Success of Dubai Motor Festival further enhances Dubai's position as top family tourism destination

• Curtain comes down on citywide “Passion on Wheels” which sets new benchmark for auto-themed entertainment
• Partners hail extraordinary initiative of DFRE aimed at showcasing Dubai’s motoring passion

Dubai’s growing appeal as a year-round tourism destination that offers endless family fun and entertainment has received a further boost with the conclusion of yet another successful edition of the Dubai Motor Festival (DMF).

DMF 2014, which was flagged off on 19 November, took its final bow on Saturday, 6 December after offering residents and visitors a gripping and action-packed three-week ride that captured the city’s unbridled passion for motoring.

Two new Guinness World Records, a breathtaking cavalcade of over 600 of the world’s most exotic cars and bikes, stunning supercars doubling up as taxis to offer customers free rides around the city, the adrenaline-pumping excitement of Formula One action, and a dedicated Motor Village packed with family-friendly activities were among the highlights of the citywide motoring extravaganza, which raised the bar on auto-themed entertainment and left crowds of enthralled families and motoring aficionados asking for more.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, the Dubai Motor Festival was organized by the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) under the theme ‘Passion on Wheels’.

H. E. Laila Mohammed Suhail, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), said : “As we celebrate a successful second edition of Dubai Motor Festival, it also reaffirms  the Dubai leadership’s  commitment to pioneering special tourism initiatives to position Dubai as  a year-round family tourism destination,  and further demonstrates that our  efforts to leverage the various festivals and events  to drive tourism growth, as part of our 2020 Tourism Vision, is reaping rich dividends. Once again, Dubai has proven it has the capability to organise world-class festivals that provide an incentive for residents and visitors to be in Dubai at any time of the year . We are indeed delighted with the response from families and tourists during the latest edition of Dubai Motor Festival, as well as the excellent feedback from our stakeholders in the government and private sectors , all of whom contributed immensely towards ensuring a memorable motoring season in Dubai”.

A spectacle like no other

 “In only its second year, the Dubai Motor Festival has taken its place not only as a key addition to the city’s list of annual festivals, but a spectacle like no other that one just cannot afford to miss - whether one is a motorsport enthusiast or not,” said Jin Chwen Ong, Director of Dubai Motor Festival. “It’s a festival that engages and entertains everyone, from ardent petrolheads to families and children, and it is this breathtaking sweep of appeal, along with the sheer scale and uniqueness of the events that made DMF such a favorite with people of all ages. One would be hard-pressed to find another motoring event - anywhere - that combines such an incredible range of world-class attractions and innovative events, featuring international celebrities, global brands and local and regional motoring stars. Indeed, we can assure everyone that this is just the beginning of our promise to showcase Dubai’s passion for motoring and its emergence as a motoring capital of the Middle East”.

The extent of community participation in the festival’s second edition is reflected in the fact that more than 10,000 people flocked to the region’s first Motor Village hosted at Meydan on 28 November - the showpiece day of DMF 2014 - to enjoy a multitude of auto-themed events headlined by the magnificent Dubai Grand Parade. Flagged off by Arab world’s leading motorsport figure Mohammed Bin Sulayem and led by Dubai Police’s supercars, the Parade offered an unforgettable experience for participants and spectators as a mass convoy comprising over 600 head-turning automobiles set off from Meydan on a tour of Dubai’s world-renowned landmarks.

The frenetic cheers of the crowd reverberated across the Motor Village as excitement reached new heights for some of the signature attractions of this year’s DMF. Leading the way was “Inspired Light by Infiniti”, a first of its kind car lighting show that blended art and technology to create a unique visual experience that left the audience spellbound, and the grand final of the Red Bull Car Park Drift which brought together the region’s best drifters as they sizzled the asphalt with their high-speed drifting maneuvers in front of a packed house. Jordanian Ahmad Daham, driving his Nissan Silvia, eventually emerged triumphant after an epic, three-hour contest that kept the audience on the edge of their seats.

Thousands of people flocked to the exclusive pavilions hosted at the Motor Village by Arabian Automobiles - which offered visitors a bevy of thrills in the form of an experiential test drive of the Nissan Patrol on a specially engineered 4x4 track and the full-motion racing simulation experience of the GT Academy Zone - as well as by dubizzle, which staged a number of special live events including live pop bang art, CarAoke, and a live art display on a MINI by dubizzle’s in-house artist.

The Motor Village also was the location of two new Guinness World Records set by Dubai - for the largest number of car brands in a single motorcade, with 58 of the world’s leading automotive marques taking part in a mass convoy that completed a 3.2-kilometre tour around the venue, and for the longest selfie relay that featured 289 participants joining hands to create history and sheer excitement.

Leveraging on the crowd-pulling appeal of the Motor Village was some of the world’s leading automotive companies who showcased their latest and popular models, among them luxury automotive atelier ARES, who for the first time in the region revealed a selection of its luxury supercars that included a Rolls-Royce Wraith, a Bentley Continental GT, an Aston Martin Rapide S, Aston Martin Vanquish and a Range Rover.

Finding itself firmly in the spotlight throughout this year’s Dubai Motor Festival was the Supercar Taxi - a unique chauffeur-driven service that offered customers the chance to ride around town in a million-dirham luxury car - absolutely free. With a fleet comprising show-stopping models such as the Ferrari California, Lamborghini Aventador, Rolls-Royce Wraith, and Bentley Continental GT, to name a few, the Supercar Taxi served up a delightful surprise for tourists and residents as it picked up customers from popular Dubai landmarks to ferry them to destinations within city limits.

