AL WATHBA // It was midafternoon, the temperature was 38°C and a strong wind whipped up a stinging sand under the unrelenting sun.
But the harsh desert conditions and the absence of any nearby shelter, food or water were not enough to keep the spectators away.
They came to watch one of the country’s most treasured past-times: camel racing at Al Wathba racetrack.
The Final Annual Camel Races Festival, which began on Saturday, is the last major event in the annual racing season hosted by the Camel Race Association Abu Dhabi.
With 15,000 camels from across the GCC competing in 360 races over 12 days for cash and car prizes totalling Dh80 million, this is the association’s biggest and most competitive event.
“The best of the camels, you can find it here,” said a spokesman for the Camel Race Association – Abu Dhabi. “It’s a big competition.”
Each morning, the contest begins just after sunrise, about 6am, at the south track. Anyone arriving after 8am will have missed the action and be advised to return for the afternoon contest, which begins at 2.30.
It’s wise to pack snacks, plenty of fluids, sunscreen and a hat.
Although there is a grandstand, it is not very close to the track. Most people prefer watching from the sidelines, standing just a few metres away from the running camels.
Get close to the action, said the spokesman.
That is where spectator Martin Kohn and his wife Martina stood, just past the finish line. The couple drove from Dubai to watch the race. “I’ve been living here for two years now and have always wanted to watch a camel race,” said Mr Kohn.
“It’s very interesting, you know, different compared to horse racing. It’s completely different. You can get very close to every thing, to the starting line and the animals. The whole atmosphere is really different. I really like it.”
Each race begins with about a dozen camels standing behind a tall gate.
Without warning, the gate raises in the blink of an eye and the camels leap forward, heads bobbing as they gallop into the distance, eventually reaching speeds of about 40kph. Along the way, the animals are accompanied by a caravan of white SUVs driven by owners and handlers who work the camel’s remote-controlled robot jockeys, sometimes shouting commands along the way and honking at the beginning and end of the race.
“It’s very chaotic and like a different culture, it’s very cool,” said Campbell Costello, a veterinarian from Australia.
Not every camel makes it right out of the gate.
In one race, two camels appeared to become disorientated within seconds of the gate lifting. They abandoned the competition, running back towards the gate as handlers ran on to the sandy track to gather the animals.
As the festival progresses, the prizes get bigger and the races get longer.
The final two days of the race will be held at the main Al Wathba racetrack where the animals will run for 8km and 10km and win up to Dh2 million each race.
rpennington@thenational.ae