The scene is set for Dubai’s first ever Arab Motocross Championship, with a seven-man Emirati team all vying to take out the inaugural crown on home territory for the first time.
Led by two-time UAE Motocross champion Mohammed Al Balooshi, the UAE contingent will be among the strongest in a line-up of more than 40 riders from nine countries across the Middle East to compete at the two day racing series, which begins tomorrow (15 November) at the DMX Motocross track in Jebel Ali.
Held under the support and patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and organised by the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE), the Arab Motocross Championship consists of races across two bike categories (MX1 and MX2) and one quad bike category.
The UAE riders have a distinct advantage over their counterparts this year, having already raced on the more technical 1,600 metre DMX track in Jebel Ali three times this season.
Al Balooshi, one of the favourites to take out Dubai’s inaugural Arab Motocross Championship, said that the trickier DMX track in Jebel Ali suits him perfectly.
“I have ridden the DMX track many times since it opened in 2003 so I know it very well, even though it changes every season,” said Al Balooshi, the winner of the UAE Motocross Championship in 2009 and 2010.
“The turf wears out very quickly, making it an incredibly fun and demanding course to ride. The key is for riders to be mentally and physically fit and they need to approach the course with a big heart. From the get go, we will have to push hard right up to the chequer flag.
Other Emiratis set to compete this weekend include Ali Al Kubaisi, Sultan Al Balooshi, and Saeed Al Shenqiti in the MX1 category, while Saif Al Kumiti, Anwar Khusaif, and Mubarek Al Ali will be amongst the hotly contested MX2 category.
The Arab Motocross Championship kicks off tomorrow from 9:00am with seven hours of practice sessions across all three classes, followed by scrutineering at 4:00pm.
The motocross action begins in earnest the next day, with one final practice session at 10:00am followed by two races for each category in the afternoon, before prize giving rounds off the action packed two-days at 4:30pm.
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 – a move driven by theUnion of Arab National Olympic Committees to take competitive bike racing in the Middle East to the next level.
Since being restructured, the AMF has been working toward developing a full calendar of motorcycle racing events in the Middle East that run to the international standards laid down by the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), the sport’s world governing body.
Dr. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the ATCUAE and FIA Vice President for Sport, said: “The stage is now set for Dubai’s first ever Arab Motocross Championship in what will be an important step toward a series of motorbike racing that ensures the safety of competitors, spectators, and all others involved as per FIM international standards.”
