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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

The information contained is for general use only.We have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this magazine has beenobtained from reliable sources. The publisher is not responsible for any errors. All information inthis magazine is provided without a full guarantee of completeness, accuracy and chronology. Inno event will the publisher and/or any of our affiliates be held responsible for decisions made oraction taken in reliance on the information in this magazine.

All contents are copyrighted and may not bereproduced in any form without prior writtenpermission.

© 2016 Outdoor UAE FZEReg. at Creative City FujairahP.O. Box 4422, Fujairah, U.A.E.

WHEN YOU’REDONE READING,

PLEASE RECYCLE!

EditorFor editorial content and press releasesTel: 04-447 2030Mobile: 055 [email protected]

Sales & Marketing (advertisement enquiries)Tel: 04-447 2030Mobile: 055 [email protected]

Mobile: 055 [email protected]

Published byOutdoor UAE FZEIn cooperation with A2Z EVENTSP.O. Box 215062Dubai, U.A.E.

OutdoorUAE Team

Kit Belen Our fishing pro

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Diver and heli rescue swimmerwith Bergamo Scuba Angels

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Marina Bruce The Desert Diva andoff-road expert

EXPERTS & CONTRIBUTORS

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© 2016 Outdoor UAE FZE Vol. 6, No. 4, April 2016

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Dan Wright Freelance wilderness guide in the UA

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Diving and Watersport Expert

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Keith PereñaJunior Editor & Social [email protected]

Rachael BrufordTravel Editor

[email protected]

Daniel Birkhofer [email protected]

Helle Bachofen Von EchtElite Women Cyclist

The initial purpose of a vehicle – any vehicle is to get people from point Ato point B. Simple as that. We as an entire human race have long since been

fascinated with the speed and efficiency by which we can reach certaindestinations. Some people however go the extra mile and get to point A and pointB in style . These are the weekend warriors, the raceday rockstars, the people wefollow on television or in – today’s society, the Internet.

Cover photo by: Avinash John

Engine an our Motorport Adiction

There is an entire culture behind the world of motocross. There are websites, social streams,videos, icons, tracks and as many Halls of Fame as anyone could count. This is not limited to moto-cross too, there is also our fascination with cars – above all, motorboats, airplanes, ATVs — basicallyanything with an engine is fair game for us. We take these creations of fine engineering out for theday and we push their limits, and in this process, we are making something lifeless – machines, intosomething more human because we push their boundaries – we get them through patches, makethem fly through the air and more for the sake of satisfying our inner selves.

But the world of motorsports is not just an individual journey. Along the way you’ll be backedby friends and family and of course the idols which made you want to follow along their footsteps.

There will be times when you or others will recommend a route for eachother to ride, or you can even go along community rides. This sense of unitywithin the motoring community is such a strong bond that it’s not surprisingreally to see that these same people are also buddies outside the track.

So for this month, prepare to read about stories from everyone behind thewheel, be it proper drift cars, dirt bikes shredding some sand, 4x4s bashingsome dunes in the desert, stunt planes taking the skies or wild powerboatstearing through the waves. This issue is about our desire to go faster orfurther with the help of the greatest invention known to man – the engine.

Nela MacoveiBusiness Development [email protected]

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OUTDOORUAE

CONTENTS

34 OUTDOOR FLICKS: ON ANY SUNDAY, THE NEXT CHAPTER

35 HABITUALLY HEALTHY: CAVEMAN BABIES

36 NATURAL HISTORY: DOES SNOOPY SNORKEL?

EVERY ISSUE

LIFESTYLE

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

10 F1H2O POWERBOAT GRAND PRIX OF DUBAI

20 RED BULL AIR RACE

06 EVENTS CALENDAR

08 BEST SHOTS

09 OFF-ROADER’S CORNER: ALL (FX) FOURS ON THE SAND

40 PRODUCTS

63 DIRECTORY

EVENT & ACTIVITY REPORTS 28 ACROSS ARABIAN SEAS: ENCOUNTERSWITH THE SUDANESE BEDOUIN

30 THE KILI QUARTET: ALTITUDE, AGONY AND AGE

32 CROKANGO, OR THE DEADLY KISS OF THE TIGERFISH

32 CROKANGO

EVENT + ACTIVITY REPORTS

10 F1H2O POWERBOAT GRAND PRIX OF DUBAI

12 ABU DHABI DESERT CHALLENGE PREVIEW

14 EMIRATES PALACE SUP FESTIVAL

16 IN PICTURES: THE PENULTIMATE RACE OF DMX

19 EARTH HOUR IN DUBAI

20 RED BULL AIR RACE

21 DRIFT ALLSTARS AT YAS MARINA

22 URBAN-ULTRA HAJAR 100

24 PARIS-SORBONNE SUP RACE

26 UAC4X4’S 8TH ANNIVERSARY

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OUTDOORUAE

OUR EXPERTS

TRIED + TESTED PEOPLE

TIPS + TRICKS

58 WHAT I’VE LEARNED FROM MOTOCROSS

60 MX FITNESS BY FITNESS FIRST

61 CROSS CHAINING DO’S AND DON’TS BY REVOLUTION CYCLE

62 FAILING THE TEST OF FAILING TO TEST?

58 WHAT I’VE LEARNED FROM MOTOCROSS46 DARK SKIES CHALLENGE

OUR EXPERTS

46 DARK SKIES CHALLENGE - MARINA

48 AWESOME AQUARIUMS: THE LOST CHAMBERS - JAKE

50 MAX DID IT - NICO

52 WOMEN ON WHEELS: PREPARING

FOR LIFE WITH PROS – HELLE

54 THE CURSE THAT RULES US ALL - KIT

56 KRISTIAN GHEDINA – SKIIER AND RACECAR DRIVER

57 NIGEL LAMB – AEROBATIC PILOT

43 COLUMBIA TITANIUM APPAREL COLLECTION

39 2XU 24/7 COMPRESSION SOCKS

41 DJI OSMO GIMBAL AND CAMERA

43 COLUMBIA TITANIUM APPAREL COLLECTION

45 SIC RECON 11.4 SUP/SURF BOARD

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EVENTS CALENDAR STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LATEST EVENTS

APRIL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

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UAE JETSKI RACEIntense, on-water action between an international line-upof over 80 racers.

