Friday, October 16, 2026
Motorsport and Car Culture Writer at Khaleej Cars
Salma Benali covers motorsport and car culture across the region, from Formula 1, Formula E and the Dakar Rally to local circuits, car shows and the Gulf's famous supercar scene. She also writes long-form histories of the cars, races and places that shaped the region's love of driving. Her work connects what happens on track and at events with the people and stories behind them.
The Motor Show is a new touring car festival in Sharjah that brings together performance cars, American muscle, classics and off-road builds from across the GCC....
The Aramco F4 Saudi Arabian Championship has opened its third season at Jeddah Corniche Circuit, giving a new group of young drivers an early opportunity to prove...
Jeddah is set to open Formula E's 2026/27 campaign, giving Saudi Arabia the first competitive look at the all-new GEN4 era. The opening weekend will be a double-h...
ASO has denied reports that the 2027 Dakar Rally has been cancelled, despite renewed discussion around regional security risks and the separate cancellation of a...
Formula 1 teams are waiting for a decision expected by mid-October on whether the 2026 season can finish as planned in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. The current calendar p...
Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East has confirmed that its entire 2026/27 season will not go ahead as planned, with the championship citing regional uncertainty and t...
Dubai became one of the world’s supercar capitals through a combination of wealth, global trade, luxury tourism, strong dealer representation, modern roads and a pub
Formula 1 did not introduce the Gulf to fast cars, but it gave the region a permanent place on the world motorsport calendar. Bahrain’s first Grand Prix in 2004 prov
Dubai Police supercars are among the most recognisable police vehicles in the world, but they were not introduced simply to chase speeding motorists. The fleet began
The Nissan Patrol became a GCC luxury SUV icon by first earning something more valuable than prestige: trust. Long before the Patrol was fitted with twin digital dis
Dubai’s supercar calendar becomes more active as the summer heat eases and the city’s outdoor events, track days and automotive festivals return. For the rest of 202
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren still matters in GCC car culture because it sits at a rare meeting point: Mercedes-Benz prestige, McLaren engineering, AMG V8 drama and
Dubai Police supercars are among the most recognisable police vehicles in the world, but they were not introduced simply to chase speeding motorists. The fleet began
The Ford Mustang did not create the Gulf’s appetite for powerful American cars on its own, but it gave that appetite a shape, a sound and an identity. For generation
The Ford GT40 was not created simply to promote a new sports car. It was developed to defeat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the race where the Italian manufactu
On UAE roads, the most valuable part of a car is not always beneath the bonnet. A vehicle worth a few hundred thousand dirhams can carry a registration number valued
Dubai Autodrome did not create the UAE’s interest in speed, but it gave that interest a permanent home. When the circuit opened in 2004, the country already had deca
The Lamborghini V12 became Gulf supercar royalty because it offered the kind of presence the region has always understood: sound, theatre, rarity and visual confiden