The Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah Causeway Bridge is going to be closed for cars and open for cyclists every Friday from 7AM to 10AM. I heard the Kuwait Olympic Committee pushed for this decision after a cyclist got hit by a car on the bridge and passed away. From some of the comments I read on instagram, car guys obviously aren’t too happy with this decision since Friday morning is when a lot of car groups and bike groups gather for drives and the bridge was a popular destination (no idea why since it’s a really boring drive). I have noticed cyclists have been getting a lot of support lately, Kuwait Motor Town, for example, is also open to cyclists every Saturday from 7AM to 9AM and every Tuesday from 4PM to 8PM.
Personally I think the fact that they need to close off a whole bridge so that cyclists have a safe place to ride their bicycles shows how dangerous roads are in Kuwait. I think they should have taken cyclists and pedestrians into consideration when designing the bridge in the first place and created a separate closed off lane for them. But then again, that’s probably asking too much when sidewalks and pedestrian safety aren’t even an important thing here.
The 2020 Asian Men’s Handball Championship is taking place in Kuwait right now at the newly opened Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sport Hall Complex. If it wasn’t for an email from one of my readers I wouldn’t have known this stadium existed or that the handball championship was taking place in Kuwait.
You’d think with an event this big there would at least be outdoor ads, sponsored Instagram posts or anything really. In the video above the stadium is basically empty.
I haven’t had the chance to pass by and check it out but I’ve been told tickets are free and it’s first come first serve.
Early this year Kuwait Motor Town (KMT) opened up and started offering track day experiences where drivers can sign up to race their cars around the circuit for fun. It’s a great way to drive your car to its limit while in a safe environment. But if you’ve never taken part in a track day before, it can be a bit intimidating which is why I thought I’d put together a guide. I was lucky enough to have friends who’ve been taking part in track days for years (mostly in Bahrain) so my first time was easier than most. I’ve divided this post up into different sections which I felt were important to highlight:
Registration
KMT usually hosts around 3 to 4 open track car experiences every month during the winter season. They also hold motocross, drag, drift and ATV track experiences as well but I’ll only be talking about the car track days in this post. There are usually around 70-80 car slots available every track day and they fill up really fast as in the same day registration opens up. For example, this past Sunday night KMT opened up registration for January track days and they’re sold out already, two of the days sold out on the same night. The track day fee is KD75 and when new days are available, KMT publishes them on their Instagram account. They sell out so fast its become a habit for me and my friends to book all the days first and then think about it. So the best way to find out when new track days are open is by following @kmtkw on instagram.
Your Car
There are no limitations to what kind of car you can bring to a track day experience as long as its not a single-seater, open-wheel car, or SUV. But, if your car isn’t a sports car I can’t imagine it being any fun anyway. The reality is that everyone on the track is trying to go as fast as possible and if you show up in a 4-door Corolla you’re going to feel very uncomfortable and pressured on the track.
The majority of the cars at the track are usually Porsches. They’re generally great because they can be driven as daily cars while also performing really well on the track. I’ve got a Lotus which I think is great on the track but more importantly, because of its weight doesn’t go through tires and brake pads like there is no tomorrow. It makes tracking a lot more affordable. Because my car was meant to be tracked, I can also stay out a full session on the track without my brakes fading or my car overheating. American cars, on the other hand, don’t tend to do so well on the track, they’re generally fast on straights but don’t handle turns so well and they don’t last very long on the track without having to pit.
KMT is located off of highway 40. I tend to drive my car to the track and back without any issues but I know some guys who prefer to send their car to the track on trailer beds because they aren’t comfortable with the road conditions.
Once you get your car to the track it will have to go through scrutineering. They’ll make sure your car is safe to go on the track and once it passes their checks, they’ll give your a car a track pass. Make sure you don’t have any junk in your car. You’re going to have to empty all the loose items from your car and trunk or else it’s going to be flying around everywhere. You also need to have a tow hook installed to the front and they’ve recently started checking the condition of the tires including the age to make sure they’re in good shape.
