Dubai: The wait is over! The details of the Gulf News Overnighter Fun Drive 2020 have been announced and it is going to be a brand new route with a new camp.
Supported by Al Futtaim Motors – Toyota and in association with Tilal Swaihan, ADNEC, the Gulf News Fun Drive 2020 will be held on January 17 and 18.
Online Registration for the Fun Drive opens at 9 am on Saturday, December 28.
The annual Fun Drive is always one of the most eagerly awaited events of the year and the 2020 event promises to be a very special one in a special year.
The event is entitled the ‘Tilal Swaihan Experience’ and is being held for the first time in the Overnighter format in the Al Ain region.
It also has other ‘firsts’, i.e. it is a ‘Loop’, which means that it will start and end at Tilal Swaihan, in one overall location, but different activity areas.
Another first is the route, which is brand new and traverses challenging sand sections never used in the history of the Fun Drive.
And finally, we have a new camp that is compact, yet very spacious and comfortable.
Saud Abbasi, managing director, Al Futtaim Motors – Toyota, stated: “We are extremely pleased to continue our long-standing association with the Gulf News Fun Drive. Every year, the event gets bigger and better and this edition will be no different.”
Abbasi added: “The overnight Fun Drive provides us with another great platform to engage with our customers and truly showcase the capabilities of our off-road vehicles which are known for their durability, reliability and bullet-proof quality.”
34 years of Fun Drive
The 2020 edition will be the 34th year of the Fun Drive. But as we have run two events in certain years, this Fun Drive will be the 39th.
The first Fun Drive was a Day Drive only and was held on March 28, 1986. So far, we have done seven Day Drives, 27 Overnighters, one Abu Dhabi Day Drive and three Friday Fun Drives, thus making 39 with the next one.
The Tilal Swaihan Experience is an introduction to this superb location which is going to provide an unforgettable weekend for Fun Drivers.
It is being organized with invaluable inputs from the Tilal Swaihan Committee and also Al Ain Municipality.
Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, chairman, committee of Tilal Swaihan Festival said: “We are truly excited to be associated with the Gulf News Overnighter Fun Drive and we are looking forward to welcoming all the participants to Tilal Swaihan to experience the warmth and hospitality of this event.”
He added: “We want to give Fun Drivers an unforgettable experience for their weekend in Tilal Swaihan, in a stunning setting with every possible amenity.”
The 2020 Event
The GN Fun Drive 2020 will start on January 17, Friday, from Tilal Swaihan. Participants will check in here, have breakfast, collect their goodies and line up for departure. Flag off will be at 9 am.
After a seven hour-drive, participants will start arriving back at Tilal Swaihan camp where they will stay overnight and leave the next morning, after breakfast.
The Fun Drive is not a rally or race, but an event of fun for the whole family. It is an opportunity to venture, without worry, into the desert, because of the charted route, detailed instruction and help at hand. It is also an opportunity to enjoy an outdoors weekend of companionship, where around 3000 persons stay at the camp in a congenial and secure atmosphere and savour the delights of five-star catering, continuous live entertainment and communal living.
How to register
Online registration for the Gulf News Overnighter Fun Drive 2020 can be done through the website www.gnfundrive.com starting from 9 am on Saturday, December 28.
More details about the registration can be seen in the GN Fun Drive Registration advertisement, which will come out in Gulf News print edition on Friday, December 27.
The entry fee, inclusive of VAT, is Dh500 per adult and Dh210 per child under 12.
Children under four can join for free.
