A fleet of Porsches drew admiring glances from passers-by as they took part in a five-day road trip from Dubai to Riyadh that celebrated the German manufacturer’s foray into Formula E racing. The jaunt, which organisers referred to as a Soul Journey, took in deserts, world heritage areas, globally recognised sites of innovation and racetracks in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Former F1 driver Mark Webber and Gulf motorsport personality Aseel Al-Hamad led the coterie as they made the 1,000km trip, with the lead pair driving Porsche’s first all-electric vehicle the Taycan. The group started their trip at the Dubai Autodrome, moving onto Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City (one of the world’s most sustainable urban environments), after visiting the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park en route. They then launched into the Saudi desert and onto Riyadh’s Formula E track in Ad Diriyah. If it had come to a race at any stage though, the classic vehicles would have been left in the dust by the new arrivals – the fastest Taycan can go from 0-100kph in 2.9 seconds and can hit 260kph flat out. For those who fancy following Porsche’s progress in Formula E, the 2019-2020 season kicked off at the Riyadh Street Circuit in November and the series will culminate in the UK at London’s ExCel venue in July next year.