Things to Bring with You to the Track
A helmet really is the only thing you need to bring and if you don’t have one, you can rent one at the track. I think the cost for rental is 20 or 25KD but you also need to leave a deposit of around KD75. For food and drinks there is a Starbucks and a Costa at the track as well as a burger place and a dessert place. You can bring your own food and water if you want as well. Some extra things I bring include lip balm, gum, my GoPro and some basic tools (ie. ducktape).
Once You Arrive
When you get to the track you’ll take your car to the scrutineering area first and park your car there. You then enter the building to right of that area and get your registration sticker and wristband. You would have to have already registered and purchased an entry to the track day online beforehand. Registration on the day of the event just involves you signing a waiver and collecting your passes. Once you get your pass you then go back to your car and wait for the scrutineering crew to check your car. After that is done you will be allowed to enter the pit lane.
Drivers are split into two groups, A and B. There isn’t a specific formula from my understanding, it’s not like one group is faster or has more experienced drivers, drivers are just split up randomly. Once you enter the pit lane you can park in any of the empty garages corresponding to your group letter. Once you park your car you can then set up your base for the day. You can empty your car contents and leave your stuff in that garage while you’re out on the track.
Briefing Session and Lead and Follow Laps
Before the track opens up a briefing session is held which is mandatory for every driver to attend. During the briefing session, they will discuss the track rules, explain what all the different colored flags on the side of the track mean and share tips and pointers. This is a good time to ask any questions as well.
After the briefing session, there will be lead and follow laps on the track. This is for drivers to familiarize themselves with the circuit by following a lead car around the track. Nobody is really speeding or racing here, it’s just a fast-paced drive around the track while following the cars in front of you.
On the Track
After the lead and follow sessions are done, the different groups are let out onto the track in 30 minute intervals. So for example, 4PM to 4:30PM is for Group A cars, then 4:30PM to 5PM is Group B, then it’s Group A again, then Group B etc. Although it doesn’t sound like much, 30 minutes is more than enough track time and a lot of the cars can’t really even stay out that long without coming into the pits to cool down.
Out on the track, it can be intimidating with everyone driving as if they’re racing for the championship but as long as you give way to faster moving cars you’ll be fine. Generally, you’re not meant to overtake on turns only on straights so if you see a car behind you that’s faster than you, move out of the way and let them pass.
The more you track the better you will get. One way of improving your driving is by having a more experienced driver sit next to you. In my case, I have friends who are really good drivers and every now and then I’ll have them hop in the car with me and give me tips like in the video above where I was able to shave off around 2 seconds from my fastest lap just by having my friend give me pointers. After that session I understood my weaknesses better and the following track day I improved on my driving even more and managed to break the 2 minute barrier (video below). If you don’t have a friend who can give you tips thats also not an issue. Lotus are sponsoring all the track days this season and they usually have two cars available to drive on the track with a professional driver.
Fuel
Depending on your car you might need to refuel often. There is a small fuel station at the end of the pitlane with Ultra 98 fuel. They only take cash, no Knet. Some guys bring their own fuel to the track that is also ok.
Off the Track
You don’t need to go out on the track every session, you don’t need to start at the beginning of the session either, once it’s your group’s turn you can go out onto the track at any time. It’s a very chill atmosphere, even in the pit garages, everyone is just hanging out. Me and my friends bring our own chairs to sit on while waiting for our next session and I’ve seen guys set up a cozy diwaniya as well. Not everyone there is in groups, you have a lot of guys who come alone so its easy to socialize. There aren’t that many female drivers, there is one whos there at every track day but the other girls I’ve seen at the track are there with their husbands or boyfriends and either chill in the pits or go out onto the track as a passenger.
Any Questions?
So that’s basically it really. I can’t think of anything else to add to the above but in case you have any questions just let me know in the comments below.