When: April 7Where: Abu Dhabi Breakwater Contact: www.adimsc.ae

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DUBAI HOLDING SKYRUN52 floors, 1,334 steps and 265 metres of charitable runningin the Emirates Towers offices.

When: April 8Where: Emirates TowersContact: www.skyrun.ae

OCEANIC TRIATHLON SERIESBack by popular demand and with two

new distances!

When: April 15Where: Oceanic Hotel KhorfakkanContact: www.premieronline.com

DUBAI DRESSAGE CHAMPIONSHIPThe exclusive, the elite and the best equestrians arecoming to Dubai for two days of “Horse Ballet”.

When: April 11-12Where: Emirates Equestrian CentreContact: www.emiratesequestriancentre.com

APRIL

11G4G SNOW HIKEJoin Gulf for Good for an early morning hike atSki Dubai!

When: April 15Where: Ski Dubai, Mall of the EmiratesContact: www.gulf4good.org

APRIL

15

APRIL

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ABU DHABI DESERT CHALLENGE 2016The oldest and most prestigious international cross-country rally in the UAE.

When: April 1-7Where: Empty Quarter, LiwaContact: www.abudhabdesertchallenge.com

APRIL

01

NORTH FACE ROCK RUN 2016Grab your running gear for one of the biggest trail

runs in the Middle East!

When: April 1Where: Wadi ShowkaContact: www.facebook.com/northfaceme

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DUBAI POLO GOLD CUP 2016The premier polo competition of the year bringing together the world’s best polo teams to battle out to win the title.

When: April 8-15Where: Dubai Polo and Equestrian ClubContact: www.dubaipologoldcup.com

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L23ASHURST AQUATHLON SERIES – RACE 3Now in its third year, this year’s event comeswith three distances for even more challenges.

When: April 23Where: Jebel Ali Golf ResortContact: www.race-me-events.com

APRIL

16APRIL

30

APRIL

21

APRIL

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HAMILTON AQUATICS DOHA

DEVELOPMENT SERIESThe Development series is designed for youngswimmers to experience a competitive environment.

When: April 16Where: Hamad Aquatics Centre, Doha, Qatar Contact: www.hamiltonaquatics.ae

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TRIATHLON FESTIVAL 2016Whether you’re a runner, swimmer or sprinter, there’sbound to be something to be enjoyed at this event.

When: April 9Where: Jebel Ali Golf ResortContact: www.race-me-events.com

SHARBATLY FRUIT AQUATHLONThe last race of the season and you lastchance to win a French Alps holiday!

When: April 30

Where: The Fairmont the PalmContact: www.supersportsdubai.com

DUBAI DESERT ROAD RUN 10K AND 3KA friendly and safe run at the Sevenson a worry-free weekend.

When: April 16

Where: The Sevens Village AreaContact: www.premieronline.com

QATAR DRIFT CHAMPIONSHIPAn action packed championship of the fastest

growing motorsport in the Middle East and the world

When: April 21-22Where: Qatar Racing ClubContact: www.qrc.qa

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OUTDOORUAE


BEST SHOTS

Here are the best shots sent in by you for our monthly photography competition! Thank you for all your entries, they were all great and it

was hard selecting the best photos this month. Congratulations to the top three winners, who will each receive Buff headwear, five free copiesof the magazine and the Advance Off-road Guidebook: Ace Espiritu, Arjun Sasi and Bassel Ounah. Well done!

Ace EspirituLying on a sea of clouds in Yanas Mountain RAK

Arjun SasiEternity

Bassel OunahKayaking at DXB Paddling

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OUTDOORUAE

O F F - R O A D E R STHE

c o r n e r

Al (FX) Fouron the San

Want your 4X4 to be the next feature?It’s all simple! Just send us an emailat [email protected] with thesubject “Off-Roaders Corner” and youand your car might just be the next oneon this page!

Name: John Joseph

Nationality: Indian

Occupation: Group Projects and

Facilities Manager at Binhendi Enterprises

Ride: Ford F-150 FX4

Simple as it may be, John’sFord F-150 has seen adventuresof every kind and of course, he’splanning to add more bits and bobsto it to make it a more dedicated4x4. He’s also planning an upgradereal soon. So while he’s not withthe new ride yet (another epicoff-roader), we catch him with hisF-150.

Tell us a little backgroundstory about the car...I must say that I love trucks. I love that they

have a big bed and are the ideal vehicles ifyou enjoy an outdoor lifestyle, which I cer-tainly do. I took this for a test drive and fell inlove with it even more, and couldn’t resist.

After I sold my previous Cadillac CTSwhich was my work car, I started to look fora truck. As much as I would have loved todrive some of the cars which I previouslyowned such as Jeep Wrangler 95 YJ inline6 and Ford Mustang GT, I couldn’t find anygood one in the market. After a few monthsof looking around, I found this F-150 for sale.Low mileage, no modifications, spotless andnever been off-road – exactly what I was look-ing for. It has never let me down since then.

Do you have something thatyou would consider to be a“special feature” of your car?It is unstoppable. I take it off-road all the timeand it never puts a foot wrong. It has a 5.0-li-tre engine mated to an automatic transmis-sion and it has plenty of power.

I have driven it in the dunes and on rockytrails, and it tackles any terrain with ease. Ithelps give me an awesome sense of adven-ture and then when I get on the highway itdrives as smooth as silk. Wadi and mountaintrails gives me more fun than desert drives

What were your other options

before you bought this car?The Dodge RAM was a closer option and al-most finalised on one. But then this came myway and I couldn’t resist buying it. The FX4trims - interior trims (suede with red piping)and exterior black stripes bowled me over.

