Considering the highly developed motorsport infrastructure of the UAE, it is no surprise the country has got so much more to its merits than just its unique architecture and various tourist attractions.
The terrain and thriving car culture of the Emirates offers a dream like no other to petrol heads the world over and has become a hub for motorsport, particularly for rallying.
The current landscape of the sport offers interesting opportunities for rally teams to make vital contributions in putting UAE rallying on the map and one such team is Sabertooth Motoring Adventure.
The company was founded by Thomas Bell in 2017, who runs it alongside his co-driver and managing director Patrick McMurren.
The Dubai-based duo represented UAE at the 2018 Dakar Rally, a famous 7000km race across South American desert.
Speaking to Sport360 recently, McMurren said it was a magical experience to compete in motorsport’s toughest race.
“It was an epic adventure, it was everything we hoped for and more,” he said. “Thomas (Bell) was the driver of the car while I was the navigator. It really tested us to the absolute limit, in terms of our endurance.
“We dealt with all sorts of adventures, from the car rolling and having a road accident to sleeping two nights in the desert, but even after all of this I am delighted to report that we did incredibly well in getting to the finish – only half of the cars actually finished.
“It was just an incredible adventure that we made the most of and now we are just happy to be back in the UAE.”
The Englishman was interested in rallying from a young age and used to run around with an imaginary steering wheel in his hand. Now as an adult, he is extremely proud to be associated with the sport.
The sport is ever-evolving and according to McMurren, one of the biggest challenges involved is the terrain, which can be tricky and difficult to navigate.
Bell and McMurren have got exciting things in pipeline for Sabertooth Motoring Adventure, both from a sporting and commercial perspective.
“There are two main prongs of the direction in which we are going in. The first one is to compete at a very high level and the second part of this is to build a business,” he said.
“We are in a unique position, where we have an incredible resource of vehicles and we have the ability to impart that knowledge to other people.
“The business will be evolving and creating more corporate entertainment opportunities, giving people a chance to sit in the navigator seat of a rally car as Tom drives you and you get to have a first-hand rallying experience.”
Bell and McMurren will be seen participating in the 2019 Dubai International Baja powered by Nissan and AW Rostamani next month, where they will be bidding for another impressive finish in the Nissan Navara which saw them secure sixth place last year.
Watch Patrick McMurren give some valuable insight into his rally car, Nissan Navara T1.