Rafael Nadal, the current world no. 1 in men’s singles tennis will be playing a match this coming February here in Kuwait at the soon to open International Tennis Complex next to 360 Mall. They haven’t announced who he would be playing against except for the fact it will be another tennis champion. Tickets for the match were being sold this past weekend for KD75 at the Rafa Nadal Academy exhibit inside 360 Mall, but the first batch of tickets have already been sold out. I’ve been told that they might release a second batch of tickets at a later date.
Nadal has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles, the second-most in history for a male player, as well as a record 35 ATP Tour Masters 1000 titles, 20 ATP Tour 500 titles and the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles. The Rafa Nadal Academy that will be opening in Kuwait will be the second one to open in the world.
The tennis complex that is currently nearing the end of construction will have a combined stadium seating for over 6,500 people across two main arenas, each with the capacity to hold 5,000 and 1,500 people respectively. There will also be eight indoor courts with over 500 seats, and eight outdoor courts with 1,500 seats. The tennis complex is expected to open early next year.
To learn more about the Rafa Nadal Academy in Kuwait you can visit their large exhibit (with a tennis court) inside 360 Mall. The exhibit is there till December 7th and you can even play a fun tennis match with one of their coaches inside their exhibit. The timings for the exhibit are:
Wednesday: 4:00pm – 8:00pm
Thursday to Saturday: 12:00pm – 10:00pm
UFC 242 is taking place this coming Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Because the fights are taking place right next door, the event timings work really well for us with the first fight starting at 9PM on Saturday.
If you want to watch the fights live then the easiest way to do so is by downloading the UFC Arabia app from the Kuwait Apple Store (I’m guessing its the same for Android devices). For $4.99 a month the UFC Arabia app allows you to stream live Pay Per View (PPV) events at no additional cost, in addition to the weigh-ins, post-fight press conferences, and various other videos.
I just signed up to it to try it out based on a recommendation from a friend who already tried it out. The commentary is in English as well not in Arabic. If you can’t find the app in the Apple Store it’s most likely because you’re not in the Kuwait store so make sure you have an Apple account registered with a Kuwait address. Alternatively, you could just go to the UFC Arabia website and sign up there. Link
The Kuwait Harps are starting a new season of Gaelic Football and are looking for new faces to join the club. Gaelic Football is a form of football derived from the Irish ball games. There are some major differences between regular football and Gaelic football like the fact Gaelic football is played with 15 players per team and you can also hold the ball with your hands.
The Kuwait Harps compete primarily in tournaments based in the Gulf region and new players are always welcome and immediately feel at home within the club. The majority of the current squad were actually new to Gaelic Games when they first arrived in Kuwait. While many clubs in the Gulf region can depend on a strong pool of Irish players, this is not the case in Kuwait. While a core of the club may be Irish, it relies heavily on the support of players from the international expat community. Kuwait Harps Players have come from Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Canada, USA, Australia and even Sudan to name but a few countries.
If you’re interested in joining the club, they’re holding a taster day. Taster days are just for people to come along and see if they like the sport and want to join. It’s aimed at all abilities (both fitness and Gaelic wise) so anyone can come along and there is no need to sign up. All you need to do is come out in your normal workout gear and bring some sunscreen, water and maybe a hat or sunglasses.
When: Tuesday, September 3rd from 6PM to 8PM Where: AIS (Google Maps)
One of the oldest sports clubs in Kuwait is looking to recruit men and women for their rugby team. If you’re interested keep reading below for a small brief on who they are along with information on how to contact them.
Kuwait Scorpions are always looking to recruit new players for both the male and female teams. Any level of experience is welcome and pre-season training has started already and will continue every Monday and Wednesday from 7PM.
A brief overview of the Kuwait Scorpions Rugby Football Club (KSRFC)
• The Kuwait Scorpions are the oldest rugby club in the Middle East. Established in 1946 when Kuwait Oil Company and the British Army played the first ever recorded fixture in the region.
