JEDDAH, 26 December 2002 — With the Jeddah International Motor Show well under way, drivers are taking to the Al-Harithy Exhibition Center’s parking lot to test-drive some of the very latest in automobiles. From the Mini Cooper to the Cadillac Escalade, from an obstacle course to a dirt track, from amateur drivers to rally champions, the event continues to be a big draw.

Majed Saeed Al-Ghamdi, the No.1 ranked Saudi Toyota Team Rally champion, tried his hand at driving the Mini Cooper through the obstacle course.

The Mini obstacle course challenges one to drive the Cooper in a manner likely to earn the driver a jail term on city streets. A tire spinning start followed by a full brake jolts the driver into the next phase made up of slalom driving, forwards then backwards, followed by u-turns, and parallel parking.

In the passenger seat is the No.2 ranked Saudi Toyota Team Rally champion, Amro Shash, who was there to score one’s driving. Al-Ghamdi found the obstacle course challenging. During his turn at the wheel, he knocked down nine cones and parked on top of four. "I am not used to the car", he told Arab News.

Running alongside the Mini obstacle course is the 4 X 4 challenge. With an invitation from the various dealers showing their vehicles at the exhibition, a driver can test-drive any of a dozen 4 X 4 trucks. The 500-meter course takes one over mud, rocks, sand, tires, a wooden bridge, a steep dirt hill and asphalt.

Al-Sharif Mohammed Malek Adnan, of Al-Jomaih, invited Arab News to take the challenge in a Cadillac Escalade. This reporter accepted in a sudden burst of chivalry as spectators waited with bated breath. The experience was breathtaking but is was wholesale fun in the end.

As a result of the 4 X 4 track and obstacle course utilizing the proper parking area for the exhibition center, motorists were forced to park in the adjoining streets and in the empty lot adjacent to the exhibition hall.

Erfan Abu Shaar, a marketing management professional, arrived at the motor show and was forced to park in the empty muddy lot next door. After visiting the exhibits he came out to find his Mitsubishi Pajero stuck in the mud. After a 15-minute effort, he freed his sport utility vehicle from the mud.

Abu Shaar was not the only one bogged down in the muck. The driver of a Mazda 323 was also one of several others caught in the slew. He was forced to leave on foot and returned later with a 4 X 4 and some rope and towed his car out of the mud.

Abu Shaar was disappointed with the exhibition. "It is not sophisticated enough to call ‘international’. With the exception of the Lamborghini Murciellago, all cars at the show are currently available in the market. The exhibition was similar to visiting most of the showrooms in the Kingdom, but all under one roof. Where were Porsche, Mercedes, Audi, and BMW? Why couldn’t we copy the Dubai Motor Show?" he wondered.

Asked if he would try his skill at the 4 X 4 track, Abu Shaar said, "Parking here was a 4 X 4 challenge in itself. What is this they are making us park in? It smells and looks like fecal matter and it is all over my truck. I have done enough four-wheeling just getting in and out of the parking area. I am going to a car wash."

Mohammed Al-Oteibi, a student, enjoyed the exhibit. "This is the first motor show I have ever been to. I liked seeing all the cars and motorcycles. I was very happy to meet the rally champions and see their trucks and the formula one cars. I tried to test-drive some cars, but I will have to come back next year when I get my license", he told Arab News.

The event continues through Friday.