On 4th May, FIA Member Club the Emirates Motorsports Organization (EMSO), sanctioned the first-ever Greenpower electric car race in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the Greenpower UAE Grand Prix. Held at Karting Town in Sharjah, UAE, this event was organised by Pole Position, with the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure as its Strategic Partner.

The race marked the culmination of months of dedicated work by students aged 11-16 from 10 GEMS schools and one additional school. Since September, these students have been learning about electric vehicle technology, designing their cars’ bodywork, and sourcing sustainable materials.

The Greenpower STEM Education Programme aligns with EMSO’s sustainability framework, which has earned FIA 3-star accreditation, to raise awareness of sustainability and electric vehicle technology. Among the awards presented, The Millennium School, Dubai, received the Sustainability Award for their innovative approach.

EMSO's mission to foster youth capabilities through grassroots programmes continues, with the Greenpower Programme playing a key role. This initiative enables students to learn about science, engineering, and the environment, providing real-world experience and promoting teamwork. Approximately 40% of participants each year are female, encouraging gender diversity in engineering.

The one-hour race in Sharjah concluded with Dubai American Academy winning, completing 25 laps, followed by Jess School in second place and Wellington Academy Dubai Hills in third. Trophies were presented by His Excellency Eng. Saif Ghubash Almarri, Assistant Undersecretary for Petroleum, Gas, and Mineral Resources at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.

Emphasising the Ministry’s support for the Programme, His Excellency Eng. Saif Ghubash Almarri said: “We are proud to see this level of innovation from the children and applaud Pole Position and the participating schools for making this event possible. Such initiatives empower the next generation of innovators and sustainability champions and give us hope of a better tomorrow. We are pleased to support the Greenpower Programme and hope to see the next editions soon. We encourage more schools to participate and be at the forefront of the wider community engagement in driving sustainability across the board.”

Speaking about the event, the CEO and Founder of Pole Position said: “In my 35 years of being involved in UAE motorsports I have created some thrilling events and been part of major milestones in the UAE, but never have I seen as much excitement, team spirit and enthusiasm as these schools brought to Karting Town for the final. I’m very proud that we have enabled these schools and children to participate in Greenpower in the UAE; I wish this had been in my school when I was a teenager, and I only hope to increase participation and bring the thrill of engineering and sustainable motorsports to many more children in the UAE in the coming years.”  

Mr. Mahir Badri, CEO at EMSO, added: “This edition of the Greenpower programme served as a powerful reminder of just how important these initiatives are to the grassroot levels of the UAE, something that is at the heart of the EMSO’s work. To witness the enthusiasm and innovation from these young people was amazing, and for it all to be geared towards a more sustainable version of the sport makes us excited for the future. We hope to see some of those taking part go on to forge careers in engineering as more and more schools participate in this stimulating programme.”