At a press conference hosted today by the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) in Dubai, Emirati’s Abdulla Al Heraiz, Khalid Al-Kendi, and Mohamed Al Balooshi announced their intensions today to take on the world’s most notorious off road race, the Dakar Rally. The event will take place in Peru, Chile and Argentina for two weeks at the start of 2012, and for many, the challenge of just finishing the race is enough, but not for these competitors. They all want to win.

For Abdulla Al Heraiz and his co-driver Khalid Al-Kendi, this will be their second year of competition, having taken part in the 2011 rally earlier this year. The two Emiratis finished a hugely respectable 26th place out of 55 finishers. This was a remarkable achievement for first time competitors in a race where 140 cars started.

Arguably, Mohamed Al Balooshi will be taking on an even greater challenge as he intends to do the same race on his motorcycle. Al Balooshi has been the UAE’s top off road racer for the best part of a decade and has been twice crowned Arab Motocross Champion. It will be his first attempt at the Dakar, but hopefully his desert riding skills will give him an advantage over many of his rivals.

The press conference was attended by ATCUAE President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said of the announcement; “it is no secret that the Dakar Rally is the most gruelling race in the world, and it takes great bravery and determination to complete it. Thankfully, our competitors have shown in the past that they are champions, and I know that they will do their country proud”.

Also present at the announcement was Dr. Ahmed Sharif, Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council, who added; “we wish our boys all the luck in the Dakar Rally, which is considered one of the most prestigious events in motorsports, and we are confident in their ability to represent the UAE as ambassadors, not just competitors, in this global event”.

The Dakar Rally commences in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, on the 1st January 2012 and traverses 9,000 km’s of South American roads, deserts and mountains before finishing in Lima, Peru, fourteen days later on 15th January 2012. This will be the forth running of the event in South America, following its move from its traditional North Western African staging following security concerns.
 

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