This year's Al Ain Dune Championships attracted record crowds as people poured in to watch the bikes and buggies enter into the five categories of competition and the three car categories and win prizes.

The Al Ain Dune Championships 2008 was held under the patronage of Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and organised by the Abu Dhabi Motors Club (ADMC) together with the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and Al Ain Municipality support, some 30kms from Al Ain at Al Saad on the Al Ain to Abu Dhabi road.

Each driver was timed in his attempts to get to the top of a dune and down the other side.

The winners of the bike and buggies categories were as follows:
Buggy Class: Saif Al Qubaisi (UAE) 6.848 secs; Four Stroke: Mansour Saleh (UAE) 6.793 secs; Second Class: Mansour Saleh (UAE) 6.074 secs; First Class: Juma Sultan Balkhbays (UAE) 5.870 secs;  Open Class: Mohammed Amir Almashgomi (UAE) 5.410 secs.

The winners of the three car categories were: 8 cylinder: Hamdan Al Mazroui, (UAE - Al Yasi Team) 6.993 secs; 6 cylinder (modified): Mohamed Daif Al Ameri (UAE – Future Team) 7.596 secs and Standard 6 cylinder: Jaber Al Shamsi (UAE) 11.214 secs.

The winners of the car categories won a Toyota Fortuner car, a bike and cash prizes.

Faisal Al Sheikh, speaking on behalf of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, declared the two-days events as a major success.

“For the fourth year in a row, visitor numbers exceeded expectations and yet again this popular family event has had a very positive impact on the attraction of Al Ain as a popular area for visitors from both the UAE and abroad and of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi as a destination that people will want to come back to again and again.'

He also thanked Sheikh Mansoor for supporting the event as well as the police for providing security (both for the contestants and also for the crowds) and ensuring that it went off without any problems.-TradeArabia News Service