Unlike horses, camels really don't like to race. They have to be coaxed, pushed, and motivated to run. But Hans Hugo Miebach, the president of the racing association in the western German city of Dortmund, is hoping all that effort will pay off.

After watching a documentary about camel racing on public television, Miebach decided that would be just the thing to pull Dortmund's racetrack out of the midwinter doldrums. The exotic appeal of a camel race could easily draw double the amount of visitors on a cold, drizzly Sunday than your standard horse race, he reasoned.

That is, if he can actually get the diffident dromedaries in the competitive spirit. At test races held on Friday, the camels in question seemed much more interested in the lush green grass growing alongside the track, than crossing the finish line.