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These are happy days if you are a fan of motorsports in Saudi Arabia.
For many years, the Kingdom’s desert landscapes have been a natural home for international rallies, including the world-famous Dakar for the past two years.
More recently, Saudi Arabia has witnessed the revolutionary introduction of Formula E racing with the celebration of three Formula E weekends, starting in 2018 and culminating in the recent historic double night racing title at the E-Prix. by Diriyah.
The event may have had a limited live audience, but the interest shown in it, especially in the development of Diriyah Gate, was a clear indication of how popular racing has become in the country.
And it’s about to get better. In December, Formula One racing will finally arrive in the country with the venue for the first Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah.
While rallies are for the most part spectacular television shows, Formula racing is something that must be witnessed live to be truly appreciated.
Competitiveness, risks and entertainment is what the crowd wants to see, and if fans are allowed to return to the circuits in the coming months, the growing number of Saudi Arabian racing events will find an audience more than hungry.
The motorsports fandom in the Kingdom encompasses all aspects of automobiles.
There are longtime competitive racing fans and more casual spectators. Some are car collectors and others are curious about the technology behind the engines. And then there are the real racers hoping to emulate world famous drivers.
“More than anything, I love seeing the winning car,” Waleed Ibrahim, one of the organizers of the Formula E event, told Arab News. Formula One race in Jeddah. “
It’s no wonder that for fans, having a Formula One Grand Prix in the Kingdom is as exciting as a World Cup would be for a football fan.
“Formula 1 is the biggest sporting event after football,” said Omar Allahim, rally driver and coach from the Saudi desert. “It is the world’s oldest and largest car race and the arrival in the Kingdom is seen as a historic leap in the development of Saudi sports.”
“When I was a teenager, in the old days, I used to do a lot to allow myself to attend the races in Bahrain,” he said.
All Saudi racing fans talk about their common desires to hear the echo of loud formula engines and enjoy watching the best drivers from around the world give it their all.
Some embrace racing more than others.
Almohannad Alsharif, a huge motorsports enthusiast since he was a child, a supercar collector and also a racing driver, told Arab News: “My dad has always liked cars and driving fast, so I decided to dig deeper. them until I was certified as an FIA International Professional Driver. “
“Although I am an all-rounder and I enjoy driving luxury sedans, driving supercars on the track is my greatest passion,” he added. “Especially if they involve manual transmission, off-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, big engine, and they’re lightweight.”
Alsharif has also participated in and won several national competitions.
“I have been competing since 2001 in the US and have won several national championships, the last one was in late 2019,” he said.
Not surprisingly, he is also a huge fan of Formula racing, having raced Formula 4 in Dubai in 2015, describing it as “the pinnacle of circuit racing”. He also believes that the Jeddah Formula 1 Grand Prix “is a big step for Saudi Arabia” and hopes to be part of the races that will take place before the main event scheduled for December 5, 2021.
Formula racing may be relatively new to the Kingdom, but its breeding ground, karting and more established rallies are not.
Khaled Al-Zayed, a Saudi pilot and member of the Royal Guard team, has been racing since 2008.
“I have participated in 50 international races and 180 national races,” he said. “My love of motorsports led me to be skilled in both karting and rallying.”
Al-Zayed has three different international racing licenses, including for Group C, karting and rally.
“Racing on the track makes me feel alive, and now that we have the Formula 1 race coming to Jeddah, it’s great business and it will help us show the world how much fast cars mean to us,” he added.
A little over three years ago, women couldn’t even drive in Saudi Arabia, but the social changes that have plagued the country in recent times mean they have increasingly embraced racing as a sport, with the opportunity to shine alongside the male runners.
Mashael AlObaidan, a Saudi rally dirt bike racer, told Arab News that she has always been a huge fan of motorsports and that watching movies of women on motorcycles inspired her to do it herself.
“Adrenaline runs through my blood when I run, it’s pure happiness,” he said. “To have Formula events in my country, it is a great achievement and I am very proud of it and I am also very proud of our female Formula champion Reema Juffali, and also of our Saudi male drivers.”
“Saudi Arabia is doing a great job in many sectors, especially motorsports,” AlObaidan said. “We have the most important races and that shows you where we are going. It’s a bright future for the industry and I love it. “
