Many spectators of the Matjes Grand Prix last Sunday rubbed the sand from their eyes in amazement when all the takeaways along the desert racetrack in Qatar were suddenly labelled in German language.
The original signs, on which typical dishes and drinks were offered for sale in Arabic letters, were removed and replaced shortly before the race start.
What happened here?
Marco Abd al-Matjes explains.
“Camels love snack bars and takeaways, and they instinctively read what there is offered while running. However, all the camels which were participating came from European breeding, so they do not know the Arabic language and writing, which meant that they had to read from right to left when running from left to right. Some even galloped backwards. The training races in the morning went so slowly that we were forced to replace the signs.”