UAE talent set to shine at Arenacross World Tour Finals, says Emirati legend Mohammed Al Balooshi


Amith Passela
  • English
  • Arabic

Emirati motocross legend Mohammed Al Balooshi believes this summer’s Arenacross finals in Abu Dhabi will “create that spark” to inspire the next generation of UAE motorcycling talent.

Al Balooshi, 45, is a five-time Arab MX champion and three-time FIM Bajas world champion. He was also the first Emirati to compete in the Dakar Rally.

While still an active competitor, he devotes much of his time to mentoring aspiring riders at his MX Academy in Dubai, where young racers hone their skills and dream of making their mark at major international events.

Some of them will get the chance to do precisely that on July 5, when the Arenacross World Tour Finals come to Abu Dhabi for the first time.

The UAE debut of Arenacross – like motocross on steroids and indoors – further cements Yas Island’s status as a global motorsports hub. It also offers UAE talent the chance to shine, with a competition for local riders set to open the show at Etihad Arena.

“[For local riders] to get a platform on such a big stage like this, I think this is the icing on the cake,” said Al Balooshi.

“And I think from here the future is bright for the upcoming riders and for the representatives of the UAE in future competitions.”

Al Balooshi’s academy was founded in 2011 for riders of all levels but with the ultimate aim to “bring up world champions”. He feels the opportunity for his pupils to compete in front of a packed Etihad Arena amid the adrenalin-soaked glamour of Arenacross will provide the perfect incentive for those serious about a full-time career in the sport.

I'm sure this will create that spark, that fire they need to pursue their career. Because we all need that moment. I believe this will be that moment, where they can take off
Mohammed Al Balooshi

“We started the academy in 2011 to give back to the community, to introduce the sport and to reach as many people as possible,” he said. “New clients and new members of the sport, to teach the basic foundations of riding. How to ride safe and how to be safe on the bike because this is such a beautiful sport... It's really a lot of hard work on the body and mind. So, yeah, we started this as our future plan to introduce [the sport] and hopefully to bring up world champions from this academy.

“This is the first time Arenacross is coming [to the UAE], our members are participating in the side event. So, this is their first introduction to this. I'm sure this will create that spark, that fire they need to pursue their career. Because we all need that moment. I believe this will be that moment, where they can take off.”

Al Balooshi describes the UAE as a nation of “petrolheads”, and his career has spanned vast progress across many disciplines of motorsport.

Racing in dirt cars and motorcycles through the open desert is deeply embedded in Emirati culture since the early 1970s which in turn helped establish the UAE as a hot spot for desert rallies such as the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the Dubai International Baja. Etihad Arena was also the venue for the FIM World Supercross Championships in 2023 and 2024.

“The culture here, before motocross, is off-road. You see around, we have the most beautiful desert in the whole world,” Al Balooshi explained. “So, to do any activity with the automotive industry is the best, because you bring the best of the best to come and race and put a good show where you can introduce a new event for people get to know what this sport is all about.

“The sport has been here since the early 1970s but now finally we see the big growth is coming in and a lot more. In the past 25 years of my career I've seen it growing every year, every five, ten, growing more and more.

“All of us here are petrolheads and we all love our bikes and cars … so it was a cultural thing and then soon we found, oh, you can race them. There is like a controlled environment where you can race and be safe and enjoy.

“The Arenacross is the next step, reaching the next level. I'm a very happy and proud Emirati to see the sport has grown to this point, and this is the best thing that happened to motorsports.”

As a young man, Al Balooshi grew up trying to emulate Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the incumbent FIA president and one of the most successful rally drivers in the Middle East with 14 championship titles.

“For me and for many of us in the sport, he was our hero at the time,” Al Balooshi said of Ben Sulayem. “Everyone at that time, including me, wanted to be like him. However, I didn't go towards the cars but took a liking to bikes.

“When I started the sport, we had only local races. Now we have two major international races – the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the Dubai International Baja.”

Matt Bates, CEO and founder of Arenacross, is excited to bring the event outside of the United Kingdom for the first time since it was launched in 2013.

A former rider himself, Bates said to stage the season-ending championship race in Abu Dhabi was a breakthrough for the sport.

“Motocross is a sport that's been around a long time and we, many years ago, kind of perfected the art of putting motocross indoors and choreographing a performance and a show,” he said.

“What people can expect are some of the world's best motocross racers competing in an end of season championship, no different to any sport, any motorsport.

“But then what we wrap around that are the performances of freestyle motocross which is bikes backflipping and doing all sorts of tricks.

“We also then put the young kids that are the up and coming future of the sport, not just the sport of motocross but motorsports enthusiasts, and we train them to take part through an academy working with people like Mohammed Al Balooshi in putting the right riders forward and then they also compete in the event.”

Lining up for the championship event are the UK’s Dean Wilson, the current Arenacross championship leader, and compatriots Tommy Searle and Jack Brunell, the 2023 and 2024 Arenacross champions, respectively. Challenging them are French riders Cedric Soubeyras, Thomas Ramette and Adrien Escoffier, to name just a few.

Tickets are available from www.etihadarena.ae.

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SCORES IN BRIEF

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The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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How to turn your property into a holiday home
  1. Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
  2. Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
  3. Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
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SPECS
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Essentials

The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours 
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.

Teaching your child to save

Pre-school (three - five years)

You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.

Early childhood (six - eight years)

Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.

Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)

Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.

Young teens (12 - 14 years)

Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.

Teenage (15 - 18 years)

Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.

Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)

Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.

* JP Morgan Private Bank 

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs

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Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

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Updated: June 09, 2025, 12:45 PM`