The first-ever Saudi International Festival of Motoring, publicly known as Autoville, concluded on Friday after one-week of action-packed activities and thrilling events. Held by the Saudi Conventions and Exhibitions General Authority (SCEGA,) the weeklong event saw participation from more than 100 globally renowned automotive brands on an area of 1.7 square kilometers. As the Middle East's largest interactive automotive event, Autoville witnessed a huge turnout among lovers of everything automotive, who flocked to the Dirab Motor Park near the Saudi capital Riyadh to experience adventure and stunt driving side by side with their favorite rally drivers in their favorite cars. The who's who of rallying and stunt driving were there, among them Saudi drift racer and twice-over Guinness World Records breaker Abdulhadi Al Qahtani, as well as drift legend Ken Block and world-renowned stunt drivers Vaughn Gethin Jr. and Remy Bizouard, among many others. The carnival also included concerts by the artists Majid Al Mohandes, Zina Emad, Aseel Hammim, DJ Aseel and Ayed, in addition to Ramy Jamal, Msallam, Ahmed Bachan, Hamo Beca and Hassan Shakoush. Automobile fans got to participate hands-on in many activities, such as drift lessons with Chelsea DeNofa; professional stunt driving with Team RTR; Tokyo Drift Ride Alongs, Suzuki Swift Track Experience; all of which brought fans together with their favorite celebrities to experience together the kind of action and excitement they only see in movies. "We are infinitely proud of the success of the Autoville festival," said Amjad Shaker, acting chief executive officer of the SCEGA, which oversees the Carnival. "The whole idea behind the event was direct interaction between champs and audiences, to give them the opportunity to experience first-hand all the cars, the excitement, and the joy of the festival's various shows and talk to their favorite auto racing and stunt driving stars and ask them how they do their tricks." Autoville's events included a concourse show of high-end and classic automobiles from the likes of Aston Martin, Bugatti, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Hispano Suiza, and Mercedes-Benz, among other upscale brands, who showed off 25 of the most aspirational automobiles from the 1930s through the 1990s. The festival aims to rouse interest in auto racing and professional driving to diversify the national economy and bolster tourism — both objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 — as well as provide an opportunity for automakers and OEMs to showcase their latest and greatest products directly to consumers, and to help ferret out future Saudi racing champions who would represent their nation at international events. — PRNewswire
