JEDDAH, 11 March 2008 — Spectators gathered in their thousands to see the final round of Mobily Desert Race held in Bahra, near Jeddah recently, in which Ahmad Bil Hammar emerged as the overall champion.
“Tatees” as the rally is called in Arabic, is a popular adventure sport among the youth, and the presence of a large number of spectators demonstrated their love for the sport, the organizers said. The two-day event was supported by the General Presidency of Youth Welfare with Mobily as the main sponsor and Toyota Land Cruiser as the official car. Mobil 1 and Okaz were among the other supporters. This event was held under the supervision of the Saudi Motorsport Federation and organized by Al-Bahrah Desert.
On the first day of the two-day rally, the participants drove their own vehicles. Organizers divided vehicles into three classes according to the capacity of the engine — standard 6 cylinders, modified 6 cylinders and, modified 8 cylinders. Abdullah Bakhashab, the organizer of the event, said more than 21 car drivers and 15 motorcycle participants were asked to drive the same vehicle to judge their driving capability. The participants came from different cross-sections of society.
Majed Al Ghamdi in his modified 6 cylinder car managed to top the final round with 1.07.300. He expressed his happiness that a desert rally was organized in Jeddah again. “I hope the organizers of the rally hold it regularly,”
He said. There are lot of people who are fond of racing their vehicles in the desert. A number of enthusiasts come to this area on weekends to drive across sand dunes and hills.
Hassan Al Saqaf, who came in second clocking 1.07.371, has been driving in the desert for many years. “After a regular practice in the modified vehicles, more Saudi youth will be able to take part in regional and international competitions”, he said.Saleh Al-Saleh, in third with 1.09.353, said he was fond of participating in desert rallies.
“I drive across sand tunes at least twice a month on weekends. If regular competitions are organized, more people will get interested in the sport. I have been driving in the desert since I was a kid. I picked up this hobby from my father, who was also fond of driving in the desert,” he said.
On the second day, competitors had to drive again with new plans and new techniques giving the race a very exciting mood.
The competition between the modified cars and the standard ones reached its peak when the modified ones ranked in the first place.
Ahmad Bil Hammar, who managed to top the 2nd round, succeeded to be Mobily desert race champion. Majed Al Ghamdi ranked 2nd overall and Hassan Al Saqaf third.
Mohammad Al Haji driving Toyota Land Cruiser managed to clock the best time of 1.16.450 to be the fastest driver for the Toyota Land Cruiser Cup.
As for motorcycles overall, the competition between the riders reached its peak when Saleh Al Abdali topped the championship after clocking 0.39.016. He is also fond of driving motorcycles, “I’m driving motorcycles for the past eight years,” he said.
Apart from his motorcycle, Abdul Majeed Al Khalifah, who came in 2nd place overall with 1.00.357, also races in the desert in the 4-wheel all-terrain vehicles. “We drive for many hours when we come here on weekends.” He said. In the third position was Abdulatif Al Jandal clocking 1.00.917.
“The success of the event will encourage the authorities to promote motor sports in Saudi Arabia and organize more championships in future,” said Bakhashab.