• The Kuwait Scorpions are a registered member of Gulf Rugby (formerly Arabian Gulf RFC) which is in turn affiliated with the IRB (International Rugby Board).
• The club consists of players from all around the world; including the United Kingdom, Republic of Fiji, USA, Canada, Lebanon, Egypt, South Africa, as well as an increasing number of Kuwaiti players.
• The Kuwait Scorpions is not gender biased and has two main branches, the Men’s Senior Team and the Ladies Senior Team. In addition to the two main branches, they have a Men’s Veteran Team that forms for special events.
Interested in becoming a Scorpion?
If you are, then just fill out this form.
According to a recent article on Tennis World, the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy will be opening up in Kuwait at the new tennis complex that’s part of the 360 Mall expansion. It had been previously announced that Serena Williams coach would be opening up a tennis academy in Kuwait, but either that plan fell through, or we’re now getting two world-renowned academies opening up.
The tennis complex once open will have a combined stadium seating for over 7,600 people across two main arenas, each with the capacity to hold 4,000 and 1,600 people respectively. There will also be eight indoor courts with over 500 seats, and eight outdoor courts with 1,500 seats. It’s expected to open January of next year.
I recently found out from a reader about a small store in Al-Rai called Sahm Sports that specializes in archery supplies. The store opened up earlier in the month and they sell everything you need to get into archery from bows and arrows to targets and accessories. They even have a small archery room you can book for target practice and lessons (KD7 for 30 minutes).
What I like about their instagram account is that they’re posting videos and stories explaining what the various items and accessories do, so it’s a bit interesting if you want to know more about the sport. The store is located across from Avenues and here it is on Google Maps. Their instagram account is @sahm.sports.kw
Yesterday I was driving by the new Kuwait Bowling Club in Salmiya and noticed a security guard walking around. So I decided to ask him when the bowling alleys were gonna open and to my surprise he told me it was open and I could come in. So I quickly parked my car in the arena’s multistory car lot and went in to check the place out.
The Kuwait Bowling Club is huge!
The building is 7 floors with the ground floor containing a 48 lane arena as well as a smaller and separate 10 lane VIP room. The rest of the building will be for different facilities including a mall, coffee shops and restaurants, a gym with a swimming pool that overlooks the bowling lanes as well as a hotel with rooms that also overlook the bowling lanes. The multistory car park is large enough for 1,000 cars.
Since I was there and the arena was open I decided I might as well stay and bowl a few rounds. I got there around 8PM and it was fairly empty but by the time I had left at around 9:40PM the arena was fairly busy with other bowlers.
Their Ramadan timings and prices are as follows:
2PM to 6PM: 1KD/game
6PM to 12AM: 2KD/game (or 3 games for 5KD)
After 12AM: 3 games for 4KD
During Eid the timings and prices will change to the following:
10AM to 4AM – 2.5KD/game or 4KD/game in the VIP Room
I asked about the timings after Eid but they didn’t have them yet so will update this post once I get them. The bowling club has been open for four months now and they also offer a bunch of bowling-related services including training, lockers, ball polishing, ball drilling and ball plugging services. Since the club is pretty close to where I live I might end up taking bowling lessons just for the fun of it.
If you want to pass by and check the place out (which I highly recommend you do), here is the location of the club on Google Maps.
Update: As of September 12 the price has gone up to 3KD per game and 5KD for the VIP.
The new stadium design for the AlArabi Club has won the ‘Best Future Stadium Design’ at the World Stadium Congress. The stadium was designed to FIFA World Cup and UEFA standards and will have 30,000 (shaded) seats.
