Author: Arab NewsID: 1544196933262770500Fri, 2018-12-07 18:36
RIYADH: As the inaugural Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix approaches, with new Gen2 Formula E cars blitzing through the streets of historical Ad Diriyah and artists such as Enrique Iglesias, the Black Eyed Peas, Amr Diab and David Guetta playing, there is already thrilling racing action in Saudi, as only two spots remain in the ABB FIA Road to Ad Diriyah eSports Championship, a free car racing game with a SR1,000,000 prize pot.
Sixteen contestants will be invited to Ad Diriyah to battle it out in the live finals during the Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix. Ten qualified online, posting impressive lap times and taking up the majority of spots for the final heat. A further four spots were taken in Jeddah and Khobar, as there were two qualifying rounds on-site at the Road to Ad Diriyah events in both cities. This means there are two blank invitations to the Riyadh showdown. These will be determined after the last on-site qualifying, at the 2018 Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix.
Mubarak Al-Dossary, 27, qualified in Khobar. Normally working as an Admin Clerk at Saudi Aramco in Dhaharan, Mubarak loved the Championship: “Its great to compete with other drivers and work hard to get a winning lap.” He says that everyone should try this game because it “will give you a next level racing experience.”
Al-Dossary was humble before the show-down in Ad Diriyah: “Im ready to see the best drivers in the final, and wish the best of luck to everyone,” he said.
Abdullah Al-Dossary, 25, qualified in Khobar. In addition to working as an engineering aide at Saudi Aramco, he has been doing simulator racing for a few years, learning to know more circuits and sharpening his skills. This led him to qualify second for the McLaren Shadow Project Middle East 2018. “It was a fantastic chance to start eRacing,” he says.
“People should try the game and join the Championship because it improves you as a driver also in real life. I really look forward to competing in the Championship and will do my best to win!” Abdullah says.
Fahd Idrees, 37, is going to the Ad Diriyah finals from the Jeddah qualifying. The 16-finalist show down for the SR1,000,000 prize pot will be very different from his job as an operations manager at Bank AlJazira. “I truly look forward to traveling to Riyadh and living the experience as I am fascinated by this game and by Formula E racing.” As two weeks remain of the online qualifying for the championship, Fahd was keen to see more people trying out: “I have already encouraged all my friends to try the game online. I encourage everyone to try the experience.”
Abdulaziz Rayes, 23, from Jeddah, who works in the Traffic Control, qualified at the Road to Ad Diriyah. He is excited for the finals: “I love this game and like the competition. People should register and try because it is really fun and challenging,” he says.
The grand final of the ABB FIA Formula E Road to Ad Diriyah Esports Championship will take place on the Race Day of the Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix, December 15, promising a thrill only matched by that on the real-world race track. Tickets for the concerts with Enrique Iglasias, Jason Derulo, the Black Eyed Peas, David Guetta, Amr Diab and One Republic as well as the race are on sale now at www.fiaformulae.com/Ad-Diriyah from only SR395.
The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix is the first in a 10-year partnership between ABB FIA Formula E and the General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia (GSA) and the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation (SAMF).
For more information about Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix including schedule and tickets, visit: http://fiaformulae.com/Ad-Diriyah
Main category: Saudi ArabiaTags: saudia ad diriyah e-prixABB FIA Formula E ChampionshipFormula EFormula E Road to Ad Diriyah race Saudi team wins first prize at eSports world championshipBasketball legend Michael Jordan invests in eSports franchise
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