Balooshi to fly the flag at inaugural championship in Cairo

Mohammed Balooshi, the Red Bull athlete and Emirati Motocross Champion, will spearhead a three-man team who will represent the UAE in the first Arab Enduro Championship starting tomorrow.

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Mohammed Balooshi, the Red Bull athlete and Emirati Motocross Champion, will spearhead a three-man team who will represent the UAE in the first Arab Enduro Championship starting tomorrow. The UAE team, which also comprises Mubarak Al Ali and Ali Al Qubaisi, will take part in the championship which promises to test the off-road skills of seasoned riders from the Arab world, with participants converging from hosts Egypt, Bahrain, Tunisia, Kuwait, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco and the UAE.

The event, based in Cairo, will see all competitors ride the same Honda 600 TTR bike. Scrutineering will be held today, while the main competition will be held tomorrow and Saturday. "It is definitely going to be a challenging race, as it gathers more than 30 Arab Motocross Champions," said al Balooshi. "I am well prepared for it and looking forward to challenge my limits and come back with the title."

Crowned the UAE Champion at the 2009 UAE Motocross Championship, the 30-year-old started racing seriously in 2002, when he participated in the Motocross local Championship and polled 7th in the general classification. In 2003, Balooshi was named as Best UAE Motocross Rider after his performance in the Red Bull Super X in the City, which was held in Abu Dhabi. Balooshi shot to prominence with a remarkable performance that secured him third place in the 2003 Umm Al Quwain Championship in the 125cc and Open Class categories.

He won the title of UAE Motocross Championship in 2005, 2006 and came fourth in the 2006-2007 seasons. Balooshi is currently leading the Kuwaiti and Bahraini Motocoross Championship and preparing himself for the 2009 regional Motocross Championship and selected races in Europe. He craves the opportunity to prove his skills in the international arena and dreams of becoming the International Motocross Champion.

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