Renault’s Magical Roadshow in Dubai!

The Renault Roadshow has visited 18 cities over the past seven years, but few places have been as astonishing as the show at Downtown Burj Dubai. The demonstration of Renault cars, which took place on a floating platform built on the Dubai Mall Lagoon, attracted a huge crowd eager to admire this unique spectacle.

Undoubtedly, the star of the show was the Renault F1 Team: the R28 and the three drivers of the team, main driver Nelson Piquet, third driver Romain Grosjean, and Roadshow driver Adam Khan. The three drivers performed a total of seven demonstrations in front of thousands of spectators who were awestruck by the show.

For many, it was a sensational discovery of the R28, and the luckiest ones were able to get a photo with the heroes of the day in the paddock open to all. Nelson Piquet, Romain Grosjean, and Adam Khan had been to Dubai before, but driving a Formula 1 car there was a first for the drivers. The Frenchman had come to Dubai a few months ago for fitness training, while the Brazilian and the British driver had raced at the Dubai Autodrome last year as part of the GP2 Asia Series championship.

Dubai is a fascinating and constantly transforming place that continues to impress the three drivers. And it is the Burj Dubai Tower, the tallest building in the world, that catches their attention. “This structure is amazing, on my next visit, I hope to go all the way to the top,” said Nelson Piquet while admiring the 800-meter high building, which is set to be completed by the end of 2009.

An impressive fountain spouting water jets 150 meters high completes this amazing place. One might think that Dubai took inspiration from Las Vegas because you’d expect to see this kind of water jets in front of the Bellagio hotel! No matter where the inspiration comes from, the scene is spectacular.

The star of the show was undoubtedly the Formula 1 car, but the overall demonstrations of Renault cars offered a dazzling spectacle. The demonstration by stunt driver Terry Grant delighted the crowd, as did the show with the two Renault Megane Trophy cars. Renault road cars, the new Koleos, a Clio Sport, and a Symbol also shared the stage in Dubai.

As night falls, the show continues under enormous spotlights for the much-anticipated grand finale. Piquet completed the spectacle with donuts, making the tires smoke to the maximum. An unforgettable show took place at Downtown Barj Dubai at the foot of the world’s tallest building, where a series of demonstrations occurred on a floating platform above the Dubai Mall Lagoon, taking the breath away from the thousands of spectators who came to admire Formula 1 up close.

The highlight of this campaign in Dubai was Nelson Piquet’s demonstration of the R28 at ‘Ski Dubai,’ an indoor ski slope. The Brazilian performed a series of donuts at the foot of the slope driving the R28 fitted with ‘snow’ tires specially made by Bridgestone for this occasion. A total of 2,016 studs were manually riveted onto the tires. It took Bridgestone engineers 16 hours to complete the operation, and the result was even more appreciated.

At the end of the weekend, Nelson Piquet remarked: « This weekend in Dubai was a real success for Renault. I hope the fans enjoyed the series of events over the past few days. I never knew that one day I would drive a Formula 1 car in the snow! I really loved it. »

« I really enjoyed Dubai. The Roadshow was warmly welcomed here. Personally, among all the demonstrations over the past few days, driving the R28 in the desert was what delighted me the most. On the other hand, the show in the city center was truly unique. Fans were able to get very close to Formula 1 and this is indeed the goal of the Roadshow, » says Romain Grosjean.

The Roadshow driver Adam Khan added: « Dubai is an extraordinary place, and the fact that this city was the scene of my very first Roadshow made the experience even more exceptional. Being at the heart of the demonstrations for the first time, seeing all the enthusiastic fans, I realized just how unique this campaign is. »

This Roadshow will certainly be remembered as one of the most spectacular and magical of this Losange campaign.

According to a statement from the Renault F1 Team