Racing season in the Persian Gulf has all but come to an end with the Formula One Grand Prix in Bahrain. Prior to Bahrain there was the annual Dubai World Cup, the richest horse race in the world; the Formula One power boat race in Sharjah; the Red Bull Air Race in Abu Dhabi; the Dubai off-road desert rally; a number of sailing regattas and oh yes, let us not forget the weekly camel races (though they have lost a lot of their pizzazz after child welfare groups forced the Emeratis to replace pre teen Indian and Pakistani boys with robotic jockeys).
The end of racing usually means the end of winter. From now on each day becomes hotter than the previous and the only thing to look forward to is an early exodus before the onslaught of summer.
This year I was fortunate to have covered two of the most prestigious races; the 12th running of the Dubai World Cup followed by Formula One in Bahrain. The last time I covered the Dubai World Cup was in 1996, the first year the race was held, when the American horse Cigar won then a record breaking $4 million. Today the prize has risen to $6 million with the total prize money for all seven races held on that day worth $21.25 million dollars.
There is a right way and a wrong way to host international events that are supposed to attract people from all over the world. Dubai with its vast financial resources never ceases to amaze, especially when it comes to its ability to momentarily morph from a desert kingdom to Kentucky or Ascot and over 12 years the World Cup has just gotten better and more exciting. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Bahrain’s Formula One.
Formula One racing is the richest and most powerful sport in the world. It ranks alongside football’s World Cup and the Olympics and according to Russell Hotten, author of “Formula One: the Business of Winning,” some grand prix races are watched by TV audiences of 800 million. And, unlike the World Cup or the Olympics which take place every four years, Grand Prixs are held 11 times a year. Formula One is more than just a race; it is an opportunity for the biggest players in the auto industry to test out hundreds of millions of dollars worth of research and development. I asked one long time Formula one journalist why the likes of Ferrari, McLarens and BMW Sauber are always atop the leader board. “$400 million dollars,” he replied. “Ferrari invests $400 million more than, let’s say, Etihad Aldar for the same car.”
Lacking in glamor
You would think that kind of money would come with a lot of glamour. But from what I saw in Bahrain, the glamour came only in the 90 minutes of racing. When you mention Monte Carlo, Indianapolis, Sao Paulo one not only conjures up visions of motor sports but more importantly the atmosphere that surrounds the sport. Unfortunately that was all lacking in Bahrain. For the first two days of practice sessions and time trials there was hardly anyone to be seen in the stands. On race day there were more people but the race track was far from full capacity. When the final lap was finished, the stands emptied and everyone went home. The magic that attracts and the magic that makes people linger long after the checkered flag amid the whiff of burnt rubber and the stench of sweat and gasoline was not there.
Part of the problems was obvious. Tickets were expensive and even if you were willing to buy a ticket there was always the problem of getting to the track, a half hour drive from the capital. There was no public transportation, only taxis who were charging anywhere from 20 to 30 Dinars ($50 to $80 dollars) for a one-way trip.
In a country that has always prided itself for its liberal stand on entertainment and alcohol, why did it suddenly clam up on race day and force the winners to celebrate with an alcohol-free rose-flavored carbonated beverage that came in what appeared to be a Champagne bottle? Why did the authorities revoke visas for single women who they deemed unfit and then prevented other single women from entering to the country. Celebrities? Hmmm. Ok, former tennis legend Boris Becker was present, as was a Porsche-sponsored Miss South Africa but where are all the western expatriates? It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why a bunch of fair skinned westerners didn’t show up at a race track in the middle of a desert just to sit in the sun and watch cars going round in circles without something refreshing in their hands!
Booze brings the people
Dubai, on the other hand knew what it had to do. Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum deemed the race venue an international zone and racing lovers partied all day. And guess what? An estimated 50,000 people attended the one-day event, many flying in on chartered planes from far-flung destinations.
But Dubai makes it a point of allowing in those less fortunate than the free-wheeling jet-setters. Since the first race back in 1996, the outer perimeter of the track below the grandstands is reserved for Sudanese, Egyptian, Somali and other laborers who set up small camps on blankets with their families. I compare them to the deck-class passengers on luxury liners of the early 20th century; everyone is going in the same direction it’s just a matter of in what comfort. Bahrain could learn a thing or two from the Emirates on how to run an event.
Next year, when Formula One comes back to Bahrain the authorities should put on some public transportation and offer discounted tickets. Most importantly, it should inject a bit of fun. For in 2009, Abu Dhabi will be added to the Formula One circuit. What that means for Bahrain is anyone’s guess given that their contract comes up for renewal shortly thereafter. What Bahrain does not want to happen is to be upstaged by Abu Dhabi, particularly when it was the Bahrainis who had the honor of bringing Formula One to this part of the world in the first place. Then again, isn’t competition what it’s all about?
