Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Motorcycle enthusiasts in Bahrain are racing ahead with plans to ensure the region becomes a safer place to ride on two wheels.
Ali Fairooz is spearheading a movement of owners of all brands of the machines to ensure motorcyclists are fully represented when it comes to dealing with officials and road planners and training issues are addressed.
The Bahrain Riders Club was launched last year with an initial five members and now boasts a growing membership of more than 420 and a new headquarters.
Mr Fairooz who has been a rider for the past 23 years, is the group's founder, general secretary and public relations officer. He said: "Bahrain did not have a group catering to owners who owned the various brands of bikes, and not just the popular Harley Davidson which already sports a successful organisation.
"We started the club and soon received a lot of interest from fellow riders who heard about our gatherings and wanted to join in," explained Mr Fairooz.
Within a few months of being established the club received official recognition from the General Organisation for Youth & Sport (GOYS) and came under the umbrella of Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Salman Al Khalifa, who took on the role of honorary chairman.
Mr Fairooz, 41, a sales and marketing manager from Isa Town, explained: "Our goal from the beginning has been to create a network of motorcycle clubs that can support each other across borders and, together, help develop motorcycling in the region and, perhaps most importantly, promote a culture of safe, responsible riding."
Over the span of a year the club has expanded its network and 11 more branches have been created, welcoming riders from Egypt, Lebanon, Dhahran, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Qatar, Oman, Syria, Jordan and Abu Dhabi and bringing the regional strength to more than 4,000 members.
The club held its first regional network meeting last month at the Al Safir Hotel in Juffair where all bar two branches met up. An agreement was signed establishing Al Safir as the official hotel for the Bahrain Riders' network meeting.
The event attracted 92 bikers including 34 visiting members and the group went for an hour-long ride at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
Mr Fairooz, who owns two Harleys and a scooter, said: "In bringing our Riders Club officers from across the Middle East to attend a hands-on training session in Bahrain we are helping ensure that the kingdom will come to be recognised as the regional leader in developing safe motorcycle practices.
"With the expansion phase of our club now well under way, we felt it was appropriate to bring everyone together for a networking and training session here in Bahrain.
"It also helped further reinforce the growing network and helped put faces to names."
The group also unveiled its new headquarters 'Bahrain Riders-Batelco House' in Budaiya.
Mr Fairooz said: "The idea was to keep the formal launch of our headquarters until later in the year, when the weather gets better and when everyone gets back from their summer holidays, but we decided to host our soft-opening sooner."
The club members, men and women, gather regularly every week and conduct a variety of training sessions. It includes guidance from the Bahrain Riders' safety officer and road captain Samir Habib-Allah to help promote a culture of responsible riding.
The club is also committed to providing both theoretical and practical training to the officers of all the new clubs.
The club's main sponsor is telecommunications giant Batelco and the group has also recruited 23 other sponsors on board to support its initiatives. The board consists of president Samer Al Arrayed, vice president Salah Habib Mahmood, general secretary Ali Fairooz, treasurer A Aziz Al-Sadiq, head road captain and assistant treasurer A Rahman Janahi, safety officer & road captain Samir Habib-Allah, government officer Sami Al Doseri, public relations assistant & ladies officer Sageda Tabarah, assistant road captain Sadiq Yousif and assistant general secretary Isa Khorrami.
At the new clubhouse Mr Fairooz said there were plans to provide space for bikers who want to park their machines in a safe and secure location at a nominal fee. Future plans also include setting up a bike store.
