It isn't every day you get to meet a world champion, whether past or present, so when the offer comes through to hook up with a former MotoGP champ, you don't take too long to say "yes please". The UAE is an obvious destination for the rich and famous for many reasons and, a couple of weeks ago, Nicky Hayden was in Dubai, where he was a special guest at the opening of the Middle East's first Ducati Caffè.
Situated opposite the ice rink in the Dubai Mall, it's Ducati's latest "concept restaurant and lounge bar", following Rome, Shanghai and Bangkok, and the owners are planning further outlets in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Beirut, Riyadh and Jeddah within the next couple of years. It's something we're all having to get used to, this dilution of a brand's magic with gift shops, merchandise ranges and even theme parks. I've come to accept this as a positive, though, because they help swell the company coffers and help them carry on developing and building superb vehicles.
And it's motorcycle racing that Hayden is famous for (he's Valentino Rossi's teammate at Ducati), so I arranged to meet him the day after the opening of the new venue. Far better, I reasoned, to sit down with him when there aren't hundreds of autograph-hungry fans baying for his attention. So the Ducati dealership just outside Dubai Autodrome seemed like a good idea.
He was quite obviously exhausted by the time he arrived, surrounded by a small army of flunkies, and it turned out that, just a day before arriving in Dubai, he'd done 80 test laps at the Mugello race circuit in Italy. No wonder his eyes were all over the place and it was obvious the last thing he wanted to do was to answer a hack's inane questions. So, eschewing the usual "what was it like to win the championship in 2006" nonsense, I thought I'd get his thoughts on how companies such as Ducati can attract new, young riders to life on two wheels - many of whom find the idea of motorcycling to be quite terrifying.
"We need to educate people," he slowly drawled in his Kentucky accent. "Riding bikes is a great think to do, a great sport. But you need to learn the basics before going wild out there. And while it can be dangerous, there are enormous benefits from riding a bike, no matter where you are in the world. You can cut through traffic, for instance, getting from point A to point B a lot faster than if you were in a car."
As he spoke, I couldn't help but notice some serious scar tissue on his forearms. Hayden has had some pretty big accidents in his racing career, so I asked him if this might be what puts off new riders. "If you think like that then maybe motorcycling isn't for you," he said, almost as a put down. "You could say practically anything in life is dangerous, so my advice would be to get the proper schooling, wear the protective gear and not ride like a moron." Quite.
How about Ducati recently being taken over by Audi? Does he think it'll turn out like a two-wheeled Lamborghini, where the parent company helps move a precious brand into the premier league? "Time will tell, but all I can say is that the vibe with everyone I speak to is good. They see it as a positive. Audi has a lot of resources and, if you're going to have a brother, you want a strong one. So far, they seem to be encouraging Ducati to keep on doing its thing and we're producing some incredible, next-level bikes, like the Panigale."
And with that, he was off to say hello to some invited customers who had turned up while we were talking. It was a whistle-stop visit, here and gone in 48 hours but, for sports people like Hayden, life is all about being in the fast lane, isn't it?
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
The bio
Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi
Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup
Hobbies: Reading and drawing
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
TECH SPECS: APPLE WATCH SERIES 8
Display: 41mm, 352 x 430; 45mm, 396 x 484; Retina LTPO OLED, up to 1000 nits, always-on; Ion-X glass
Processor: Apple S8, W3 wireless, U1 ultra-wideband
Capacity: 32GB
Memory: 1GB
Platform: watchOS 9
Health metrics: 3rd-gen heart rate sensor, temperature sensing, ECG, blood oxygen, workouts, fall/crash detection; emergency SOS, international emergency calling
Connectivity: GPS/GPS + cellular; Wi-Fi, LTE, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC (Apple Pay)
Durability: IP6X, water resistant up to 50m, dust resistant
Battery: 308mAh Li-ion, up to 18h, wireless charging
Cards: eSIM
Finishes: Aluminium – midnight, Product Red, silver, starlight; stainless steel – gold, graphite, silver
In the box: Watch Series 8, magnetic-to-USB-C charging cable, band/loop
Price: Starts at Dh1,599 (41mm) / Dh1,999 (45mm)
The years Ramadan fell in May
Company profile
Name:+Thndr
Started:+October 2020
Founders:+Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of+$800,000
Funding stage: series A;+$20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
A QUIET PLACE
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Rating: 4/5
The Specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 118hp
Torque: 149Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Price: From Dh61,500
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Stuttgart v Cologne (Kick-off 10.30pm UAE)
Saturday RB Leipzig v Hertha Berlin (5.30pm)
Mainz v Borussia Monchengladbach (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v SC Freiburg (5.30pm)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (5.30pm)
Sunday Wolfsburg v Arminia (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Hoffenheim (9pm)
Bayer Leverkusen v Augsburg (11.30pm)
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90+1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: SmartCrowd
Started: 2018
Founder: Siddiq Farid and Musfique Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech / PropTech
Initial investment: $650,000
Current number of staff: 35
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Various institutional investors and notable angel investors (500 MENA, Shurooq, Mada, Seedstar, Tricap)
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome