2019 Dub Drive
Volkswagen fans from across the GCC helped make history this weekend as over 300 Volkswagen cars drove in convoy through the streets of Abu Dhabi to take part in Dub Drive GCC 2019 - the largest ever gathering of Volkswagen owners and fans in the Middle East, thanks to the support of the local Abu Dhabi Police and Automotive Touring Club.
The Dub Drive event - now in its 3rd year and hosted by Volkswagen Middle East – witnessed local and international Volkswagen Club members from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates, alongside Germany, the Netherlands and the USA travel thousands of kilometres to join the festivities and secure their spot at the gathering; hosted at the iconic F1 venue, Yas Marina Circuit.
Showcasing an unwavering passion from vintage Volkswagen Beetles and Campers, to a powerhouse of GTIs and Golf Rs, the family friendly event entertained with food trucks, live tunes by DJ Taya, a series of competitions and stunts, activities from event sponsor Pirelli, VW accessories and dealership stand from Ali & Sons. For the first time ever at Dub Drive, guests were also invited to experience GTI drifting, take part in a Touareg pulling competition, many family activities and put their driving skills to the test on an exclusive track driving experience.
“The energy and passion of the regional Volkswagen community shone through this weekend. Each year this event gets bigger and better and we were overwhelmed to receive such great support from the clubs across the GCC and the globe, together with our dealer network in particular Ali & Sons. It is fantastic to see the spirit of unity and witness Volkswagen families, fans and customers unite around one shared passion” commented Andrew Savvas, Brand Director for Volkswagen Middle East.
For the Volkswagen Club guests, the pinnacle moment of the whole festival was the Award Ceremony.
This year’s Dub Drive ‘Car of the Year Award’ went to Mohammed Al Hammadi from the Abu Dhabi Club, who will now be going to Wöerthersee later this year as his winning prize and to complete the experience. “I can’t believe that I won car of the year! I was stumped when they announced my name,” said Hammadi. “This year’s event has been exceptional, with hundreds joining from around the GCC for the convoy and the festival. I look forward to representing the UAE and GCC at Wöerthersee.”
Oman Club members, Muntaser Al Barwani, the administrator for the Club and Abbas Al Lawati, seized the runners up positions of the ‘Car of the Year’ award.
Dub Drive has come as an inspiration from an old tradition, Wöerthersee Club Treffen, which is the largest Volkswagen GTI event in the world. The festival started off over 37 years ago in a small village at lake Wöerthersee in Austria by a few Volkswagen fans meeting up, showcasing their cars and exchanging stories. Since then, the event has grown into a long festival attended by hundreds of thousands of Volkswagen fans from all over Europe.