DUBAI // Mohammed Al Balooshi is looking to fulfil his potential in the Empty Quarter at next week’s Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
The KTM-UAE rider discusses with Gary Meenaghan the Liwa Desert, the challenges of the Dakar Rally and why, for him, nothing comes close to the constant thrill of motocross.
Question: Are you feeling ready to bounce back in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge from the disappointment of losing the Emirates Desert Championship to Jake Shipton?
Answer: Man, I’m excited. I just can’t wait for the whole thing to start. I’ve been waiting too long for this. The Emirates Desert Championship was my last race and because I was leading and had the Abu Dhabi event in my mind, I had everything to lose and was more concerned about riding safe. The bigger picture was always the Desert Challenge. That said, even though I lost by a point, if I am going to lose the championship, it is better to lose to my KTM-UAE teammate, who is a great guy.
You have competed in the Desert Challenge three times. What are your expectations going into this year's race?
Well, the first time we didn’t finish, then next time we finished 12th and last year we finished sixth, so we are hungry to keep improving. If I really have to answer though, top 10 is a fair goal. Being a proud Emirati and representing the Arab region, it is really important that we’re up there fighting with the top 10 guys.
You started riding comparatively late, when you were 18. What spurred you to give it a go?
I did so many sports and always lost interest after two or three years. I played soccer for Al Wasl Club between the ages of seven and nine, then I picked up martial arts, body building, sky diving. I did a lot of sports before I fell in love with this. Then, during spring break, I tried riding for 15 days and those 15 days have not yet finished. I’m still going 17 years later.
It is often said nothing compares to the adrenalin of a skydive. What is the closest you have come to that feeling in terms of riding?
Honestly, motocross surpasses skydiving because you have the adrenalin in the plane when you are about to jump, but once you jump it is finished within a minute or two and you are back on the ground. With the bikes, you jump stuff, you hit stuff, you save so many near-misses As long as the bike is moving, the adrenalin is kicking in, my brother. There is no comparison. If you want to compare to a skydive, it is more like jumping with a bad parachute that doesn’t open properly and you need to try to land safely.
You raced in the Dakar Rally in 2012, but retired with shoulder and hand injuries. Do you feel a strong showing in the UAE will help you achieve your goal of riding in Dakar again?
No, regardless, after Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, we will do the Sealine Cross Country in Qatar and hopefully go to Egypt, Morocco, we are trying to do the whole World Cup. This has been my dream since I started riding. Having achieved all my small goals, which were local and regional championships, this for me is the big one and I feel it is doable and reachable. I feel ready this time.
Organisers of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge often compare the race to Dakar and claim it is as hard, if not harder. What do you think? How do they compare?
You cannot compare, honestly. Both are very tough, physically, but Abu Dhabi is only five days; Dakar is 14. There are not many liaisons in Abu Dhabi, and the desert heat we get in Liwa at this time of year can be very draining, so you need to be fit. In Dakar, you need to know your navigation well. Here is probably 70 per cent riding skills and 30 per cent navigation, whereas in Dakar I would say it is 50-50. Slower riders can finish higher up there because they don’t get lost.
KTM-UAE have obviously played a massive part in your development. Do you think riding for the KTM factory team can ever be an option?
Man, that would be the icing on the cake. I get great support from KTM-UAE for the local championship, but to become a factory rider – that is the dream of every rider. My relationship with Alex Doringer, the team manager, is really good. He helped me a lot with Dakar and gave me a ride once in Qatar, so if I do well the opportunity is there.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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