Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority brings motorsport magic to Abu Dhabi's malls

Running at new ADTA Visitor Centres in Al Wahda, Marina and Abu Dhabi malls from today till 2nd November, the Authority's 'Drivers' Challenge' gives shoppers and visitors the chance to test their skills on state-of-the-art driving simulators.

The 'drivers' will compete in weekly time trial races to clock up the fastest times. Every Friday during the competition, the three fastest from each of the malls will win a host of motorsport-inspired prizes.

Ahmed Hussein, Deputy Director General, ADTA, said:

"The Drivers' Challenge is a great way to interact with the general public, and build awareness of Abu Dhabi's motorsport credentials which come to the fore on November 1 with the staging of the 2009 Etihad Airways Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Motorsport enthusiasts will get a feeling for what it's like to be a top-class driver in one of the world's most watched forms of racing."

The Drivers' Challenge is part of ADTA's race week visitor enhancement programme which has seen the authority launch six new visitor information centres throughout the destination.

Early reactions to the simulators, which are used by many of the world's top drivers to hone their skills between races, were extremely positive.

Mena Suleiman from Egypt, one of the first to try out the Abu Dhabi-branded simulators in Wahda Mall, said, "They are very exciting, and not as difficult as I thought. Although, I'm going to need quite a bit more practice before I get to a professional level. I'll be back to try and improve on my times throughout the week."

France's Andre Najib added, "I'm coming back tomorrow as you definitely need to try it a few times. I think I went round the track well the first few times but I need to get better."

However, it was 11-year old Emirati, Eid Al Mazrooei - with the fastest time of the day - who stole the show. Speaking after his victory, he said, "I like the simulators probably more than the real thing, although I haven't tried a real car. I'd love to be a professional driver when I grow up, but I'll stick to this for now."