Abu Dhabi: The first day of the 35th Gulf News Fun Drive started in Abu Dhabi’s beautiful Liwa desert today, where over 2,500 people in over 800 cars participated in the action-packed event.
People from all backgrounds and from across the country got together to spend a fun day out with family and friends enjoying the spectacular Liwa scenery and at the same time testing their desert-driving skills.
The magnificent Liwa dunes did not disappoint in presenting challenges — in the way they stood tall and mighty, they presented steep slopes.
At 6am, participants drove in to the meeting point at Al Fathiya where an elaborate breakfast awaited them, preparing them for the challenging drive ahead.
But there were other participants whose enthusiasm for the Fun Drive led them to arrive at the site the previous evening.
Manu Vakkevarambli, Saleesh Zubair and Santo Ebraham, college friends from India, drove from Sharjah arriving at Al Fathiya at 1am. “We slept in our car, to ensure that we would be at the front [of the convoy in the morning],” said Vakkevarambli.
The three had participated in previous Fun Drives and each year, their confidence in their desert-driving skills grew and this time, they were determined to be at the head of the line-up. Their efforts paid off — their car was the second in the convoy at flag-off time.
As always with Fun Drive, many participants are returning enthusiasts, and many of them off-roading experts. Husband and wife Julianne and Michael Fabienne were participating in Fun Drive for the fourth time. “This is the weekend of the year we look forward to every year. It is so wonderful. We are off-roaders but [we get to] come to places we have never seen before and Liwa is, of course, the top of the tops. We are very happy to be here,” said Julian.
“It’s great that Gulf News continues this event. I love it,” said Michael.
The flag-off of the convoy, scheduled at 7.30am, was held up due to fog and groups of marshals set out at regular intervals to examine visibility before deciding at 9am that it was safe enough to flag off the convoy.
Ninety marshals were at hand to guide people through the 240km route and to assist them along the way. During breakfast, they could be seen mingling with participants, providing them with pointers for the drive ahead.
Zayed Al Ghareeb from Dubai has been marshalling for Fun Drive for the past seven years and returned this year for more action.
“I love dune driving, it is one of my hobbies and I love to help people,” he said. “We were looking for more fun and to help the people who may stuck in the sand.”
