Motoring Middle East: Car news, Reviews and Buying guides

The Dubai Chase is more than just a fun car event, it’s a sea-change, and it’s the future

By Shahzad Sheikh

Where you can drag-race your mates, without worrying about the cops

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Spent all of Friday afternoon and evening at the Dubai Autodrome this weekend. Outside of an official manufacturer launch event, that’s probably the longest I’ve ever stayed there.

Where you can buy more toys!

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Admittedly I was working. But even if I wasn’t, I’d still have hung around. And I wasn’t the only one, I bumped into a lot of friends, colleagues and many of you guys there – in fact it was probably the busiest that I’d seen the Autodrome for a long time.

Where you can see a serious Pro-Drift car line up alongside its totally stock relative

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Okay, so there was a lot going on – the season finale UAE National Race day and final awards presentation, overlapped with the beginning of the third edition of the street racing-style festival of cars, motoring and speed, that is dubbed: The Dubai Chase.

Where you can drift on the small scale as well as the big

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However, whilst there was some crossover for sure, it was very interesting to note that by and large, there were two different types of participants and spectators, and most who were there for the National Race series didn’t hang around too long during The Chase.

Where you can be a hero

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But first, what is The Chase; what happens there? Well it’s where grass-roots level Autocross racing, street-style drag-racing, spectacular sideways antics, and a classic, tuned and customised car show – not to mention R/C Drift championships and car stereo sound-offs, all combine together to create a carnival of car culture in action.

Where you’ll find a racy lady showing you how it’s done

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I left way after midnight, and there were still people there, all winding down and having a great time. There was a real buzz and a lively atmosphere. Full gallery of images on our Facebook page. 

Where you can see lots of smokin tyres

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‘Drive safe, and save it for the track,’ that’s the overriding message of The Chase according to the man behind it all, Mohammad Al Falasi of Motorsport Solutions – he also runs the Drift UAE championship and has started the Drift Academy.

Where you can win stuff

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For him the concept has always been a no-brainer. We love cars and bikes in the region and particularly in the UAE. Admittedly we also like speed and the thrill of power. But unfortunately, public roads have traditionally been the outlet for those passions, not the purpose-built tracks and circuits.

Where the judges are having fun too

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The ‘Take it to the Track’ message has been propagated for some time, but the reality has usually failed to measure up to the message, which sadly hasn’t quite permeated the psyche of youthful exuberance behind the wheels of high-powered cars.

Where all the cool people hang out, wherever they’re from

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Track days? Sure. Not too expensive. However you’re not racing anyone but yourself, and doing lap after lap gets a bit dull after a while, even flat out.

Where you can show off your Truck

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Take up racing? Indeed it’s probably more accessible here than in most places and the costs are lower. But it still ain’t cheap. Just getting a race licence could cost you in the region of AED2000, and that’s before you’ve spent anything on certified face-suits, helmets, roll-cages, fire-safety etc…

Where OTT works

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Yeah, of course motorsports of any kind isn’t cheap, and even some of the hard-core Autocross guys are fully kitted out, as for the pro-drift teams, they are totally full-on.

Where, for a AED100, a girl will give you the ride of your life – legitimately!

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Then there are the rules and regulations in National Series Racing, lots of them, off-putting amounts of them. Which of course Autocrossing, Drifting and Drag racing have too, and sometimes discussion and debate regarding them can become quite heated and intense, as they did on Friday, but they’re still less complex and easier to grapple with.

Where pretty girls will pose for you

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Nonetheless, whilst there are similarities, ultimately the National Series has dwindled in recent times, and what little interest there was in circuit racing has waned substantially of late.

Where you can see old, new and modified metal all together

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On the other hand, whatever the appeal is of Drifting, Autocrossing and Drag racing, whether it’s accessibility, affordability, simplicity, or perhaps that the action is fast, furious and confined so its easier to spectate, the fact is that it has clicked, and it’s growing in popularity. Growing very quickly indeed.

Where Transformers don’t transform

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The excitable, charismatic and hard-working Al Falasi has managed to capture the zeitgeist and he knows it. Talking of the success of the third instalment of The Chase, he told me: ‘it’s on the right path to what I had imagined, to bring the motorsports and car tuning communities together.’

Where you can talk to fellow enthusiasts

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Al Falasi wants to highlight the depth of skill, talent and creativity in the underground car culture and package it in manner more appealing to the mainstream. He’s not only right about this strategy, but he’s doing it, and it’s actually working.

Where you can bite the Bullitt

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Friday was fun day out for everyone – fans of motor racing, car customisation, model and R/C cars and even music – the rap about The Chase at the end of the awards ceremony was brilliant and a clever touch!

Where you can show off your pride and joy

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This event is cool, exciting and fun in sharp contrast to the National Race Series events which are dull to watch, tedious to follow, comparatively elitist, and frankly speaking the only people that seem to care about the racing are those directly involved.

Where you can take home the silver – armfuls of it!

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Of course criticism could be levelled at the media for not promoting it and building it up, perhaps it would be justified. But speaking for myself, believe you me, I’ve tried in the past to do exactly that through CAR Middle East magazine and a little through MME. But you know what I found? The readers (ie YOU lot) weren’t interested.

Where you can play with your toys in public

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Autocrossing, drag-racing and drifting, on the other hand, is something that seems to have captured your attention and imagination. Anyone can try these sports, and even if they’re not actually taking part, they can be contemplating it, because they really are that accessible. And it doesn’t even matter if you’re not very good. It’s sensational stuff to watch and it makes you think. Heck, it makes me think – and I’ve never been a racer!

Where you can pose next to a US-built purpose built Ford Mustang Drift car from Saudi Arabia

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If you’re now kicking yourself because you missed The Dubai Chase, don’t worry, there is another round of UAE Drift still to go at Yas Marina (dates will be announced on our FB page – Facebook.com/MotoringMiddleEast) before the summer hiatus, and The Dubai Chase will be back, probably in late November.

Where old meets new and then some

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‘We are considering The Chase in other Emirates as well, although the concept restricts it a bit to circuits. I also hope circuits around the region will allow us to run The Chase in their venues, just as the Autodrome has supported us from the very first event.’

Where you can get snap-happy – if you’re quick!

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The implication is clear, The Chase, fittingly, is on the move. I’ve known Al Falasi for a while now and have witnessed his relentless determination, unflinching commitment even in the face of obstacles and his sky-high ambition – almost everything he’s told he has set out to do, he’s done or is on route to achieving – in a town full of talk and very little walk, that’s impressive.

Where others fear to go…

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He may not always get it right, but he and his dedicated and terrific team are constantly learning and improving, and his good-humoured, remarkably gentle nature keeps them all motivated and moving forward.

Where you can drive it like you stole it

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Spend some time with him and you can’t help but admire the man, particularly when you realise that as a former racer with a cabinet full of trophies and a pretty impressive resume outside of the car world too, he doesn’t have to keep putting himself through the organisational nightmares and terrible torment that event management can be (believe us, we know!). But he does. Regularly. And for this reason we applaud him and wish him God Speed.

Where you can meet the legendary Bear Garcia

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With or without Al Falasi, one thing is for certain though, circuit racing is all very well, but the writing is on the pit wall. This is where the future of motorsport in the region lies, at least in the short term. It may not give us the region’s first F1 champion after all, but it will give a lot of people a lot of pleasure and a chance to really enjoy cars and car culture.

And surely that’s what Motoring in the Middle East is all about?

Where you can witness some tight twin-drift battling

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Were you at The Dubai Chase 3? Tell us what you thought of it below