'A real rush of adrenaline': Saudi Arabia gearheads take on towering dunes
Sport
Droves of people flock to Zulfi where adrenaline-seeking motorists drive superpowered cars across steep dunes
AFP
Az Zulfi, Saudi Arabia, April 2, 2025 (AFP)
April 02, 2025
Wearing a helmet and strapped securely into his four-wheel-drive, Abdelilah Al Rabea tore off across the Saudi desert, kicking up clouds of sand as a crowd of hundreds cheered him on.
Every year through the end of April, droves of people flock to Zulfi, more than 200 kilometres northwest of Riyadh, where adrenaline-seeking motorists drive superpowered cars across steep dunes.
Dune bashing, or tatees in Arabic, is an adventure sport that involves driving off-road across challenging desert landscapes, and has long been a popular pastime in the oil-rich kingdom.
"This is a popular sport in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf because we have these dunes," Al Rabea said.
It requires "considerable effort", he added, but the payoff is "a real rush of adrenaline".
Abdallah Al Amar, who came to watch the show with his son, said spectators were willing to "travel great distances" for the meets, flocking from all over the country to watch the drivers perform their stunts.
In Zulfi, hundreds of cars and pick-up trucks dotted the sands as far as the eye can see, while nearby a motorist raced up a 100-metre-tall dune.
"The cars you see here are specially equipped" for the challenge, Al Rabea told AFP.
"We wait for this moment all year. We optimise the engine, the car, every single detail."
For many, dune bashing and desert drifting is a passion that began in adolescence.
Badr Al Ghamas, a 33-year-old man from Al Qassim, began practising the sport when he was only 15 years old.
"For some, sports means to play football or swimming. For us, it's going dune bashing," he said with a smile.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Etihad
an hour ago
- Al Etihad
Ronaldo's Portugal beat Spain on penalties to win Nations League
9 June 2025 08:26 Munich (AFP)Ruben Neves scored the decisive spot kick after Alvaro Morata missed as Portugal beat Spain 5-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in Munich on Sunday to claim their second Nations League twice went behind in regulation time but twice fought back to level the scores. "Our fighting spirit and togetherness were decisive today," Bruno Fernandes, who converted his penalty, told RTL. "When we stay together like this, we're very difficult to beat."After 21 minutes, Martin Zubimendi took advantage of some sleepy Portugal defence to put Spain in front. The brilliant Nuno Mendes levelled things up five minutes Oyarzabal, Spain's goalscorer in the Euro 2024 final and the 2023 Nations League final, put La Roja back in front just before the Ronaldo, quiet as he had been before scoring the winner against Germany in the semis, equalised with 61 minutes gone, adjusting quickly after a Mendes cross was deflected into the air, muscling past Marc Cucurella and volleying the dropping ball was subbed off before full-time with cramp. Even though Portugal had the better of extra time, the match went to sides converted their first three spot kicks. Mendes buried Portugal's fourth, before Morata stepped up and shot straight at Diogo Costa. Neves nervelessly converted in front of the red and green of the Portugal fans. On the sidelines, Ronaldo could not watch the final penalty, burying his face in a teammate's back. Once Neves converted, the Portugal veteran fell to his knees and was embraced by players and staff. The victory was just Portugal's second competitive win over Iberian rival Spain in their long history. Portugal's only other win over Spain in a competitive fixture was a 1-0 victory which booted the Spaniards out of Euro 2004, with a 19-year-old Ronaldo on the left became the first two-time winner of the Nations League, launched in 2018. It was Portugal's third major title, along with Euro 2016. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said the match was "equal". "We did a lot well, but in football sometimes things happen and the opponent is able to beat you," he said. Portugal equalise twice While Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal's fluid movement troubled the Portugese defence early in the match, La Roja's opener was chipped from outside the box and the Portugal defence froze, botching a clearance which fell to Zubimendi, who leathered the ball into the net. The goal was just rewards for Spain's early dominance, but Portugal hit back almost immediately. Mendes, put through by Pedro Neto, drilled a low shot across the goal and in. Just before halftime, Spain picked Portugal's pocket in their own half before advancing. Pedri linked with Oyarzabal, who threaded the ball past Diogo goal meant he has scored in three international finals -- against England at Euro 2024, which Spain won, and the 2023 and 2025 Nations Leagues, which Spain had done little other than encourage the heavily Portuguese crowd until that point but would pick his moment to strike. With 61 minutes gone, Mendes shed a defender and whipped in a cross. The ball took a deflection and Ronaldo outmuscled Cucurella before lashing a volley home. The goal was Ronaldo's fourth in 10 matches against Spain. The previous three all coming in a wild 3-3 draw at the 2018 World in the dying stages of regulation time, Ronaldo fell to the turf with three minutes left and signalled to the bench that his night was over. Spain may have been confident when the match went to extra time, having won on penalties in 2023, but Portugal were faultless, Neves stepping up and converting to send his teammates, including a hobbled Ronaldo, streaming onto the pitch.