How do you spend time with the car?I take her out to explore places in everychance that I get. I have been to placeswhere only competent 4x4s can only go.Needless to say the truck has seen places,many places. Other than that, I have alsopulled out a few cars out of some badpickles. Those vehicles are competent dunebashers but the drivers probably had a bit of

bad luck.But the best rescue was during last March’srain. I helped get seven kids home after theygot stuck in school. School buses couldn’tget to the school because of the floods andparents asked for help. I picked them up fromJebel Ali school and dropped them back

home through roads which only my truckcould manage. Should’ve seen the smile ontheir parents faces.

I have always believed that the car youdrive reflects your personality — and I wouldsay my truck speaks volumes about mine.

Any future modifications

that you are planning?I have never seen the need to add perfor-mance modifications to a car – a good driverwill take a standard car much further than abad one will take one with extra horsepoweror a larger engine transplant.

It is super-smooth and hassle free, but ofcourse some driving skills are required. It’sa powerful truck and its suspension allows itto tackle large bumps very smoothly, even athigh speeds. Basically, the F-150 makes youfeel in control and powerful, and this FX4package is way more capable and formidablethan before. White and black indeed looksgood, but I also quite like these in red. I haveplans to modify it a little with a Roush

performance exhaust system as well asoff-road bumpers.For the exterior, I’d like side steps and bash

plates. I have foiled the bed door matte blackrecently to get that mean dirty look.

What 4x4 do you dream of owning?Roush Raptor is still in my bucket list for2017. Maybe you’ll see me driving one?

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EVENT REPORT

The Emirates Racing Team has gainedsome extra additions to the team this year.Racing alongside accomplished Emirativeteran Ahmed Al Hameli and up and

coming Swedish star Erik Stark is the Italiandriver, Ivan Brigada returning to the sportafter a five year absence. On his return tothe sport Ivan commented: “It’s great to beback, this environment feels like home forme. The first Grand Prix in Dubai, whereI finished in 7th position, I was still rein-troducing myself to the boat and findingmy feet but it was a good result and I feelstrong coming into the championship.”

Also joining the team is new Formula4 driver Ali Bin Shaiban. Ali is well accus-tomed to the world of motorsports throughhis career in jet ski and go kart racing. Alihad a great result in his Formula 4 debut inthe Dubai race and will be a exceptional ad-

dition to the Emirates Racing Team family.

Emirates Racing Team is backfor its second year running in theFormula 1 Powerboat World Cham-pionship. After an exciting first racethat took place in Dubai on the 4thof March, the championship willnow be moving over to Europe tocompete in Evian on 17th July.

Emirates Racing Team is Back!Inside the Emirates Racing Team from the 2016 F1 Powerboat World Championship

This strong line-up alongside team managerand four-time World Champion, Scott Gill-man makes for a powerful team this season.

Emirates Investment Corporation will besponsoring the Emirates Racing Team forthe second year running this year. On the

sponsorship this season Faisal Al Meenah,Chairman of EMIC stated: “We at EMICare happy to be supporting the team onceagain in the 2016 season. Through ourendorsement we hope to raise awarenessof this remarkable sport and demonstratethe passion and ambition that the EmiratesRacing Team values as highly as us here atEMIC. We are proud to support the UnitedArab Emirates through the team and showthe strength and talent of the UAE acrossthe globe.”

Reflecting on the sponsorship andupcoming season Ahmed Al Hameli said:“As I always say — this team for me is likefamily. I’ve worked with Scott Gillman for

over 12 years and I am building a strongbond with my team members Erik andIvan. I feel honoured by the sponsorshipsthis year and am extremely grateful EMIChas decided to continue their support ofthe team. I’m confident we can make themproud throughout the season and ultimatelybring home the trophies for them.”

Scott Gillman added: “I am thrilled at thesupport given by our sponsors and mem-

Erik Stark engaged

Brigada front

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bers of the Emirates Racing Team family. Thisseason I am feeling very positive about our team,Ivan had a great race, coming back after sucha long gap. Erik was holding a strong position

among the top 6 throughout the entire race untilthe last 7 laps when he had trouble with the propand had to pull out. Ahmed is itching to get backinto the boat for the rest of the season, his cham-pion spirit and ability will make him come backstronger than ever. Lastly, our Formula 4 driver,Ali, is already showing so much strong potentialafter just a few times in the boat, I’m confidenthe will be a fierce contender in future races. I feellucky to have these talented drivers on my teamand my sight is set on reaching for that top stepof the podium.”

The F1 Powerboat World championship was in-augurated in 1981 and is organised by the UnionInternationale Motonautique (UIM) The sport hasbeen described as the most spectacular water

Ivan Brigada side

sport in the world and the ultimate adrenalinerush. The power boats accelerate faster than moststate of the art F1 cars and can reach speeds of160kph in four seconds. The Emirates

Racing Team will compete across the world thisseason in their unmissable black and orangepowerboats in countries including France (17thJuly), Portugal (31st July), China - Harbin (4thSeptember), China - Liuzhou (3rd October), Asia(DATE TBC), and then returning to the UAE forthe exciting finale in Abu Dhabi (9th December)and finally in Sharjah (16th December).

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EVENT REPORT

Photos Supplied By: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

Over the years, the Desert Challenge hasproduced some intriguing contests on fourand two wheels, and the quality of the of-ficial entry list announced this month by theAutomobile and Touring Club of the UAE

promises another spectacular showpiecefrom the 2nd to the 7th of April.Russia’s Vladimir Vasilyev and Konstantin

Zhilstov are top racers in the 62-strong carscategory as they look for a third successivevictory in Abu Dhabi, where Yas Marina Cir-cuit provides the Rally HQ and the finishingpoint for the rally.

Their biggest challengers include Qa-tar’s two-times Dakar Rally winner NasserAl Attiyah, the host country’s experiencedWorld Rally Championship contender SheikhKhalid Al Qassimi, Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed AlRajhi and Finland’s former WRC star MikkoHirvonen.

The UAE’s 18-driver challenge also sees

The stage is set for a classicbattle for glory in the Abu DhabiDesert Challenge powered byNissan, with 166 competitors from36 countries preparing to tacklethe 26th edition of the event.

eighth-seeded Yahya Al Helei maintaininghis remarkable 100% appearance in theevent, while his son Mansour defends the T2production class title he won last year.

