Gulf News Friday Fun Drive

The Gulf News Friday Fun Drive, supported by Al Futtaim Motors - Toyota is being held on Friday, 6th February, 2009.

This is a one day event, which will start from The Sevens Club on Al Ain Road, after breakfast and end with a barbecue at the picturesque Hatta Fort Hotel.

The Gulf News Fun Drive was designed to give people an opportunity to experience the desert. The first one was held in 1986 and a total of 75 four-wheel drives participated.

In 1989, Gulf News added another dimension to the Fun Drive by converting it to a two-day event with an overnight stay in the desert. Since then, every Overnighter Fun Drive has had 750 cars participating. In response to an overwhelming demand for more off road events, Gulf News started organising the Friday Fun Drive and this is the fifth one in this series.

Challenging sand stretches and spectacular scenery make this route very special, but the dunes and the Hajjar Mountain section will surely test the driving skills of veterans and give novices an ideal opportunity to hone their off road driving skills.

Jum Ali Khan is Route Director and Jack Pearce is Deputy Route Director. Jack Pearce and the Project Leaders David Aldis, David Pollitt and Saliya Jayaweera have put in hundreds of hours, very often in trying climactic conditions, in designing this fabulous route. Around 50 highly experienced marshals will be present along the route to assist and guide participants. A team of 150 Gulf News personnel will also be involved with the event, manning check-points and taking care of all organisational details. IATC, led by Managing Director Hamad Ali Al Mazroui will be in charge of recovery.

Sponsors

Al Futtaim Motors – Toyota are the main sponsors of the event, just as they have been over the last twenty years. Checkpoints are sponsored by Toyota, AXA, Dubai Duty Free, Bridgestone and Lacnor. The Fun Drive numbers and the goody bags are being provided by Emirates NBD. The Wheel Covers are sponsored by
LG Car Infotainment. The Fun Drive is supported by Coleman,
Oasis , Multilink, The Sevens, Hatta Fort Hotel.

The Gulf News Friday Fun Drive is being held with the support of
the Emirates Motor Sports Federation.

Registration

Registration for the event commences today and participants can register between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m at the Gulf News offices on Sheikh Zayed Road, every day, holidays included. Abu Dhabi and Al Ain participants can register at the respective Gulf News offices between 9 am and 2 pm on working days only.

The rates are Dhs 220 per adult and Dhs 100 per child.

The Fun Drive is an event for four-wheel drive vehicles only. A maximum of four passengers plus driver will be allowed.
Participants are reminded to ensure that there are enough seat belts for all passengers.

Entry for the Fun Drive is open to all, but preference will be given to Gulf News subscribers. Details appear in the advertisement, which has been published in Thursday's print edition.