7 minute read
Conquering Dakar
from XMotion Issue 4
by tpg media
I N T E R V I E W
Mohammed Balooshi - Conquering Dakar
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All photos: MARCIN KIN - RED BULL
2018 marked the 40th edition, the 10th successive year in South America, of the world’s toughest race, The Dakar Rally. Covering more than 9,000 km over 14 stages. Starting in Lima, Peru and traversing through Bolivia and Argentina eventually finishing in Cordoba.
2018 was labelled as the toughest edition in the events’ history with varying terrains from deserts to river beds to mountain passes at extremely high altitudes. There were 139 motorcyclists who entered the gruelling race with only 85 finishing in Cordoba. One of those 85 to arrive in Cordoba was none other than the Emirati star, Mohammed Balooshi. Reaching the finish line Balooshi became the first ever Emirati motorcyclist to complete the toughest race in the world. We caught up with the 38-yearold to chat about his monumental achievement.
XMOTION: Firstly, congratulations on becoming the first ever Emirati to complete the Dakar on a motorcycle. An incredible achievement.
Mohammed Balooshi: Thank you! I am still so happy with this achievement of mine. I had always wanted to do this one thing and now I can finally cross it off my “to-do” list. In 2012, I was close. But unfortunately, I got injured. This time, when I crossed the finish line, I was quite emotional and super pumped. I have done a lot of events.
I couldn’t be more proud to fly the UAE flag on the finish line and be the first Emirati to do so, it was a very special moment.
XM: Tell us about your preparation leading up to the race.
MB: I believe you should be fit throughout the year and train a little harder just before the event. I stayed fit all year long and tried to stay healthy, that was the key. For Dakar, I stayed on my game and being fit for our local championship, The Emirates Desert Championship (EDC), helped me a lot. By the time I was going to Dakar, I was on my A-game already – in good shape, fitness, stamina and strength wise. My confidence was through the roof. I always like to stay fit regardless of what race or championship it is.
XM: It’s been said that 2018 was the toughest rally in the Dakar’s 40 year history. Explain to us the physical and mental strain your body went through.
MB: Definitely! The 40 th edition was one of the toughest if not the toughest edition. For me, I know from my previous experience in 2012, which was already tough, but this outdid the 2012 edition. For me, anytime I go away from my family and friends, I start to feel homesick and that played a lot of games in my head. You need to block all these negative feelings and thoughts and try to stay focused. The best advice I ever got is to stay in the moment and focus on the race day by day. In 2012, I did not do this, I used to have countdowns; 8 days to go, 7 days to go until the finish, which added a lot of pressure. The biggest challenge for me was the altitude and cold weather, I have been living all my life at sea level, which is why my body couldn’t comprehend the shock it got at an altitude of over 5,000m above sea level. It was very difficult for me to adapt to it. Also, my bike wasn’t working like it would on the sea level, that’s another difficulty that I faced. And this year, I think, we spent a lot of days in the altitude, it was really difficult mentally and physically. So I am really happy to have completed it.
XM: Covering 9,000km in two weeks is just crazy. Explain a typical day at the Dakar.
MB: A typical day at the Dakar is a very long one. You finish a stage and you come to your service area and you handover the bike. They inspect the bike for any damages after which they try to fix and service the bike. You jump in the shower, try to cool off, go get something to eat as soon as possible and before checking the next stage’s road book, try to have a small nap if you can which is very difficult. The road book for the next day is released at 5 pm, it takes 2-3 hours to do all the markings, depending on how big the stage is the next day. After you have done that, you go for a quick bite and its time for bed (8:30-9 pm). Its normal to wake up in the middle of the night out of anxiety and nervousness, I usually eat dates when that happens, to try and get more calories in the system. Wake up around 4 am, have a proper breakfast and make sure you have enough electrolytes in your camelbak. You get on the bike and do the liaison, usually the liaison is quite long just to get to the starting point. Then you wait for your start time to come. You could have dunes, mountains, rocks, riverbeds...everything! After this, there is another liaison to the service and you repeat the cycle all over again! Once you get used to this routine, it’s easier to survive. It’s important to force yourself to drink enough water and stay hydrated and to eat and have enough fuel in your system during this time.
Mohammed Balooshi making his way to the finish at Dakar
XM: Talk us through your emotions at the finish line after completing the rally. A landmark moment for you and the sport in the UAE.
MB: I had a few incidents – one with the altitude on Day 8 which made me want to quit and pull out of the race. Day 9, I crashed and broke my fingers, which did not help. Day 12, drowning the bike in the Rio (riverbed) I thought I was out one day before the finish. The last day was the shortest, it was only 150km but it felt the longest like 1,500! From the get-go, I knew what it took to reach there. A lot of training for many years, people investing in me, the target was to finish so this was quite heavy on the mind. Every day was spent thinking about getting to the finish, which added a lot more pressure to cross the line. I remember covering the last 10km and I kept motivating myself saying “just don’t do anything too extreme, don’t push, go even slower, just reach the finish line, take it easy!” When I saw the finish line I remember telling myself to not get emotional but I couldn’t control my emotions. All of us had been through a lot in those 14 days. The whole journey flashed in front of my eyes on how I was almost about to quit, really difficult days, leading up to it and how we gathered the budget to do this. Once it was over, I was thankful to god that I made it.
XM: Closer to home, you recently won the Dubai International Baja. Tell us about your weekend.
MB: To win the International Baja, this was like the icing on the cake for my season! I have had two really good seasons back to back. I was a little bummed with how EDC finished, like how I lost the title. Hats off to Aaron Maré who did a really good job in winning it. But I was a little disappointed, some days with my performance and also with a mechanical failure. But to win the International Baja made up for that. I lost in national championship but won international. This gave me a lot of confidence and I am really happy with this. I think it will only keep me motivated. I am also very happy to be the first Emirati to win it. This is another milestone I achieved and would like to continue like this in the coming rounds.
XM: Give us a little insight into your G-Shock collaboration.
MB: I remember I used to own G-Shock as a child and I still do. To be provided with the opportunity to collaborate with them was amazing! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be the face of it. To be from the Emirates adds a lot of pride. I was really proud to know they picked me, I am really grateful. I have spent 20 years doing sports and this goes to show that I must have done something right. I try to be down to earth and stay humble. I try to achieve my goals and hopefully they picked up on this. For me, it is a good platform; hopefully we will build from here to put this sport on the map and to make it the No. 1 sport in the region– that’s my biggest goal. It is a unique experience to be on a dirt bike, there is nothing like it.
XM: What’s next? Baja World Cup, Dakar 2019…
MB: Unfortunately, I cannot do the whole crosscountry world championship due to political issues with neighbouring countries. After this, I will be focused on the Baja World Cup and what comes next will be announced through XMotionMag.
MX-Academy Mina Jebel Ali Exit 13 Dubai, UAE Telephone: +971 50 951 1151
Instagram: balooshi_official mxacademy_dubai Facebook: @MohammedBalooshi @mxacademydubai www.mx-academy.ae
