Dubai Motor Festival to mark UAE's 36th Anniversary

Motor enthusiasts from across the UAE will come together in Dubai on Saturday for a unique event staged to mark the 36th Anniversary of the formation of the UAE.

Organised by the Automobile and Touring Club (ATC) with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Community Development, Innovation 36 will feature a parade of customised vehicles linked to a beach carnival of family activities in Al Mamzar.

Individual enthusiasts, and most of the UAE’s numerous motor clubs, are currently preparing and polishing a huge range of custom cars, trucks, SUVs, sports cars, bikes and quads for what promises to be a spectacular display of customised machinery.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the ATC, finalised plans for Innovation 36 with the UAE Minister of Culture Youth & Community Development, H.E.Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais.

"We’re grateful to the Ministry for giving us their full support to stage this motoring festival," said Sulayem. "The UAE has always had a strong tradition in motoring, and motor sport, and this is an appropriate way for us to mark the formation of our country."

Up to 200 custom cars, trucks bikes and quads are expected to take part in Innovation 36 which gets under way with a parade of all the vehicles starting at 2pm on Saturday beside Palm Strip on Jumeirah Beach Road in Dubai.

From there the procession will head for the Al Mamzar Corniche where the impressive array of motor machinery will be on display in the parking bays on Alexandria Street from 3pm.

Other family attractions include a range of childrens’ activities, a beach barbeque and music by DJ, and following the evening judging for a range of awards the event will be rounded off by a 10pm fireworks display.

Creating some extra motoring buzz on the Al Mamzar Corniche, the 2007 Dubai International Rally, also organised by the EATC, will have its official finish at the same location at 4.30pm.

Members of the BMW, Seat, Hummar, VW, and Audi clubs will be among those trying for trophies and cash prizes in a variety of categories which will be judged between  7pm-8.30pm by a panel headed by Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Sulayem, the 14-times Middle East rally champion, will personally select the outstanding vehicle for the King of the Show Award, with the prize giving taking place at 9pm.

"UAE enthusiasts with a passion for motoring have some fantastic custom cars, and I think the general public might be surprised by some of the very impressive vehicles we’ll be seeing on Saturday," he said.

Custom cars first became prominent in American pop culture in the 1950s. Basically, a custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been modified to make it look "unique", unlike any car that might have been factory finished.

This is a particularly busy time for the Emirates Automobile and Touring Club, which is the officially the sole nominated representative in the Emirates of both the FIA, motor sport’s world governing body, and its motor cycling counterpart, the FIM.

This Club has just moved into its new headquarters in Al Mamzar from where it will be centralising its control of motor sport in the Emirates as well as its services for motoring tourists and travellers.

The new premises have been built on a 30,000 sq ft plot allocated by H.H.Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Club’s patron.

The Dubai International Rally, which is being staged by the Club this weekend under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed’s son, H.H. Sheikh Mayed bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, rounds off the 2007 FIA Middle East Rally Championship.

- Tony Lewis, Total Communications, Dubai also photos -