Muscat: For many years Oman’s beauty remained undiscovered however, the Sultanate’s profile has risen rapidly in recent years. One of the fastest-growing tourist destinations in the world, it is becoming an excellent sporting venue as well as an adventurous holiday destination.
The recent Red Bull F1 Showrun was another first for the Sultanate. The F1 car made its way through Muscat, taking on the highways and winding mountain roads, passing famous landmarks and completing a tour of Oman’s capital city before reaching Muttrah Corniche.
One of its most famous stops along the journey was the Al Bustan Palace, A Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The Atrium Lounge octagonal stone-carved base represents a jewellery box that allows the sun’s rays to enter and reflect upon the cascading crystal chandelier, weighing five tonnes and hanging from a 130 foot domed roof, lighting up every corner to provide a true sense of modern Omani hospitality.
Talking about Oman, David Coulthard said: "We've had the opportunity to discover the kind hospitality of the Omanis and, above that the passion they have for motorsport.”
He added:"They've got a small grassroots-level karting track here – but the size of the crowd that stood in the rain shows there's a much bigger passion for cars in general. I hope this event will help develop that culture of racing going forwards."
The remit of the Live Demo team is to take the F1 cars to places where F1 cars are rarely, if ever, seen. Oman is just one of manyunique destinations but for the most part the Red Bull F1Showrun visits countries that don't have a grand prix and thus an audience with no access to these fabulous machines.
Before landing in Oman for the first time, the Showrun Team has driven through cobbled city streets in Europe and across baking deserts in the Americas. As part of its world tour, the car has conquered the highest road in the Himalayas, skated on frozen rivers in Canada and drifted across golden Caribbean beaches.
The highly anticipated Red Bull F1 Showrun was heldrecently under the patronage of H.H SayyidTaimur Bin Assad Al-Said and under the umbrella of the Oman Automobile Association and Royal Oman Police; with the support of the Ministry of Tourism. The event was in partnership with Omantel, KhimjiRamdas, HiFM, Hala FM, Times of Oman, Shabiba, City Vago and Holiday Inn Muscat Al Seeb.