ALKHOBAR, 11 August 2006 — A couple of weekends ago, in temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius and humidity approaching 50 percent, thousands of people came out to the Eastern Province’s Half Moon Beach to watch a bit of 4X4 action in Mobily’s Desert Challenge Championship 2006. It’s essential not to be misleading. This wasn’t anything as flashy as a World Rally event, although veteran Rally Champion Abdullah Bakhashab was on hand for the best of the driving. However, it was a good start to what could become an important recreational activity in Saudi Arabia.
“This was really a ‘mini rally’ held to help develop Saudi teams and Saudi talent in desert driving,” said Ali Hussain Al-Mutawa, a sponsor of Al-Nahyan Team, one of the competitors at the event. “The whole concept needs a lot more planning, better execution and an improved venue before it will be thought of seriously, even in a national context.”
About two dozen 4X4s and 15 bikes participated in the Challenge, which was held with the cooperation of the traffic police. While the location was off road, it really wasn’t as difficult a course as could have been created at a purpose built site.
“The Half Moon Beach location has been used by desert drivers for decades,” said Al-Mutawa. “The dunes here aren’t as large as they once were. They’ve taken a lot of abuse over the years and natural erosion has occurred too. There is a place out near King Fahd International Airport which would be excellent for such an event but people would need 4X4s to actually reach the site so it was thought that the crowds would be slim at that venue. If organizers want to continue using Half Moon Beach for desert rallies then investment needs to be made in improving the course and providing facilities for both the teams and the spectators.”
Why would anyone want to sink millions into creating gigantic sand dunes and setting up toilets in the desert? It all comes down to money. Growing a motorsport culture in the Kingdom would create thousands of jobs. For example, with his partner Naif M. Al-Gosaibi, Al-Mutawa has a business, Mechanica Unlimited, which provides both the accessories and mechanical skills to turn the family sport utility vehicle (SUV) into a ruggedized 4X4. Upgrading an SUV can cost anywhere from a few thousand riyals to improve the suspension, to a few hundred thousand riyals to change the engine to one that burns jet fuel.
Shokri Al-Nahyan was out at the Challenge exhibiting his Red Nissan Patrol, that’s equipped with just such an engine. The Patrol’s eight cylinder engine started out at 1,200 horsepower and was boosted to 1,800 horsepower by a Nitrous System. Since 1975 Shokri has been going out to the desert for what’s known as “tatees.” He claims to be the first person that rode the massive Half Moon Dune straight up.
“It’s a good hobby, but it can really eat up a lot of cash. We’ve spent about SR200,000 on this vehicle,” said Shokri. “Mainly we’ve replaced the seats, engine, axles, transmission and tires. I’m on the Al-Nahyan Team with my brothers and we do much of the mechanical work ourselves, but the top of the line mechanical parts come from abroad and can be expensive.”
Shokri enjoys participating in the Desert Challenges but he is concerned that as the sport grows in popularity, there are too few organized events and venues.
“When desert driving over high dunes is done without proper organization, the chance of injury to drivers or spectators is high,” he advised. “Just imagine coming up over a dune and crashing into someone stuck on the other side. People drive at night without any lighting at the site, only headlights. There have already been serious accidents. Safety should become a priority.”
Nabeel Al-Nahyan, a desert driving champion from the 2004-2005 season, echoed those comments: “Saudi youth need a way to take out their stress and have some fun. Desert driving is a superb stress reliever because it requires concentration when you’re on the course and this helps you forget your troubles. There’s a great deal of camaraderie as well and this leads to laughter and good times. It is long overdue that a proper rally course be set up in the Eastern Province so spectators can watch safely and drivers can practice and compete safely.”
Safe driving is a topic of much interest these days. Nabeel is in total support of the recent crackdown on speeding on the Kingdom’s highways, but he thinks that this is just one element in a total strategy to improve traffic safety.
“Driving 160 or 180 kph on a highway is unreasonable,” said Nabeel. “We need to recognize though that young men have always been attracted to powerful cars. That won’t change. What can change is the way we as a society respond to their need for speed. Organized motorsports can channel that energy and talent in a positive way. Don’t think of desert driving as something only for men either. My five-year-old daughter loves our 4X4s. My mother and father come out to see us compete. They don’t want to watch it on video. They want to be here in the desert and see the sand flying and hear the engines roar. It’s a thrill for everyone.”