The top ten racers also include accom-plished German lady driver Jutta Klein-schmidt who finished third overall in the1996 Desert Challenge and went on tobecome the first woman to win the DakarRally five years later. She forms one of twoall-lady crews in the event with Swedishco-driver Tina Thorner, the other beingItalians Valentina Casella and Giulia Maroni.

Interestingly, this introduction of women intothe races thus proves to show that the chal-lenge does not look upon gender and thatthe field of motocross and off-road is openfor everyone.

In the bikes category, Spain’s Marc Comahas retired from competitive rallying fol-lowing his eighth Desert Challenge victorylast year. This being the case the field iswide open for the competitors in the bikescategory as they all vie for a title that is foranyone’s taking. With this tension settlingbetween the riders, the event is guaranteed

Insights on the 26th Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

Inie the Minof the Racer

Retiring ADDC defending champion MarcComa’s title is ripe for the taking for this season

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a new bikes champion, and this year will see42 riders from 12 nations on the deserts tocompete for the title.

Despite the bikes crown being anybody’stitle, there are still some riders that are seento be great bets to win the race. One such

person is the Dubai-based, British rider SamSunderland, who was the runner-up to hisKTM teammate Coma last year. Meanwhile,while all eyes are on Sunderland, peopleare also betting on Chile’s Pablo Quintanilla,who is seeded second is also expected toshine after his third place 12 months ago,rounding up the predictions for the topthree seedings is this year’s Dakar Rally win-ner, Australian Toby Price.

With regards other seedings, EmiratiMohammed Al Balooshi earned fourth placein the seedings sequence, an improvementfrom this placement of sixth place last year,while Laia Sanz, a multiple Spanish andEuropean motorcycle trials champion who

is among four lady riders taking part, isseeded sixth.This year’s challenge also sees the wel-

come return of veteran Slovenian rider MiranStanovnik who missed the event’s 25thedition last year because of a training injury,ending an unbroken run of 19 appearancessince the rally was extended to include bikesin 1995.

Commenting on the lineup for this year’sevent ATCUAE President Mohammed BenSulayem had this to say: “They are a verypowerful entry list by any standard and wenow look forward to another very competi-tive event . There are some new names thisyear, but once again we see so many familiar

faces. I’m very happy to see Yahya backagain, as he has been with us from the startand is a great supporter of the event. It’salso nice to welcome back Miran, who ispart of the Desert challenge family.”

Taking place under the patronage of H.H.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, theRuler’s Representative in the Western region,the 26th Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is thesecond round of the 2016 FIA World Cupfor Cross Country Rallies and the openinground of this year’s FIM Cross Country Ral-lies World Championship.

Cars defending champion Vasilyev drivesone of seven prototype All4 Racing Minis ashe looks to become only the second driverever to complete a hat-trick of successive ofDesert Challenge cars victories after Jean-Louis Schlesser in 2001.

Partnered by French navigator MatthieuBaumel in an Overdrive Toyota Hilux, AlAttiyah will be aiming to bury his disappoint-

ment from last year when he thought he hadadded to his 2008 victory but was excludedfor a technical irregularity at the finish.

Also hoping for better fortunes this t imeis Al Qassimi, who went out on the penulti-mate leg last year while holding fourth placeon his Desert Challenge debut. He returnsat the wheel of a Mini All4 Racing in partner-ship with Emirati co-driver Khalid Al Kendi.Also driving Minis are fourth-placed Saudi

Al Rajhi, who is joined by German co-driverTimo Gottschalk, and 2012 WRC runner-up Hirvonen, accompanied by FrenchmanMichel Perin.

Another lady driver aiming to make animpact is Dr. Keiko Hamaguchi, a Japanesesurgeon who competes with Italian UmbertoFiori in a Toyota FJ Cruiser.

The 2016 Desert Challenge gets underway with a super special spectator stage atAl Forsan International Sports Resort in AbuDhabi on April 2nd, before heading out intothe Rub Al Khali for five days of spectacu-lar desert stages. The event finishes at YasMarina Circuit on the 7th of April.

Vasiliyev aims to score another victory this year, being oneof the few drivers to score consecutive wins at the ADDC.

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EVENT REPORT

This is one of the greatest appeals of theevent, the ability to attract families, friendsand keen paddlers to join together andshare the love of the sport.

The morning started with raindrops, a skyfilled with clouds and a strong breeze thatwas sweeping over the typically complete

On Saturday , March 12th,stand-up paddlers from around the UAEjoined together for the third annualEmirates Palace SUP Festival. Held onthe pristine beach of the iconic hotel, theSUP Festival, organized by the Abu DhabiStand Up Paddlers, is an all day paddlefestival with a variety of events to suit allpaddlers young and old, those with plentyof experience and even complete newbies.

Words By: Jen Scully

flat water in front of the Emirates PalaceBeach. These conditions, if continued,would have provided much needed protec-tion and relief from the sun, but the windwould’ve added an element of difficultyto the race course. Thankfully the cloudsparted, the sun started to shine, and thewind died all before the first race kickedoff at 10:30 a.m. It was a beautiful day fora SUP Festival.

With 69 participants from 22 differentcountries, as young as 5 and as old as 58,the event brought together a wonderful in-ternational mix of ages to compete againsteach other in three main event distances.

These included a 500m Sprint BeginnerRace for Kids, Juniors, Men and Wom-en. A 2km Recreation Race for Juniors,

Men and Women and a 4km DistanceRace for Juniors, Men and Women.

This year’s race course proved to be themost challenging to date, a 1km coursewith six buoy turns and a 30m beach run inbetween laps. The beach run has become asignature part of the festival, in whichracers jump off their board each lap, pro-ceed with a beach run around a “chute”lined with flags and spectators cheeringthem on, then sprint back to their board tocomplete another lap. The 500m race com-pleted two laps of shortened course, whilethe 2km and 4km events saw racers do twolaps and four laps respectively. The feelingof jumping off your board to run the “chute”can be exhausting, however the cheers fromthe crowd encouraging each other to “Go,Go, Go” is an awesome feeling and makesevery paddler want to do their best. Gettingup close with the race course is the key to

participants and spectator interaction whichprovides an added element of excitementfor the races.

