A month long Go-Karting bonanza for the public

7 Sep 2022

Salalah – From the 15th of July to August 20th, Oman Automobile Association organised Arrive & Drive karting sessions at Salalah’s Celebration Square for friends and families to take part in.

Humood Al Balushi, Events Manager of the series, said: “We gained a positive response from the public and even though it lasted for 35 days; people were still coming up to us and asking if we could keep going.” He added, “We had Sundays set for only ladies and families to attend the sessions so that everyone could enjoy the experience and the fact that the activity was something brand new and exciting for the people of Dhofar, we had them queuing up at our ticketing booths every day.”

One of the challenges the department faced was accommodating the large number of customers from adults to youngsters, who turned up daily for karting. The closing timings had to be pushed from 10PM to 11.30PM, due to the rush during registrations. According to Sanad Al Rawahi, it was essential to run the karting activity in Dhofar as it is considered to be the foundation of motorsports and by hosting it, OAA had provided the opportunity for motorsport lovers and those new to it, to explore the basics of this world and experience the thrill of competition and speed amongst themselves.

He said, “It was also crucial to assign Sundays as a special day for ladies and families which allowed at most, privacy and comfort while participating in our karting events.

Increase in female participants

“The number of female participants has exceeded our expectations and as a result, we have noticed their increasing interest in wanting to give karting another go or take the race to the next level.”

The ladies were glad to have that one day for themselves where they can bring along their children and friends to enjoy the sport. It was Shahad Al Marhoon’s first time to go-kart and believed OAA had made the best choice with setting a separate karting session each week for the ladies.

She said, “It was amazing! I loved everything about it especially racing competitively against my friends. We were able to enjoy the experience without feeling too shy and overly conscious of our surroundings.”

The sessions proved to be the greatest accomplishment for the Association and they look forward to bringing it back to Salalah for the next upcoming series. Sanad Al Rawahi said, “Hopefully for next season, we will add further activities associated with Go-karting as I think it’s important for us to conduct competitions and challenges, which will help us explore the hidden talents that have yet to be seen amongst the people.”

The partners who stood by

The Khareef Dhofar series has been partnered with and sponsored by the following organisations: Sohar International, Sohar Bank, Oman Airports, Redbull Mobile, Motul Oman, Mohsin Haider Darwish, Salam Air, Ministry of Sports Affairs, Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Salalah Municipality, Tulip Inn, Gang Plank, Salalah Grand Mall, View Park and Khareef Dhofar. The Oman Automobile Association presents the popular international drift competitions, Car Park Drift and Tandem Drift, on the 24th and 27th of August with magnificent success.

The drift events, which took place at Salalah’s Celebration Square, proved to be a great achievement, with the crowd admiring and enjoying the races as the drivers showcased their skills on the track. Drift Manager, Fahmi Al Busaidi said: “There were many memorable moments we can take out from this series and the audience were very supportive and cheerful all throughout as they turned up in large numbers.”

He added: “We had clear objectives set, which we achieved through proper planning and support from all our team members and management, which lead to two successful drift competitions.” The 16 Drivers from both the Car Park Drift and Tandem Drift held a terrific performance, with the latter delivering fascinating battles. Prior to the start of the championship, driver Hussein Messelmani from Lebanon, shares his thoughts on the drift tournaments.

He said, “Since our last competition in Muscat we have been waiting for another opportunity to compete in a drift event held by Oman Automobile Association, so we are very happy and excited to be a part of this series. I was also impressed with the beauty of the nature in Dhofar as it made me think I was back in Lebanon with the greenery and the ambience.”

The racers at Car Park Drift

The contestants of Car Park Drift, on August 24th, showed off their skills throughout the obstacle course, skidding at corners and bends as they strategically avoided the cones on the track. Race Director Ali Al Balushi said: “I created a difficult race track for the contestants, but they dealt with the challenge very professionally, which proved why they are amongst the best drift drivers within the Arab region and from around the world.”

