Motorsport fans soak up Formula E atmosphere on Khobar Corniche

1 / 3
Fans flocked to Khobar’s Corniche to soak up the Formula E atmosphere at the ‘Touring E-Village,’ set up to promote next month’s Saudia Ad Diriyah E Prix. (Supplied)
2 / 3
Fans flocked to Khobar’s Corniche to soak up the Formula E atmosphere at the ‘Touring E-Village,’ set up to promote next month’s Saudia Ad Diriyah E Prix. (Supplied)
3 / 3
Fans flocked to Khobar’s Corniche to soak up the Formula E atmosphere at the ‘Touring E-Village,’ set up to promote next month’s Saudia Ad Diriyah E Prix. (Supplied)
Updated 14 December 2018
Follow

Motorsport fans soak up Formula E atmosphere on Khobar Corniche

KHOBAR: Fans flocked to Khobar’s Corniche to soak up the Formula E atmosphere at the ‘Touring E-Village,’ set up to promote next month’s Saudia Ad Diriyah E Prix.
Running from Nov 8 to 10, the Khobar event is a three-day festival of racing, culture, music and entertainment.
Some of the activities include racing simulators as well as an alternative reality experience, giving fans a firsthand taste of the technology of the future.

Bavaria Zaman, who attended on Thursday with husband Rashid Khan and children Nawal, Daiin and Nashin, said: “I think it’s fantastic. The kids are running around and having fun. We did not know all of this was happening until we came down, we just knew there would be a race in December. It’s great that all of this is right here in Khobar”.
Neji Ayed who took daughter Diya and son Khalid to the event said: “This is very fun. I think Formula E is a great sport and we look forward to the race in Ad Diriyah.”
33-year-old Yazan Al-Badr said: “I wanted to go see a race in Bahrain. But now we have a better version in Saudi Arabia, which is great. I think that this is really exciting.”
The Khobar event is also playing host to the ABB FIA Formula E Road to Ad Diriyah Esports Championship, before moving to Jeddah on Nov. 22 and finally to Ad Diriyah on December 13, which will see contestants completing qualifying laps in person and online. The 16 fastest participants will be invited to Ad Diriyah to battle it out live for a shared prize of SAR 1,000,000 on December 14 and 15 at the race.
Tickets for the Saudia Ad Diriyah E Prix are on sale at the Touring E Village throughout the weekend. The event on Dec. 13 to 15 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, click here.


Saudi air defenses destroy 3 ballistic missiles, 4 drones 

Updated 39 min 10 sec ago
Follow

Saudi air defenses destroy 3 ballistic missiles, 4 drones 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's air defenses on Monday have shot down at least three ballistic missiles and four drones that have entered the Kingdom's airspace at past midnight, the Ministry of Defense said.

In a series of posts on X, the ministry said three ballistic missiles launched toward Prince Sultan Air Base in Al-Kharj were intercepted and destroyed. 

Two drones were shot down in the northern part of the national capital, Riyadh city, another one aimed at the Shaybah oil field was intercepted in the Empty Quarter desert, and another one was destroyed in the northern province of Al-Jouf.

Monday's early waves of strikes in the Kingdom and other Gulf states seem to follow a pattern, with Iran launching missiles and drones in waves starting at midnight, continuing relentlessly until late in the day.

Saudi Arabia's air defenses had successfully intercepted and destroyed multiple numbers of missile and drones in the past days. Most of the missiles are aimed at the Prince Sultan Air Base, while many of the drones were targeted at the Shaybah field.

Video footage posted by the Ministry of Defense on X on Sunday showed some of the enemy drones being neutralized.

On Sunday, however, two people were reported killed and 12 injured after a projectile fell on a residential area in Al-Kharj governorate, where the Prince Sultan Air Base is located.

An official spokesman for the Saudi Civil Defense said that the two deceased were Indian and Bangladeshi nationals, while the dozen injured were all Bangladeshi residents. The victims were employees of a maintenance and cleaning company in the area.