Dubai: Registration for next month’s “Gulf News Overnighter Fun Drive” will open on Friday at the Gulf News office near Safa Park in Dubai.
Participants will need to fill out an entry form that will appear in an advertisement on Friday. Registration timings are 9am to 2pm and preference will be given to Gulf News subscribers.
Registration will also be open from Saturday to Thursday in Abu Dhabi (9am-1pm) and in Al Ain, from Sunday to Thursday (9am-11am).
The Fun Drive will be held in Umm Al Quwain on January 10-11 (Friday and Saturday). Participants will embark on an eight-hour “loop” on Friday that will bring them back to a desert camp, where they will stay overnight and leave the camp on Saturday morning.
Besides dune-bashing thrills and scenic landscapes, there will be entertainment and refreshments awaiting off-roaders at the camp.
The 2014 Fun Drive, supported by Al Futtaim Motors — Toyota, will be held in the emirate of Umm Al Quwain. The latest edition is a loop as it will start and end in the emirate.
The event will start at the UAE Motorplex Umm Al Quwain and participants will depart after breakfast. After the desert drive, they will arrive at the camp, located in Al Aqran area.
The drive will be challenging as it will cover sandy and hilly terrain, but also very scenic as it will offer spectacular views of the landscape.
The new camp, meanwhile, is also set in the picturesque desert and promises to be one of the best in the history of the Fun Drive, being held since 1986.
On January 10, participants will start arriving from 6am onwards. They will park in the designated spaces, walk over to the check-in stations to complete formalities, have breakfast and collect various goodies.
They will then deflate tyres — for greater manoeuvrability in sand — and line up for departure. The lead car will be flagged off at 7.30am and convoys will follow. After the eight-hour drive, the first vehicles will start arriving at the campsite by 4pm.
Amenities at the camp include community tents, port-a-loos, food and beverages. There will also be an entertainment programme, which includes camel rides, circus shows, a magic show for children, a DJ and live band and also a belly dancer. There will also be plenty of activities at the sponsors’ tents.
After the overnight stay, breakfast will be served between 7am to 9am. Participants will then leave for their homes.
The Fun Drive is a strong tradition at Gulf News.
In 1986, Gulf News started the first edition as an opportunity for people in the region to experience the desert. The first event was held as a Day Drive, with a participation of 75 four-wheelers.
As the adventure’s popularity grew, Gulf News added another dimension to the Fun Drive — the Overnighter and made it a two-day event with an overnight stay in the desert. In 1997, over 750 vehicles and more than 2,500 people took part.
Gulf News has restricted the vehicle count to 750 in Overnighters.
The latest edition will mark the 28th year of the Fun Drive, and its 33rd edition (Gulf News ran two events in certain years).
So far, there have been seven Day Drives, 21 Overnighters, one Abu Dhabi Day Drive and three Friday Fun Drives.
The Fun Drive is not a rally or race, but a fun event for the whole family. It is an opportunity to safely venture into the desert, with charted routes, detailed instructions and help at hand.
