Photo Essay: the UAE's model car racing scene

One racer from a tournament in Dubai will go through to represent the UAE at the Tamiya world championship in Japan

Seasoned racers Khaled Al Suwaidi and Ridwan Hidayat at the Tamiya Mini 4WD Grand Prix stage six, at Flat 12 Cafe in Dubai. All photos: Victor Besa / The National

Khaled Al Suwaidi and wife May in their hobby room in Abu Dhabi. He is one of the favourites to win on Sunday. 'Last year I won around 30 podiums in different categories,' he says

Mr Al Suwaidi tunes the brakes of one of his cars

One of his recent modified builds, which he named The Joker

Part of the couple's Tamiya Mini 4WD kit collection

Modified racing cars use specialised plates with lightweight parts to make them more stable at faster speeds

Contestant Kiko Contreras with his podium medals at Otaku ME in Dubai

In the quarter-finals, cars have to finish three laps without going off track. In the semi-final round they must complete six laps and during the finals, nine

Indonesian finalist Ridwan Hidayat: 'I first bought my kit 16 years ago. I was in junior high school and had to save my allowance to buy my kits. My most challenging competition was the West Java Challenge, Indonesia, in 2018. I won the pot money equivalent to Dh15,000'

Racers and fans cheer for their favourite car in the fifth-round race at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi

Racer Denmark Realubit says: 'The K4 Gambol with an F-MA chassis is my favourite car to work on because it has so many racing disadvantages. I love overcoming adversities. I never choose easy'

Rollers with speed bearings keep the cars on track. Weights or dampers are also added to the front and rear bumpers to help with stability, especially over ramps

Young racers during a friendly competition at Otaku ME in Dubai

Tamiya Mini 4WD cars can reach speeds of up to seven metres per second

Increasing numbers of women are competing

May Al Suwaidi tunes her car

A race fan from Saudi Arabia with car kits at a competition at Otaku ME in Dubai

The audience at the Otaku Mini 4WD Grand Prix stage six at Flat 12 Cafe in Dubai. This was the final qualifier for the Championship Race on September 1 at Times Square Centre, Dubai. The winner of that race will represent the UAE at the World Challenge in Shizouka, Japan.

A racer tunes his car before the Tamiya Mini 4WD friendly competition at Otaku ME

Members of the small but growing Tamiya Mini 4WD community in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Model car racers from all over the country will be competing on Sunday at Times Square Centre, Dubai, to represent the UAE in an all-expenses-paid trip to the Tamiya Mini 4WD World Challenge in Shizouka, Japan, in November.

The Tamiya Mini 4WD car is a 1:32 scale four-wheel drive snap-on race car kit. It is put together with screws, washers and bolts to firmly keep the major parts of the car, such as the bumpers, from flying off as the car zips along a fixed circuit with straights and turns and, in some technical tracks, ramps and even 90-degree turns. No glue is required.

The Tamiya company introduced this kit in Japan in 1982. The model cars are powered by an electric motor using two AA batteries and the perfect build is a well-balanced car that does not fly off the track. Every track, whether it is a high-speed circuit or a technical track, has a different set-up.

The National joined the UAE's most promising racers at stage six of the competition, at Flat 12 Cafe, ahead of the final round on Sunday.