400 to take part in Oman's biking show

Muscat: Biking enthusiasts in the Sultanate are eagerly looking forward to the country’s first biker festival, being held this weekend in coordination with the Oman Automobile Association.
Around 400 bikers, both from Oman and abroad, are expected to turn up for the event, being organised jointly by both of Oman’s motorcycle clubs, the Oman Riders and Muscat Bikers.
“The Oman Automobile Association approached us, asking us to organise a bike show at the Muscat Festival. As it will be Oman’s first official bike show, we were happy to agree,” said Khalid Al Azri, the president of Oman Riders.
“The bike show will be held on February 10 and 11,” he added. “On Friday, we will be riding our bikes from the OAA all the way to Al Amerat, where the Muscat Festival is being held, and will then return. On Saturday, we will have a bike show and a number of activities from about 3pm to 9pm. We don’t have the exact numbers, but we’re expecting a lot of bikers from the UAE because it is just next door.
“We are very happy as people will get to see various models of bikes on the road,” added Al Azri. “There will not be just Harley Davidson’s, which are extremely popular, but also brands like Suzuki, Honda, Ducati, BMW and many others.”
Al Azri’s counterpart, Tahir Al Zadjali, who is the president of the Muscat Bikers Club, was also looking forward to this event.
“After the parade on February 10, we will be doing a lap at the drift track at Oman Automobile Association,” he said. “From 3pm to 5pm, registration will be open for the bike show. Wherever there is a bike show in the Gulf, there is a charge of about OMR20 to 50, but this show will be free of charge.”
“As part of our February 10 programme, we will be briefing residents about safety,” he added. “We are also inviting bike enthusiasts to join us so that they can learn how to ride bikes properly, learn the correct hand signals, which are very important when you are a biker, and also learn about proper safety measures.”
With the Oman Automobile Association spearheading efforts to promote awareness related to motorbike riding in the region, Sulaiman Al Rawahi, the association’s Managing Director, said such events were a great way to engage with motoring enthusiasts.
“As the official representative for motorsports racing in Oman, we are always looking to involve people in the country, making them more aware of such activities in Oman,” he said. “We have held a few events like this before, but this is the first time we will have the full support of the motorcycle clubs in Muscat.
“It’s very good to see so much support for the event and the fact that so many bikers were coming from abroad as well,” he added. “People in Oman love their cars and bikes, but we also need to inform them about the need to ride them safely. Such events are a great way to involve them in our activities.”