This year, the 4km race saw veteran andleading male UAE paddler, Amer Dandachitake top honour with relative ease. A quickstart off the line, he gradually made spacebetween second placer, Nick Yates, anotherseasoned veteran. Nick paddled hard tokeep second throughout the race with anumber of paddlers on his heels including,teen and Naish Middle East sponsoredpaddler, Guy Welchman. However, in the fi-nal lap it was Brian Stephenson who passedF-One paddler, Jakub Szczensy and GuyWelchman to secure the 3rd spot in the lineup.

The 4km women’s race was won by NaishMiddle East rider Jen Scully, who also wasbusy playing two hats as she has spear-

headed the event over the past three years.Passionate about SUP and bringing thecommunity together, this event allows her todo just that and fit in racing too. Guy Welch-man and Conrad Bay took first and secondin the junior category.

The 2km races saw tops spots taken by

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500m Sprint Men 500m Sprint Women 500m Sprint Girls 500m Sprint Boys

1. Arnaud Perrisse2. Paolo Paolo

1. Jacinta Veitch2. Severine3. Ingrid Perrisse

1. Celia Dulieu2. Nikka Vugrinec3. Yenise Lefaut

1. Lewis Cochrane2. Remy Lhomme3. Sasha Perrisse

N1SCO Naish Keiki N1SCO Naish Junior N1SCO Naish Women N1SCO Naish Men

1. Celia Dulieu2. Yenise Lefaut3. Laura Lhomme

1. Guy Welchman2. Conrad Bay3. Lucas Bay

1. Jen Scully2. Marie Lalanne3. Esther Farrant

1. Nick Yates2. Jakub Sczcensy3. Amer Dandachi

4k Distance Men 4k Distance Women 4k Distance Junior

1. Amer Dandachi2. Nick Yates3. Brian Stephenson

1. Jen Scully2. Christel3. Marie Lalanne

1. Guy Welchman2. Conrad Bay

Team Relay 1st Tandem 1st

1. Levi Chard 3. Nick Yates 5. Guy Welchman2. Hosam Ashcraft 4. Jen Scully 6. Brian Stephenson

Victoria Thieffen and Jules Chartier

2k Junior

1. Lucas Bay2. Dominic Vurginec3. Levi Chard

2k Rec. Men 12’6 2k Rec. Women 12’6 2k Rec 12’2& Under Men

2k Rec 12’2& Under Women

1. Mostafa Al Hussaini2. Jules Chartier 3. Adrian Nizzola

1. Esther Farrant2. Alexandra Ruta3. Victoria Thieffin

1. Sebastian Lhomme2. Stephen Gilbert3. Chris Cochrane

1. Verna Nizzola2. Gaelle Dulieu3. Kristy Gkarikou

Results

Mostafa Al Hussaini and Esther Farrant,both veteran paddlers, but making a returnto racing after a year hiatus. The surf stylerace 12’2 and under were won by SebastianLhomme and Verna Nizolla. Lucas Bay wonthe junior 2km race.

Arnaud Perrisse and Jacinta Veitch racingin the 500m sprint took home 1st place forthe Men and Women respectively. WhileCelia Dulieu and Lewis Cochrane won thesprint kids races.

With the main, more competitive, racesout of the way, there was plenty of morefun on the way. The afternoon saw the teamrelay and tandem races, which allowed foreveryone, young and old to race togetherin some exciting team racing. The tandemrace had two people on one board racingaround a small course of three buoys about75 metres in distance all together. One racerstood and paddled, while the partner laidon the board, using their hands to help pad-dle along and gain speed. This was a closerace, which saw carnage at the buoy aspeople tried their best to hang on. Comingin the lead crossing the finish line togetherwas Jules Chartier and Victoria Thieffen.

The highlight of the day was the MegaSUP Team Relays. Using abnormally largestand up paddle boards from Red PaddleCo., these gigantic boards are used for teampaddling. In these relay, teams of six werepitted against one another in a time trial.They paddled in unison or at least tried to,

around a buoy and back, running the chuteuntil they all crossed the line together. Thetop two teams battled it out in the Team Re-lay final. Team Naish just nudged out TeamRed Paddle/F-One and claimed victory inthe Mega SUP team contest.

The event wrapped with the annual N1SCONaish One Design Race - a 100 metre sprintknockout - with exciting heats battling itout until the final. This is one event in whichyou never know who the winner will be untilthe final heat and the first paddler cross theline. You have to have a quick start, an evenquicker turn at the buoy and be ready to

jump off the board and run or even jump andfly through the finish line to secure the top

spot. This year’s winner included Nick Yates,Jen Scully, Guy Welchman and Celia Dulieu.

Thank you to all of the participants, thespectators and of course the sponsors for awonderful day at the 2016 Emirates PalaceSUP Festival.

The event would not have beenpossible without the supportfrom the following sponsors:Emirates Palace, A2Z Events, OutdoorUAE,Naish, Ocean Sports Middle East, Pro-Limit,Crowne Plaza, F-One, Red Paddle Co.,Starboard, SeaYou, Hydro Marine, Eywoa,Wadi Adventure, Live Love SUP and ParisSorbonne University Abu Dhabi.

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At the start of the race are 20 riders –hopefuls if we may say who in a few min-utes will be vying for the top spot in theirvarious motorcycles – Yamahas, Kawasakis,

KTMs and others. The grid is filled with ten-sion which immediately disappears as soonas they are waved off to start. In a fractionof a second, the silence filled course isinvaded by the shrill sound of motocrossbikes and the sand comes alive as tyresmake contact with them at every turn.The same could be said about the first lapwhich was full of attacks from all the racersas a lot of them try to set the tone for therest of the day.