The building above street level almost floats above the ground floor, clearly separating the activities taking place within it. The stadium is closed from all sides of the pitch. The modern design of the stadium’s facade incorporates a white continuous block unifying the wall and roof as one element. This element wraps around the tiers as tightly as possible and incorporates the symbol of the club. The wheat leaves on the logo were chosen as the symbol for the new era in the life of the Al-Arabi Sports Club as they mean growth and prosperity. The pattern is more open at concourse level, as it is a more public area, hence allowing for light and ventilation into the bowl, while being more closed at the top (where the sports halls are) until it fades into the solid form of the curved roof. [Source]
The stadium was designed by the local architectural and engineering firm Pace who are behind a number of cool projects in Kuwait. The stadium will replace the current Sabah Al-Salem Stadium but I wasn’t able to find out any information on when it would be completed by.
Last month I posted that FIFA was considering Kuwait to co-host the World Cup with Qatar, that offer is now off the table. FIFA originally wanted to increase the teams participating in the World Cup to 48, but Qatar didn’t have enough stadiums and facilities to host the extra games. So Kuwait and Oman were both considered to co-host since nobody else in the Gulf is in talking terms with Qatar at the moment. Oman didn’t have the stadiums to host the games and Kuwait wasn’t interested in co-hosting either so FIFA scrapped the plans to expand the World Cup.
As someone who wanted Kuwait to host the World Cup, this is obviously disappointing news.
If you haven’t been following the news recently, I’ll quickly summarize what’s been going on in regards to the World Cup. Qatar is meant to host the World Cup in 2022 and FIFA is considering expanding the tournament from 32 teams to 48. For that to happen, FIFA calculated it could be done if at least one additional Gulf country was used to co-host the World Cup with Qatar. Since Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have severed ties with Qatar, the only two countries left are Oman and Kuwait. Oman already said they aren’t capable of hosting the World Cup so FIFA is urging Kuwait to become a co-host.
Countries spend millions on campaigns to try and win the right to host the World Cup, it’s HUGE. And yet because of a bunch of unusual circumstances, Kuwait is now in the position where they are basically being begged by FIFA to accept the role of co-hosting. That’s just crazy.
I don’t know why people aren’t more excited about this, Kuwait could potentially be hosting the World Cup here in 3 years! And the best part is, the whole thing just fell into our laps without us even getting off the couch!
I was asking a few friends why Kuwait is playing so hard to get, I mean you’d think we’d be all over this massive opportunity. One theory is we don’t want to embarrass ourselves because we aren’t capable to host the event. I don’t think that’s really an issue because I’m sure we can throw money at this problem by hiring the right people to help us out and by fixing whatever needs to be fixed so we look good on TV. Another theory to why we’re hesitant is that there would have to be some major changes that would have to happen very quickly with the two biggest changes being to the visa system and the legalization of alcohol. This I can understand but it’s also one of the reasons I want the World Cup to happen, I want to see how much positive change it will bring to Kuwait.
Whatever happens, we host or not, I feel we really need to appreciate this position we’re in right now where we actually have a pretty large chance of getting the World Cup. This is a moment that will most likely never come again.
Kuwaiti racecar driver Zaid Ashkanani was on the winning team at the season opener for the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup a few days ago. This was not only Zaid’s first debut with the Dinamic Motorsport team, but the team themselves were also making their first debut at the Blancpain GT.
Dinamic drivers Klaus Bachler, Zaid Ashkanani and Andrea Rizzoli (all pictured below) started 23rd on the grid but managed to end up winning by a 14-second margin in a second-generation Porsche 911 GT3-R. They gave the Porsche brand their first Endurance Cup victory since 2012.
This was the first race of the season so there is still a long way to go but nevertheless, it was an incredible debut. You can stay up to date on Zaid’s activities by following him on Instagram @zaidashkanani
Here is a small business that isn’t a coffee shop.. a skate shop. Gulf Coast Skate Shop is a local business that is trying to support skateboarders in Kuwait. They don’t have a physical store, just an Instagram account which is fine. The only thing annoying though is they don’t have prices listed, so when you find something you like, you need to DM them for a quote which is a hassle.
If you’re a skateboarder and need boards, trucks, grip tape, wheels, etc.. then check them out @gulfcoastskate
