Caption: Young men park at the sidelines of an illegal drifting races on Million's Street at the Al Dhafra Festival in the Al Gharbia, Abu Dhabi. (Anna Zacharias / The National / December 2013)
Caption: Young men park at the sidelines of an illegal drifting races on Million's Street at the Al Dhafra Festival in the Al Gharbia, Abu Dhabi. (Anna Zacharias / The NShow more

Good boys do it well? Saudi drifters and stunt drivers



By day, camels ruled Millions Street in Al Gharbia. By night, it belonged to drifters.

The air, usually alive with fireside chatter, was still at Al Dhafra. It was 10pm and the roads were empty.

Ten minutes from my tent, I accidentally drove into a drift contest.

Two cars raced towards me. Scores of cars were parked on the sidelines, beaming headlights onto the rough surface of Millions Street.

Pickup trucks skidded back and forth down its centre, young men precariously seated on window ledges, swinging ghutra headscarves into the air.

Spectators perched on sandbanks and car roofs, snuggled into leather jackets with ghutras wrapped tight against their faces as protection from the desert cold and sand sprayed by drifters who came too close.

The clandestine races were being filmed on dozens of mobile phones and would be uploaded in a matter of hours, like a Saudi YouTube video in the making. The kind of video that provided the inspiration for M.I.A.'s controversial Bad Girls video.

But here’s the thing. The guys I spoke to weren’t particularly bad boys. They were well mannered and polite and in Al Dhafra for a family holiday.

Guys like Saif, 23, a Saudi Arabian more intent on converting me to Islam than breaking any law. Saif had work in the morning. He had spent the day partying with beauty camels and would not sleep that night. He had a 850km drive back home to Dammam.

“Repeat after me,” said his friend, a waif in his early twenties. “There is no god but God and Mohammed is the....”

“No, no, no,” said Saif. “Not yet.”

“Why not?” asked his friend.

“In a minute. First let’s explain to her what is forbidden, what is not forbidden...”

The Saudis plotted my conversion to Islam, happily oblivious to the fact that I understood their conversation. Which was odd, you know, because we’d been talking in Arabic.

It was probably my fault for bringing religion into the discussion in the first place.

Saif puffed away on his cigarette. “Isn’t smoking forbidden?” I asked. “Yes. And music.” Music, clearly, the worse of the two in his mind.

Welcome to the sidelines of the Western Region stunt races.

They met in a different place every night. They had drag raced on the motorway the night before. The hard of Millions Street worked best for drifting, when drivers intentionally oversteer to make the car skid. Saif believed the drivers were Emirati, cheered by Saudi, Qatari and Emirati boys.

Stunt driving, deadly and popular, is one of the biggest hobbies for young men across the Gulf. Doctors have labelled reckless driving a pandemic, muftis have denounced it as sinful and police have launched undercover teams to stop illegal races planned on mobile networks.

Cars and camels have a close association. Half the fun of a camel race is the reckless pursuit of camels beside the track. The best part of a beauty contest is the parading with the winning camel and an entourage of cars with flashing lights, blaring music and honking horns.

In desert camps, people are free to drive over any dune they can conquer. Regrettably, a similar approach is taken to tarmac roads.

The combination of inexpensive petrol and large families means that many young Gulf men, and increasingly women, only enjoy real privacy behind the tinted windows of a 4x4.

Around the camel track or in the city, the car becomes an extension of the self. A 2011 government crackdown on modification garages has not stopped demand for vehicles customised with turbochargers, superchargers and exhaust headers.

Al Gharbia is infamous for drag races but dragsters are not exactly hardened criminals. They are young and invincible, they are bored and there is a fatalist belief that whatever happens is the will of God.

A 2008 survey of 260 traffic police in Al Ain found that 92 per cent believed "destiny" was the most likely causal factor for motor vehicle crash injuries and deaths.

Police have clamped down on illegal stunt driving but the sport remains resilient in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah.

It affects us all. When speeding drivers tailgate and flash their lights on the Sheikh Zayed Road, it's easy to dismiss them as selfish louts.

Most youth genuinely don’t see this as bad behavior.

Flashing red and blue police lights cut down the centre of Millons Street a few minutes after my arrival. Drivers revved their engines. The street emptied in seconds.

“If I get arrested, will you help me?” shouted Saif as he started his 4x4.

With that, he disappeared into the night.

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021

Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.

The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.

These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.

“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.

“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.

“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.

“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”

Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.

There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.

“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.

“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.

“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”

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While you're here
if you go

The flights

Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.

The hotel

Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.

The tour

Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg

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SCORES IN BRIEF

New Zealand 153 and 56 for 1 in 22.4 overs at close
Pakistan 227
(Babar 62, Asad 43, Boult 4-54, De Grandhomme 2-30, Patel 2-64)

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding

Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.

Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.

Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.

For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae

 

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

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Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi

Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi

Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni

Rating: 2.5/5

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THE BIO

Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain

Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude

Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE

Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally

Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.