Reem International Circuit, Racing Circuit

Reem International Circuit is Saudi Arabia's only permanent motor racing circuit, set among the multi-coloured sand dunes roughly 76 km west of Riyadh, off the Makkah Highway. It was the brainchild of prominent Saudi racing driver Abdulaziz Al Faisal, who conceived it in 2005 after graduating from the Formula BMW Academy in Bahrain and brought family members on board as investors. The circuit takes its name from the Al Reem, a rare deer native to the Khubayb Al Reem dunes in which the track sits. It was designed by Raed Abuzinadah, who described himself as a racing driver who also happened to be an architect and who lived on site for two years while planning the layout among the dunes. The final design is said to be loosely inspired by the Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit and was built to FIA Grade 3 standard, comprising a twelve-turn main course of about 3.8 km along with a drag strip, several shorter variants including an oval, and a separate karting facility. The circuit officially opened on 5 March 2008. Over the years it has hosted the Porsche GT3 Middle East Championship, Saudi National Radical Championship, Lotus Cup Middle East, MINI Cup, Chevrolet Super-Cars Middle East Championship and national karting series, and today stages mainly national-level events.