's leading motor sport figures and an influential official within the sport's world governing body, the FIA. A successful organiser and record-breaking former international rally driver, he is a role model to young people across the Middle East.
Losail International Circuit is a motor racing circuit located just outside in the town of Lusail, north of Doha, Qatar.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is a Formula One motor race. It was announced in early 2007 at the Abu Dhabi F1 Festival in the United Arab Emirates. The first race took place on 1 November 2009, held at the Hermann Tilke designed Yas Marina Circuit.
The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single seater motor racing series launched in 2010 as a feeder series for the GP2 Series, introduced by GP2 organiser Bruno Michel.
The 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 14 November 2010 at the Yas Marina Circuit on Yas Island, an island on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. It was the 19th and last round of the 2010 Formula One season. The 55-lap race was won by Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel after starting from pole position. Lewis Hamilton finished second in a McLaren, and teammate Jenson Button completed the podium, in third place.
The Yas V8 400 was a V8 Supercars motor racing event held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The event was held from 2010 to 2012.
The 2011 FIA GT1 Abu Dhabi round was an auto racing event held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Taking place over 25–26 March 2011, Abu Dhabi was the opening round of the 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship season. It is the second consecutive year that FIA GT1 has opened its season in Abu Dhabi, although the 2011 event will be held on a shorter 4.730 km (2.939 mi) layout of the Yas Marina Circuit. Marc Hennerici is the only returning driver who won during the event last season, while Corvette and Ford both are defending victors. The event is also unique on the FIA GT1 calendar as it is the only one held over a two-day period rather than the normal three; Qualifying is held following Practice on Friday while the Qualifying Race and Championship race are both held on Saturday. The weekend is shared with a trio of local racing series: The UAE Sportscar series, the Cytech UAE GT series, and the Total UAE Touring Cars series.
Dylan Young is an Australian racing driver from Melbourne, Australia.
The 2015–2016 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship was the fourth running of the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship. It began on 31 October 2015 at Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi and finished on 31 January 2016 at the Madras Motor Racing Track, India. The series comprised 14 races, spread across four meetings, with the second round in Sakhir being a support event to the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The 2016 Yas Marina GP2 and GP3 Series rounds were a pair of motor races that were held on 26 and 27 November 2016 at the Yas Marina Circuit in the United Arab Emirates as part of the GP2 Series and GP3 Series. It was the final round of both the 2016 GP2 Series and the 2016 GP3 Series. The race weekend supported the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Starting in the 2015–16 season, the all new Formula 4 UAE Championship will be launched by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, and its national affiliate the Automobile & Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates (ATCUAE), who will act as the championship's promoter.
The 2016-17 Formula 4 UAE Championship will be the inaugural season of the Formula 4 UAE Championship, a motor racing series for the United Arab Emirates regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations, and organised and promoted by the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) and AUH Motorsports.
The 2017-18 Formula 4 UAE Championship is the second season of the Formula 4 UAE Championship, a motor racing series for the United Arab Emirates regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations, and organised and promoted by the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) and AUH Motorsports.
The 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 25 November 2018 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The race was the final round of the 2018 Formula One World Championship and marked the tenth running of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the tenth time that the race has been run as a World Championship event since the inaugural season in 1950.
The 2017 Yas Marina FIA Formula 2 round were a pair of motor races held on 25 and 26 November 2017 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates as part of the FIA Formula 2 Championship. It was the eleventh and final round of the 2017 FIA Formula 2 Championship and was run in support of the 2017 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The 2018 Yas Marina FIA Formula 2 round were a pair of motor races held on 24 and 25 November 2018 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates as part of the FIA Formula 2 Championship. It was the twelfth and final round of the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship and was run in support of the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The 2020 Formula 4 UAE Championship is the fourth season of the Formula 4 UAE Championship, a motor racing series for the United Arab Emirates regulated according to FIA Formula 4 regulations, and organised and promoted by the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) and AUH Motorsports.