From where I was standing, some of theaudience as well as my friends were makingpredictions as to who will take this stageof the race. I decided to jump in on thisand check out who is the fan favourite –

the selection is varied as a lot of them areshooting for different people. But thereseems to be a common denominator in

EVENT REPORT

Photos By: Avinash John

The Penultimate Race of DMXIn Pictures:

There are constant highlights toan event. But the most exciting isto see who will emerge the victor.

Motocross is a real action sport- watching the competition taketurns and make attacks, the noiseof their dirt bikes and of course,the loud cheering when a winneris already found, they are clamoredfor pushing their own personallimits. That in itself is veryinteresting.

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OUTDOORUAE

Pos Start No. Competitor Total Points r1 r2 r3

1 411 Ross Runnalls 75 25 25 25

2 38 Daniel Hutchinson 75 25 25 25

3 1 Ryan Blair 66 22 22 22

4 111 Ben Menzies 66 22 22 22

5 11 Dale Jullien 60 20 20 206 43 Joshua Brodalka 54 18 18 18

7 141 Mitcheal Malpass 52 18 16 18

8 82 Sultan Al Balooshi 50 20 15 15

9 8 Dean Jullien 47 20 16 15

10 24 Abdullah Shatti 45 14 15 16

11 73 Darren Berry 43 15 14 14

12 9 Tycho Liejre 39 13 13 13

13 7 Mohammad Balooshi 38 0 18 20

14 23 Mohamed Jaffar 36 0 20 16

15 1 Mark Ackerman 0 0 0 0

16 4 Oliver Evelleigh 0 0 0 0

OVERALL RESULTS

Pos Start No. Competitor Total Points r1 r2

1 174 Abdula Anwar 50 25 25

2 88 Alexander Mortada 50 25 253 74 Ceirion Bray 44 22 22

4 21 Jamie Horn 44 22 22

5 42 Frederick Barker 40 20 20

6 35 Kayan Patel 18 18 0


1 64 Dana Miskulnig 47 22 25

2 7 Katie Turie 47 25 22

3 86 Lacey Sexson 38 18 20

4 29 Chante Nolan 38 20 18

Youth/85cc

Ladies


1 895 Brent Gregson 50 25 25

2 1 Mark Ackerman 47 22 25

3 15 Adam Ridgway 47 22 25

4 7 Mohammad Balooshi 47 25 22

5 27 Corado Meneghello 44 22 22

6 11 Janne Tuohino 40 20 20

7 5 Sean Holder 36 16 20

8 7 Paul Malpass 36 18 18

9 831 Enrico Barbaglia 36 20 16

10 21 John (Andrew) Watkinson 34 16 18

11 25 Duncan Crerar 34 18 16

12 222 L. Corby 30 15 15

13 150 Philip Van Der Walt 30 15 15

14 144 Alberto Secchi 28 14 14

15 897 Regen Laue 25 25 0

Masters 45+ | Veterans 35+ | Clubman 20+

MX1/MX2

Location: Jebel Ali Length: 1.2000 Km

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OUTDOORUAE

place – they were all betting on the riderswho won the past championships such asJake Shipton or Ryan Blair. Nonetheless, Ifor one always root for the underdogs to

challenge the champion bets so that wehere in the audience could be treated toan amazing show of skill and expertise. Forthis race, I’m betting on Ross Runnals withthe Kawasaki Racing Team and it seems myfaith is not out of place as he is currentlyleading the MX1 class.

Another rider I’m also quite fascinatedwith is Ahmed Alnuaimi from the 65cc classwho is also from the Kawasaki team. Hehas shown a lot of improvement over thepast season and has entered this March’spenultimate race with a show of skill unlikeany other.

Seeing action taking all over the track,it was a perfect opportunity for me to take

some great photos of the event in the man-ner of telling a story. You can check out myshots along this article. You can also seethe current standings below to see who’sleading the various categories.

At the moment, motocross is no quite bigyet here in the UAE but this is countered bythe fact that it is one of the fastest grow-ing motorsports in the Middle East. Withvarious bike companies battling for sales, itallows fast riders to be sponsored but not

to the extent as you would in Europe wherea rider can live off racing. 90% of riders ei-ther have a job or are still in school. For thissport to grow even further, sponsors needto come and the DMX races have to bemore prevalent and made aware of, and Ithink magazines such as OutdoorUAE doesthis greatly. So here’s to more awareness,more races and more dirt bike bashing ac-tion in the final race for the 2015/16 seasonof DMX on the 15th of April!

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That being said, it sounds just right when forthe span of 60 short minutes Dubai turned offall its lights for the 2016 Earth Hour organisedby the Dubai Electricity and Water Authorityfor the ninth consecutive year, in line with thedesire of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid

Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minis-ter of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and underthe patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan binMohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, CrownPrince of Dubai and Chairman of the DubaiExecutive Council for a greener Dubai.

A lot of outdoor enthusiasts always go byan adage that goes “leave nothing but foot-prints” and I think that it’s one great initiativethat of course supports Earth Hour. So muchso that the event, taking place in Bay AvenuePark in Business Bay had not only a couple ofcultural events free to experience and try out,but it also has some various outdoor activitiesto partake in such as wall climbing, zipliningand even making your own natural milkshake

by use of a pedal-powered blender!The activities around the park ensured thatthere was fun to be had for everyone beforethe hour when they had to turn off all theirlights. Queues from all over the location werelengthy with people securing free gifts – LEDpowered caps for a fun evening while somelighted organically made candles in hopesof a better Earth in the future. Around thevicinity, buildings; apartments and offices fol-lowed suit to the festivities.

When the time to come for everyone toshut off their lights occurred, it was met at

Switch Off for a Bright Tomorrow2016 Earth Hour – DubaiPhotos By: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority

Words By: Keith Perena

When you think about it,most of the activities that we dooutdoors would not be possiblewithout a responsible and constanteye on the environment.