Omani driver, Rafaat Al Yahyai was all smiles as he was earned first place in the Car Park Drift tournament. He said: “I am really happy to be standing here on this podium. I was excited to be competing amongst really great drivers and to participate in this event in Salalah.

“The competition was tough as this time it was not based on the car look and the smoke produced but only on the skills we performed on the course. This was a difficult track as it was quite tight compared to the arena in Muscat but the crowd and the weather here made up for it.”

The battles on August 27th were one of the best OAA had managed due to the smaller size of the track compared to Muscat’s Drift Arena. The crowd reacted to every moment of the event, including kids cheering at the top of their voices. Tandem Drift winner, Nikolas Solomon from the USA, said: “I feel great, I feel over the moon. I’m so happy I was able to take the first place here in Salalah, especially in such a beautiful place with beautiful weather with such great people.

“The track is amazing and to be honest I feel it has better potential and more grip than Muscat. And I want to say thank you to everybody from Salalah, I love this place and hopefully we come back for next season.”

The winners of Car Park Drift were: Rafaat Al Yahyai from Oman (1st Place), Ahmed Al Amri from Oman (2nd Place) and Mohammed Al Mansori from UAE (3rd Place).

The winners of Tandem Drift were: Nikolas Solomon from USA (1st Place), Mohammed Chehab from Lebanon (2nd Place), Mohammed Al Mansori from UAE (3rd Place).

The thrill at Bike Ride

Meanwhile, Crowds gather around the Bike Ride show whilst people queue up for the Digital Motorsports competition at the Salalah Grand Mall.

A selection of the finest modern and classic motorbikes from across the Gulf, were showcased in Salalah Grand Mall on the 19th and 29th of August for the public to admire and marvel at. The motorcycles were driven by the clubs, Nizwa Bikers and Oman Riders, from Muscat to Dhofar on separate days. The Nizwa Bikers, who arrived at the mall on the 19th, consisted of both Omanis and other Gulf nationals, whereas the Oman Riders, who arrived on the 29th, consisted of only locals.

Dr Mustafa Al Hashmi, Board Member of the Oman Riders Club, said: “We faced many challenges during the trip, such as the presence of sand storms in some areas, and the strong winds after leaving Duqm posed a big obstacle for novice riders, but the presence of experienced members in the team helped a lot in overcoming the difficulties we faced on the journey.”

He added, “We are very happy to be in the Governorate of Dhofar and in Salalah, the land of originality, and riding on motorcycles gave us double the pleasure of discovering its natural beauty, which God Almighty has endowed with many elements of tourist attractions within the Arab region.”

Since 2010, the journey from Muscat to Salalah has become an annual ride for the Oman riders, with this year being their twelfth expedition.

At the digital corner in the mall, simulations continued to hold the Khareef Digital Motorsport Championship since the 15th of July, in which the winning champions will be chosen to compete in the MENA Digital Final in Jordan. The game, Gran Turismo, held an increasing interest among both males and females, as the centre kept busy each day at the mall.

Digital Motorsport Manager, Masoud Al Hinai said: “The main idea was to have this event for drivers all over Oman, from Muscat to Dhofar, to compete in the last stage, the MENA final, and from among these participants we chose the best three drivers to represent Salalah in the next stage, the Oman MENA Digital Motorsport Qualifier.”

According to Masoud, there were a fair number of ladies coming back to the centre to practice and get better at the game. He said, “We did our best to get them out of their comfort zone and try something new, breaking that barrier of shyness.”

The winner of this championship series, Jamal Hamad Ramadhad Rihan, held the highest score of the Salalah championship. The 19-year-old said: “I really enjoyed trying this new activation of playing online against other contestants and getting the opportunity to compete in the MENA final.”

He added, “The game was challenging but I somehow managed to beat the record at the mall and earn first place and since it was at a difficult level, I am very happy with my achievement. I hope to do my very best and play till I reach the competition finals in Jordan as we will be competing against players from all over the Middle East.”

The reception at the OAA facility is open from 9AM to 9PM every day. Karting facilities at Muscat Speedway are open from 3.30PM to 11PM, from Monday to Saturday.