This week sees the third annual Custom Show Emirates (30 March to 1 April 2017) being staged at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Featuring the ‘Middle East Biker Build-Off’ between 2016 Las Vegas winner Pete Pearson (Rocket Bob’s, UK) and Hussain Salmeen of Kuwait, Custom Show Emirates is a joint custom car and motorcycle exhibition.
The car show is affiliated with SEMA, who offer a ‘Show-within-Show’ (SEMA Middle East) exhibit opportunity for its members, and with Swiss Custom, the custom bike show staged at the respected annual SwissMoto in Zurich every year – the Swiss Moto team will select a bike for a freight and expenses prize to compete at their show in February 2018.
Organized by respected journalist, photographer and promoter Frank Sander (Thunder Media), the event is the largest show of its kind in the Middle East – Abu Dhabi is the administrative capital and largest of the seven countries that make up the 9.1m population of the UAE.
Further leading Emirati customizers such as Lycan Custom, Custombikes Al Ain and Sheik Customs will be among an international field that includes competitors that have already scored high positions at various bike shows in the Middle East and elsewhere.
The motorcycle program includes stuntshows and international exhibitors from UAE, Europe, Australia, China and the USA. The Middle East is a very performance oriented market (the venue for the show is only 10 minutes from the Yas Marina Formula 1 circuit and ‘Ferrari World’, so SEMA is organizing a specialized car show, which will feature all aspects of car customizing and tuning, introducing international renowned tuners and accessory manufacturers.
There will be ‘Drift Shows’, performed with Japanese Drift cars and 4×4 Drifts, and a Custom Car Competition running alongside the custom bike show. The Bike show requires all entries to be runners, and classes include Scooters, OEM bikes, Three-Wheelers, Classic/Vintage bikes, Bobbers, Streetbikes, Metric Cruisers, Modified Harleys, Streetfighters (very popular in the Middle East), Sportsters and customized Indian models and Tourers, in addition to radical customs.
www.customshowemirates.com