EVENT REPORT

first with a silence as well as enthusiasmamong the crowd. Shockingly, the LED capscame to good use when all of a sudden,the park came to another life with the useof black light and all of sudden the partici-pant’s caps came to have a fluorescent glowon them. Of course that doesn’t defeat thepurpose of the event as the act of turning onunnecessary light saw a 222MWh reductionin the consumption of electricity and as wellas a 96-tonne reduction of carbon dioxideemissions – effectively reducing the emirate’scarbon footprint. Quite a big number for a

short span of time!What was surprising was the participationof nearby buildings as well including the BurjKhalifa. For that evening, the tallest buildingin the world fell dark in support of a cleanerand brighter future for everyone. Amidst thelights shutting off, a small walkathon aroundthe area took place and it saw a couple ofneon clad runners in varying colors walkingalong the vicinity looking like some beaconsof the future. On the venue itself, some light-shows and intermission numbers took placeall with the help of LEDs.

Also present in the event were displaysfrom DEWA of the new solar panels that willbe used to a greener Dubai. This is in linewith HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid AlMaktoum’s ideals for alternative energy, amove that will put Dubai as one of the firstadopting massive use of green energy.

In relation to the outdoors, of course thisis great because now we can live in city thatis aware of its impact in the world and alsoit supports our personal belief of leavingnothing but footprints whilst we are in themountains or in the seas.

So think about it, we wouldn’t have the

outdoors we enjoy in if we didn’t do ourpart to save the planet. And it’s only for 60minutes of your time. Therefore, next time,shut off the lights and turn on your mind for acleaner and brighter world that future genera-tions could enjoy as much as we do now.

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EVENT REPORT

The first race of the 2016 RedBull Air Race World Championshipwas even hotter than expected onSaturday, as Nicolas Ivanoff fromFrance blazed through the pylonsto victory in a close competition atAbu Dhabi’s famed Corniche.

Battling for the early lead in what’s settingup to be an especially fierce title battle

over the eight-race season, Ivanoff’s timeof 00:58:550 was just enough to clinch thetop step of the podium ahead of MatthiasDolderer of Germany in second place -00:58:660 and Francois Le Vot of France inthird - 01:02:281.

With the retirement of 2015 WorldChampion Paul Bonhomme, the title isanyone’s to seize, and the heat was onat Abu Dhabi’s sizzling shoreline.

Red Bull Air Race Season Opener Unpredictable winds and a challengingracetrack put the lineup of fourteen of the

world’s best pilots, including three formerWorld Champions and two chargingnewcomers, to the test.

The challenges will continue across sixmore countries before the points are talliedto crown the 2016 World Champion of theultimate motorsport series in the skyat the season finale in Las Vegas, USA thisOctober.

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EVENT REPORT

This will be the first time the region’sdrivers will do battle against some of the

biggest names of the sport. Combine thiswith the current explosion of the sportacross the GCC region and this event prom-ises to be a huge boost for the sport as itevolves into the fastest growing and biggestmotorsport in the Middle East.

Yas Marina Circuit, famous for hostingthe final round of the Formula 1 series, V8Supercars and International GT racing will

Yas Marina Goes SidewaysThe local royals of slide battle it out at Yas Marina

Drift Allstars kicks off the 2016GP season at the Yas MarinaCircuit, UAE. 10 internationaldrivers from across the globe willtouch down at the Yas Marinacircuit in the United Arab Emirateson April 7-8th to do battle underthe lights against the best driversin the Middle East for the openinground of honors of the 2016 DriftAllstars GP Series.

Photos Supplied By: Drift Allstars

be specially adapted for what is shaping upto be the biggest International drift event tohit the region so far.

Niall Gunn added “Kicking off at the YasMarina Circuit is a dream come true. TheAbu Dhabi Drift GP season opener is the

perfect fit for Drift Allstars as we kick off ournew international series which goes acrossthree continents this season. Hailed as theultimate drift circuit on the planet it’s goingto be one of the main highlights of the 2016season, utilizing this world class facility andcombining live music and entertainment aspart of the show. We cannot wait to see astar studded lineup of international driversbattle the best drift drivers in the MiddleEast”.

Going against the international driverswill be a host of the top professional drift-ers from the region who will be aiming tocontinue their undefeated record againstinternational drivers.

Ahmed Alamri of the UAE will be fightingfor the national pride as the reigning DriftUAE Champion. Ali Makhseed, rising Kuwaitisuperstar will be leading the charge from thenorth of the region after early season wins.

Along with a man that some say is one ofthe biggest stars of the season, AhmadDaham - he is one of the most successfuldrivers from Jordan and will want to stepit up and take his chance to battle the bignames. Abudhadi Alqatani will be leading

the force from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Hometown heroes Sultan Al Qassimiand Khalifa Al Nahyan will also be carryinghometown honor as they both make their2016 international debuts on the worldstage.

The action kicks off at 18:00 on bothThursday 7th and Friday 8th of April.An extensive retail village and entertain-ment area will be run on the Oasis of theNorth stand. For the first time the SBH AutoCollection will be on show with 20 differentcar clubs coming together to showcase theirvehicles in the confines of the North stand.Live music and entertainment will keep thefans on the edge of their toes over the dura-

tion off the action packed two days.With tickets starting at just 60 AED a

record breaking crowd can be expected inattendance to see the battle ensue. Ticketsnow available at www.yasmarinacircuit.com.

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OUTDOORUAE

EVENT REPORT

Urban Utra Hajar 100

friendly chats with runners from Dubai TrailRunning (DTR) filled in the time quickly. Igot the “hey I know you from somewhere”moment several times – related to the UrbanUltra race video I was interviewed when Ifinished the race last year. I chatted with fewrunners as they asked what to expect on the

course.After feeling confident with shoe choice, Ipassed on my drop bags: one to be retrievedlater in Checkpoint Five and one for the finishline. Race briefing was presented before run-ners being transported by bus to the startingline which was about an hour’s journey.

Start – Wadi Bih, UAESide near Jebel JaisThis year, Urban Ultra received a few Interna-tional runners including notable runner fromJordan, Salameh Alaqra – a 2012 Marathondes Sables winner. As we lined up to start, I

joked with Chad Lasater, asking if he will “try”to chase Alaqra.

