Grapevine: First Mideast Grand Prix Wins Gulf Fans

Formula One arrived in the Middle East on Friday, thrilling Gulf Arabs watching practice at the newly-constructed track in Bahrain.

"This is very exciting," said Saeed al-Moori, from Saudi Arabia, who along with his friends, plans to cross a 25km long causeway to Bahrain every day for the event that finishes on Sunday with the third Grand Prix of the season.

"Bahrain has brought the race closer to us. Now we will not miss seeing it over the next years too," his friend Othman Abdul-Rahman said.

Bahrain won the right to stage the race as part of a drive to attract tourists and foreign investment to the country which serves as the Gulf's financial hub but is also its least wealthy oil producer.

Such is the interest in the region for the event that spectators have flown in from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar because all the hotels in the small island state, which hiked rates for the race period, were fully booked.

The island entered a race against time to complete the state-of-the-art circuit - a gleaming $150 million oasis shimmering in the desert heat on the site of an old camel farm.

"I wasn't a fan of car racing until Bahrain won this contract and everybody in the country started speaking about it," said Bahraini Abdul-Ghafoor al-Awadi, who was accompanied by his wife and young son.

In deference to local culture some of the glitz associated with the Formula One roadshow has been toned down. The champagne sprayed on the podium will be non-alcoholic and there will be no scantily-clad models on the rostrum.

With Bahrain the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, security has been tightened for the event with military vehicles deployed along the road leading to the circuit.

The increased security should not deter the expected 100,000 fans, who also must contend with 31 degrees Celsius heat, with many supporters on Friday crowding around stalls selling caps, T-shirts and model cars.

"Attending the race live is 10 times more thrilling than watching it on TV," said Saif al-Suwaidi from the United Arab Emirates. "The sounds of the engines just excites you. I am certainly going to attend next year too."