A stellar line-up of the Middle East’s top motocross riders will descend upon Dubai this weekend for the Emirate’s first ever Arab Motocross Championship, with local star Mohammed Al Balooshi among the favourites to land the inaugural title on home territory.
The three-time champion of the regional motocross series, which takes place from 15-16 November at the DMX Motocross track in Jebel Ali, said that to win on home soil would be the pinnacle of what has been a rewarding championship in recent years.
“I’ve raced on many different tracks around the Middle East region to become three-time champion of the Arab Motocross Championship, but until now I haven’t had the chance to contest the championship in my home country,” said Al Balooshi, who will race alongside five other Emirati riders this Thursday and Friday.
“To win in front of my people, family and friends will be the icing on the cake for me and I have prepared for the last month to ready for this.”
Held under the support and patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Arab Motocross Championship will host more than 40 riders from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Sudan, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon and Algeria.
The two-day series will consist of races across two bike categories (MX1 and MX2) and one quad bike category on the demanding 1,600 metre Jebel Ali DMX Motocross track.
Al Balooshi added: “The DMX track has a lot of obstacles but the best part about it is that it deteriorates very quickly and all the bumps form very soon into the race.
“This is what I like about it the most and I definitely have an advantage knowing the track so well. Everybody can ride fast when the track is smooth and flat but I know not everyone can go fast when it’s rough and bumpy.
“The UAE riders along with the Kuwaiti boys will have the biggest advantage as we have ridden the track a few times already, but for me I am really just looking forward to winning on my home turf.”
Organised by the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE), the Arab Motocross Championship 2012 is the first competitive racing series of the Arab Motorcycle Federation (AMF) following an overhaul in August this year at its Riyadh headquarters in Saudi Arabia.
The AMF restructuring was driven by the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees (UANOC), in an effort to take competitive bike racing in the Middle East to the next level, with the Arab Motocross Championship in Dubai as the starting point.
Dr. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the ATCUAE and the FIA Vice President for Sport, said: “Since being revamped three months ago, the AMF has worked tirelessly to lay the platform for a full calendar of regional motorbike racing that complies with the standards laid down by the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), the sport’s world governing body.
“With its regional appeal and calibre of riders taking part this year, the Arab Motocross Championship in Dubai is the first step toward an ongoing process in delivering to the region a calendar of events that guarantee the highest standard of competitive racing and ensure the safety of competitors, spectators, and all others involved.”
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