Having kicked off with the adrenaline-packed Infiniti F1 Showrun, which featured four-time FIA Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel and his Infiniti Red Bull Racing teammate Daniel Ricciardo putting on a thrilling display of motorsport showmanship in front of a packed crowd at Skydive Dubai, DMF 2014 concluded on the same exhilarating note with the UAE National Race Day at Dubai Autodrome, which came alive in a flurry of high-octane racing events headlined by the Porsche GT3 Championship.

Dubai International Rally

Also hosted this year under the DMF umbrella was the 36th Dubai International Rally, the final round of the 2014 FIA Middle East Rally Championship.

Mohammed Bin Sulayem, 14-time FIA Middle East rally champion and President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, the national motor sport authority and organizers of the Dubai International Rally, said: “I’d like to thank and congratulate H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, for driving this initiative and for making it a success. I’m very happy that the Dubai International Rally has become one of the main attractions of the Dubai Motor Festival which, as it grows in the years ahead, can do more and more to send a positive image of the Emirate around the world. The festival adds to Dubai’s reputation for creating events that are enjoyed by visitors from around the world, and at home, and this is something that we have always set out to achieve over the years with the Dubai International Rally.”

AW Rostamani Group

Michel Ayat, CEO of Arabian Automobiles, the flagship company of AW Rostamani Group and the exclusive dealer for Nissan, Infiniti & Renault in Dubai and Northern Emirates, said: “Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment is an extremely important partner for us. We have had a highly successful and close bond for 19 years and will continue to work together as partners and colleagues as much as possible in the future. The Dubai Motor Festival is already one of the events dearest to our hearts and one where we will be able to make some of our greatest contributions. It is another wonderful initiative from DFRE and it is an excellent chance for us to play a key role in attracting business not only to the festival but to Dubai as a whole.”

AutoPro

Yousuf Harib, Manager of AutoPro, said: “The Dubai Grand Parade was a truly spectacular event highlighting the extraordinary growth of the city’s automotive sector and its remarkable range of cars, which reiterate Dubai's  status as the motoring hub of the region. The Dubai Government is committed to drive innovation, quality and excellence and our involvement in the Parade is part of our continuous efforts to contribute to the development of the country's motoring industry.

“It was very rewarding to see people from all age groups coming together to celebrate their passion for motoring as part of the celebrations of the 43rd UAE National Day in Dubai, and we are very proud of the flawless work delivered by our dedicated team of professionals on-site' Harib added.‎‎

Infiniti

Juergen Schmitz, Managing Director, Infiniti Middle East, 'We are proud to be part of the Dubai Motor Festival this year, we promised our audience to bring them world class experiences which challenge the norms of the premium automotive market. We have shared our passion for performance with our like-minded customers by bringing the Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula One Racing car (RB7) and the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge to the streets of Dubai'.

“And once again, Infiniti fulfilled another promise to continue to bring first class performances to its customers and fans when it presented its world-first ‘Inspired Light by Infiniti’ performance to the Dubai Motor Festival at Meydan' Schmitz added.

Red Bull

Alberto Chahoud, Regional Communications Manager for Red Bull, said: “Year on year, Red Bull Car Park Drift builds on its previous success with the best drifters in the region pushing their performance to new heights. We are glad to have raised the bar once more, with the event taking place in Dubai for the second year in a row under the umbrella of the Dubai Motor Festival.”

Chahoud also extended his thanks to the DFRE, Dubai Police and Dubai ambulances, as well as partners and sponsors including Ford Middle East, Sony, Meydan, Pirelli, MBC Action and Al Arabiya 99.

dubizzle

Commenting on dubizzle’s participation, Osman Bhurgri, Product Marketing Manager - Autos at dubizzle UAE, said: “We are delighted to have participated in the second annual Dubai Motor Festival this year. Our participation marks dubizzle’s first ever offline motoring activation in the region, and our stand at the Motor Village received visitors of all ages throughout the day. Visitors had the opportunity to test their skills on our F1 reaction game, sing Karaoke inside our CarAoke studio, enjoy a break in our chill and recharge area, watch our live art installations - an awesome and memorable event overall.”

ARES

Dany Bahar, Founder of automotive atelier, ARES said: 'We are very pleased that our UAE premiere was a part of this hugely successful event. We had hundreds of luxury supercar drivers and VIP guests view ARES portfolio of unique bespoke vehicles during the Dubai Grand Parade and the feedback from them and the thousands of car fans who just came to see what all the fuss was about was phenomenal. The event itself provided a great platform for us to launch ARES to the UAE car-loving population and we are very proud to have partnered with the organizers on this. Our confidence in the huge potential of the market was clearly visible during the event; there is a real need from the audience for bespoke luxury automotive vehicles that match their unique tastes and requirements. We are very excited to be here now, ready and able to respond to this increasing demand.”

Dubai Autodrome

Richard Birch, Dubai Autodrome General Manager, said: “Dubai Autodrome is proud and privileged to be part of the Dubai Motor Festival, and we applaud the initiative to take motoring to the people in such a vibrant manner. We hope that this becomes entrenched in Dubai’s prestigious annual calendar of events. We hope to be part of this celebration of motoring for years to come”.