Mohammed Balooshi will be flying the UAE flag solo when he gets on his bike to take on Liwa’s unforgiving sand dunes in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge over the weekend.
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The 35-year-old is the only Emirati entered in the bikes category of the event, the second round of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies for cars and the opening round of the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship for bikes.
“No pressure, right?” he laughed when asked about being the only local competing on two wheels this weekend in Abu Dhabi (Emirati Ibrahim Bugla is a non-competitive entry since he’s riding a non-FIM status bike).
“It gives me good pressure. I like it. It’s not like a weight on my shoulder. I feel proud to be the one competing.
“Even though I’m not picked to do it, I do it because I know I’m ready, but I know also through all the followers and fans that I’m the guy – it’s my time now and I need to make the most of it and do justice to all the Arab riders and fans with the expectations of me.”
Received my amazing new gear from @redbulluae *-* Thank you so much you guys for your support and lovely words,… http://t.co/BopiRAsZJD
— Mohammed Balooshi (@balooshi_7) March 24, 2015
This will be Balooshi’s 17th year in the sport and he is considered the UAE’s most successful motorcycle rider. In 2012, he became the first Emirati to enter the prestigious Dakar Rally on a motorbike and he is hoping to break new ground once again with a good result in Abu Dhabi, where he’ll be riding a KTM 450 Rally Replica.
On why there are no more Emiratis competing on bikes, Balooshi said: “Because it’s not a one-off event, it is round one of the world championship and you need some sort of good level to enter.
“For me, I wouldn’t enter if I’m not 100 per cent sure of my skills and my level because these are the best guys in the world racing.
“The Challenge isn’t easy, it’s very tough on the body, there’s a lot of high speed and things can change in a very short moment. So you need to be prepared going in, both mentally and physically strong.
Good morning from @ymcofficial Getting ready for official #pressconference @fia @FIM_live #AbuDhabi #UAE #ADDC25 pic.twitter.com/JvFqAVmJYu
— AD Desert Challenge (@AD_DsrtChallnG) March 26, 2015
“The way I see it, you need to put in a lot of time before you enter. I would say that’s one of the reasons you don’t see a lot of Arabs in it. I’m not saying they’re not up for the task, I would say in the near future we would see more.
“It’s predominantly an expat sport here at the moment. We had in the past, every now and then, some guys. But hopefully I’ll lead this path and many more will come with a lot of success.”
Balooshi has been preparing for Abu Dhabi and the world championship since last May. He hopes he can finish inside the top 10 in the UAE capital and dreams of ending the series ranked amongst the top riders.
“We started preparing last May, so 10 to 11 months we’re in this programme, which is day in, day out, from sunrise to sunset.
“It’s crazy. What to eat, what to drink, how much water to drink, very picky with the food, how much time to sleep, training twice a day, sometimes three times a day… and we only have one rest day. So basically all-out. I can’t wait for this event to start,” said the Red Bull athlete.
“I would like to be right up there with the top-10. I think it’s a reasonably fair goal but a bigger goal would be the top-five in the whole championship, the whole series. This year I’m ready.
Oh… Hello there ! U caught me looking for some cool products for the bike 
#Rallybike #DesertChallenge… http://t.co/xByqE0w1V4
— Mohammed Balooshi (@balooshi_7) March 18, 2015
“Last year is gone… after two rounds of the championship we were in the top-six, it was like an eye-opener like ‘oh okay, I need to work on this and that to be better to compete’.
Because I knew the five guys in front of me what they had, which I didn’t. I put in a lot of work. It’s not easy. It’s important to set the goal, which I did, and you have to do the work as well.”
Headlining the bikes field is reigning and six-time world champion, the Spaniard Marc Coma, who has triumphed in Abu Dhabi a record seven times.
“For us to ride with him – there’s always something to learn and the way he approaches a race, stage by stage, and overall… it’s eye-opening,” Balooshi said of Coma.
“He adds a lot of value to the event.”
Four of the six rounds of this year’s world championship are staged in the Arab world with Qatar, Egypt and Morocco hosting legs two, three and six, following the opener in the UAE.
“I think it’s only fair to dream of the world championship title in the near future because we have the home advantage. We need to set the goal; it’s achievable,” says Balooshi.
Had lots of fun today shooting with MCH Photo, Marian Chytka. Pics are looking amazingggg ! Thanks man, you’re… http://t.co/INoCSkzLHD
— Mohammed Balooshi (@balooshi_7) March 24, 2015
Balooshi plans on competing in all four Middle East stops but first he must tackle the punishing Liwa dunes.
“Our biggest challenge is, I would say, that 85 per cent of the race is on the dunes. It’s physically draining. The heat is up in Liwa and of course the pace is very high, so to manoeuvre the bike and keep navigating right, and go fast at the same time is key.
Because we don’t have the privilege of the car drivers, they have somebody yelling in their ear ‘go right, go left’. We have to do it all by ourselves,” he added.
“For me, the riding ability in the Empty Quarter and those Liwa dunes is really, really tough. Last year I lost about five kilogrammes within one round. You need to be all the time hydrated with lots of fluids, recovery drinks and minerals and stuff.”