Al Etihad
2 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Trump travel ban in effect from today, citizens from 12 nations barred from US
9 June 2025 08:39 Washington (AFP)President Donald Trump's sweeping new travel ban came into effect early on Monday immediately after midnight, barring citizens from a dozen nations from entering the United States and reviving a divisive measure from his first move is expected to disrupt refugee pathways and further restrict immigration as the Trump administration expands its crackdown on illegal of the nations covered by the restrictions have adversarial relations with the United States, such as Iran and Afghanistan, while others face severe crises, like Haiti and announcing his restrictions last week, Trump said the new measure was spurred by a recent "terrorist attack" in Colorado. The group had been protesting in solidarity with hostages held in Gaza when they were assaulted by a man the White House said had overstayed his attack, Trump said, "underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted" or who overstay their move bans all travel to the United States by nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, according to the White also imposed a partial ban on travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Some temporary work visas from those countries will be countries could be added, Trump warned, "as threats emerge around the world." World Cup, Olympics, diplomats excluded The ban will not apply to athletes competing in the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, or in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Trump's order will it apply to diplomats from the targeted Nations rights chief Volker Turk warned that "the broad and sweeping nature of the new travel ban raises concerns from the perspective of international law." US Democratic lawmakers and elected officials blasted the ban as draconian and of a new travel ban had circulated following the Colorado attack, with Trump's administration vowing to pursue "terrorists" living in the United States on officials said suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national according to court documents, was in the country illegally having overstayed a tourist visa, but that he had applied for asylum in September 2022. Trump's new travel ban notably does not include Egypt.
Al Etihad
a day ago
- Al Etihad
Gauff clinches French Open title after epic win over Sabalenka
8 June 2025 11:37 PARIS (AFP)Coco Gauff secured her French Open title on Saturday with a victory over Aryna Sabalenka, and said a maiden French Open trophy was "one I really wanted".The 21-year-old secured a hard-fought 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-4 win over the world number one in difficult, windy conditions at Roland Garros.'I felt like this is one I really wanted, because I do think this was one of the tournaments that when I was younger that I felt I had the best shot of winning,' the American said."So I just felt like if I went through my career and didn't get at least one of these, I would feel regrets and stuff. Today, playing Aryna, I was just, 'I just gotta go for it and try my best to get through the match.'"It was a long-awaited success for Gauff, who was in tears after losing the 2022 French Open final to Iga Swiatek as a teenager. She had also reached at least the quarter-finals in Paris in each of the previous four years.'That ceremony when Iga won, I just remembered trying to take it all in and pay attention to every detail and just feel like I wanted that experience for myself,' added the world number two, who also came back from a set down to beat Sabalenka in the 2023 US Open is the first woman to beat a world number one in a Grand Slam final from a set down since Venus Williams against Lindsay Davenport at Wimbledon in 2005. It was Gauff's first title since lifting the WTA Finals trophy last year, after suffering final defeats in both the Madrid and Italian Opens to Sabalenka and Jasmine Paolini respectively.
