For someone used to taking a tumble, the 2022 Dakar Desert Rally gave Mohammed Al Balooshi an experience he is unlikely to forget.
The Emirati biker was forced to use a broken tree branch to repair his motorbike, merely to have a hope of finishing.
The rally in January was the third time it had been staged in Saudi Arabia, starting in Ha’il and taking in about 4,000 kilometres of sand dunes across the Empty Quarter before finishing in Jeddah.
motocross rider
Al Balooshi, an experienced rider of five Dakar Rally events, has opened up and shared details of how, after hitting a mud patch, he was thrown off his bike in a high-speed crash.
Two ribs and the handlebars of his bike were broken in a heavy landing but despite that, the Red Bull-sponsored rider was able to finish the race after a bit of engineering ingenuity.
And all this during a race in which Al Balooshi was not originally planning to take part.
“Up until the second week of November, I had no thoughts of racing as entry was closed and I had been injured,” said Al Balooshi, 42.
“Our UAE federation asked if they provided me an entry would I consider it, so I felt like a kid and immediately said 'yes'.”
A rush to find sponsorship and specialist equipment to ride in the desert ensued, with the correct tyres needed to ride the dunes of Saudi Arabia only delivered and checked hours before the opening stage.
Al Balooshi was one of 149 motocross riders taking part in the rally that attracted 430 entrants in quad bikes, cars, trucks and other electric vehicles.
Of those, only 320 made it to the finish line.
“Dakar is a long, tough rally,” said Al Balooshi. “To not be 100 per cent fit was a risk, so I knew I had to be careful.
“I finished each day, and by day five I felt my fitness on the bike was better.
“My performance was good, but there was a big sandstorm and an issue with visibility.”
After taking off from a dune at speed, his bike hit a patch of mud, throwing the Emirati several metres to the ground.
His bike suffered damage to the steering column and handlebars and he feared his race was over as he would be forced to retire from the event.
Sandstorm bought him time to make repairs
Fortunately, race marshals called a halt to the event, as visibility had deteriorated to a point where racing was considered unsafe.
That bought the 42-year-old time to repair his bike and rejoin the event once the sandstorm had passed.
“I thought I was out of the race but some guys behind me helped get me up and recover my bike,” he said.
“I couldn’t ride without a handlebar and it had snapped almost from the middle part to the throttle side.
“Everything was hanging through the brake and throttle cables.
“We all regrouped and looked at how I could support the handlebar with tools, tape and zip ties.
“It didn’t work, so I used a tree branch that had broken to the same size of my handlebars.
“It was a unique place, with one tree and a branch the exact size I needed.
“The steering was still wobbly but the repair was enough to enable me to reach the finish line.”
The makeshift handlebar allowed the biker to ride the final 70km across desert, sand and rock.
In doing so, he became the first Arab biker to finish the Dakar Desert Rally for a third time.
“When I saw all my friends at the finish, they could not believe it, they were so happy for me,” he said.
The crash was not the first time he had been injured in the gruelling event.
At the 10th stage of his very first Dakar Rally event in 2012, he was sent in the wrong direction and later fell from his motorcycle, breaking his hand and shoulder.
Despite these serious accidents, Al Balooshi says that he always knew he had to keep going.
“We cannot surrender and give in when we think all is lost. When you think it is over, it is never over.”
