Damon Hill visits Williams Technology Centre, Qatar

Posted on Monday 21 Nov 2011 and tagged with energy.

Formula One World Champion, Damon Hill OBE, visited the Williams Technology Centre, Qatar (WTCQ) to learn about the motorsport technology transfer and applied research being undertaken by his former racing team at the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) facility.

Damon Hill joined Williams F1 as a test driver in 1992 before promotion to a race seat in 1994. In 1996, Damon clinched the Formula One Drivers’ World Championship with the team. Damon was in Doha to attend the 2011 Aspire 4 Sport conference and exhibition along with Williams F1 co-founders, Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head.

Speaking about the activities of the WTCQ Hill commented, “The thing that Formula One does on a regular basis is it gets people to think of solutions quickly and then implement them. It is good to see that approach being used for other applications, particularly those with a positive contribution to road safety.”

Hill drove the Williams advanced vehicle simulator on the virtual Abu Dhabi Yas Marina circuit - his first ever experience in a high-fidelity simulator. On emerging from the immersive environment he summed up the Williams simulator in one word, “Extraordinary!”

Speaking about the WTCQ’s broader simulator driver training programme, including the recently announced co-operation with Mowasalat, Hill added, “Simulators are fantastic and we are clearly at the beginning of their application. Most people never experience a difficult situation until it is too late. With simulators, it is possible to achieve this safely.”