Oil, sand and speed: Saudi gearheads take on towering dunes

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," 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.



Saudi Arabia, as the world's biggest oil exporter, enjoys bargain-basement gasoline prices, with a litre costing just 2.33 riyals ($0.62).

The cheap fuel, combined with prolonged periods of extreme heat, means cars reign supreme in the kingdom -- further fuelling a passion for motorsports. 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, Rabea told AFP.

Crowds made up almost exclusively of men looked on, drinking coffee and tea on carpets strewn on the sand. Engines roared, crowds cheered and plumes of dust rose with every turn of the wheels. "We wait for this moment all year.

We optimise the engine, the car, every single detail," Rabea said. At the foot of the dune, modified cars and trucks with oversized tyres and powerful engines were lined up, waiting to take on the dunes. Their drivers were making final adjustments to the vehicles, preparing to defy gravity racing uphill at dizzying speed.

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. One experienced drifter, Ahmed al-Rumi told AFP that drivers modified their cars to improve performance months in advance. But the extreme sport is not without risk.

"A while ago, there was an accident because the car was not fully safe," Rumi said, adding that no one was hurt. Many of the drivers, however, brushed off the risk of accidents, citing safety precautions they take. In his 2014 book "Joyriding in Riyadh: Oil, Urbanism, and Road Revolt", researcher Pascal Menoret said this passion for speed and high-risk manoeuvres was rooted in a desire to project an image of power and masculinity.

At sunset the drivers headed home, leaving behind splotches of oil on the sand and track marks scarring the dunes. But Amar said the gas-guzzling sport was not necessarily in conflict with nature. "I grew up on a farm and I've always loved the dunes," he said.

"Now, I bring along my son who shares the same passion." rs-sar/aya/smw/jfx.