And just behind the front line-up was ClareMullenger, my favourite female ultra runneras she stood representing the women. “En-

joyed the course like you always do”, I said.“I will stop at 50km if my injured foot could

not carry any longer.”“NO, you do NOT have any injury”, said

Lee Harris. So, that’s it I don’t anymore; bi-zarre what a positive affirmation could do tothe brain instantly. Benoit Rodriguez said hehad a better “excuse” than me as he recentlycompleted a tough desert race in Abu Dhabi(and won the 100km Liwa Challenge).

I looked back to find other runners. I sawBrendan Moloney as he was making hugeclaps that provoked others to follow. At 6:00

a.m. sharp we embarked on the journey whileit was still dark, not like last year as I recalled;this time, 100km runners accompanied the50km runners.

Checkpoint 1A rather flat first 7.5km — as the sun wasabout to rise, the cobbled sky was in red andorange. No stop at Checkpoint (CP) 1. I car-ried on climbing the 1,000m Janas Mountain.

Checkpoint 2

I enjoyed the winding climb till the top; I wasglad to bump into Moustapha Mroueh (whofinished 100km last year) as we did our firstdescent over rocky terrain. We then ran alongthe edge of a stunning plateau.

When I reached CP2, there was ServatiusPalmans from Hopasports by the time mat. Ithen rushed off to the wide open road with-out stopping at CP2.

Checkpoint 3Going downhill put unpleasant impact to myleft foot injury. This was where the DTR gangscaught me: Gerard Foulkes, James Consta-ble, Simon Williams, Tamaz Lorinz, and thenMoustapha Mroueh (again). It was great to

see them just when I needed some friendlyfamiliar faces.At this point, the heat was very strong on

me as we came down from Janas Mountain.I finished off two bottles of 500ml electrolyte

Photos By: Urban Ultra

Getting ThereAfter a delicious homemade gourmet lunchprepared by Margot (vegetable risotto withgoat cheese and pine nuts), I took a lift froma good friend, Stephen Turner who was alsoparticipating in the 50km race. The journeywas about an hour from Dubai to MarjanIsland. Occasional wild camels were sightedalong the journey.

Early Crack of Dawn – 4th of MarchI had an easy dinner (instant mashed potatobought from Carrefour) and went to bed veryearly. After a good night sleep of six hoursand breakfast (a banana and Pure NutritionBeetroot Endurance drink), I gathered for

race check-in at 3:00 a.m. in DoubleTreeHilton, Marjan Island. Exchanging hugs and

I hardly return for the samecourse. But the Hajar 100 byUrban Ultra in Ras Al Khaimah,

United Arab Emirates is different.Could it be the surrounding ruggedlandscape softened with wildflowers, and patches of greengrass? Could it be the camaraderieamong participants and amazingpeople behind it? Could it be be-cause it’s the only single-stage trailrun in the country? Whatever it is,I could not deny the wonderfulfeeling of being back on this uniqueland I call home.

Words By: Aida Othman

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and filled them in at Checkpoint 3. Grabbeda few oranges and dashed off to climb thesecond hill, Jebel Yibir.

Checkpoint 4I enjoyed the steep climbing but the heattook a toll on me. “You have no excuse sinceyou’ve done last year”, a voice came from abunch of guys I never met before this race asthey passed me. Not liking what they said, Ireplied “Why don’t you go first, then you cantell me all about it at the finishing line.”

I slowed my pace down when reachingthe village at the top to save energy for theboulders section. The boulders were the pret-tiest part — very pleasant as the route wasshaded by shrubs and paved with differentshapes of rocks. There were thorny shrubsthat put a tiny hole in my compression pants.Some parts require squeezing the body inbetween the gap of rocks. At one part I gotto stop for a bit to talk myself out of climbingup a huge rock by using upper body strengthand correct feet placing. Akira Shibayama,a Japanese runner who I finished togetherlast year tried to help. “Calm down, you arenot far, just need a little push and a few stepsaway”, said Simon Williams. His magic wordsreally work on me.

Over the boulders meant the 1,200m climbof Jebel Yibir came to an end, I then reachedCP4 after a few more short hills on open trackroad. There was no sight of oranges cut. I’vefinished all my water supplies since the lastCP (unusual for a camel runner like me), butonly refilled the two bottles as I planned torefill the bladder on the next CP.

Checkpoint 5 and 50km FinishI left CP4 with Helmuth Raukuttis, who gave

me a lift in the morning. The downhill run wasenjoyable because it was on tarmac, thoughit tired my knees. A couple of cars came upand down the hill exerting rubber fumes frombraking too often. I bumped into one runnerwho was a bit injured but he seems strong inspirit to finish at CP5.

I did not expect CP5 to be at a differentlocation than last year, so I ran down the hillfor a further 2km following Simon Williams.Hearing the bell and cheering put a specialfeeling. Seeing charming Kevin Bradford,lovely Zuzana Laukova and smiling ShaikhMansoor – I was simply happy to sit and chaton a comfortable stool under canvas.

Within 15 minutes, other DTR members

finished their 50km race – amazing effort byTamaz Lorinz and Moustapha Mroueh. After aserving of very delicious homemade minestro-ne soup by the organisers, two cans of cold

Sprite and Red Bull, a change of sock andshoes, top up electrolyte in 500ml bottles, fillin bladder, iPod shuffle on, and head torch on– off I went as Simon Williams reminded meto stop chatting. Just when I left CP5, I hearda name Jeremy being called on so I thoughtthat must have been Jeremy Grigg from DTRreaching the finish line. Bravo!

Checkpoint 6Heading out for second part of race, I feltgood and my leg felt strong. When Simonneeded a bit of rest to get the food downproperly, I said to him to catch up ahead.“That’s what I did whole day didn’t I”, saidSimon. With this promise, I ran the entireof 14km enjoying the last hour of sunlightto only reach a very dim CP and for oncesecond, I thought this was a self-serviceCheckpoint. Poor young volunteers who mustbe really tired from the early morning had anap in the car. I woke him up so he can jotdown my bib number and suggested to himto have a coffee.

Checkpoint 7The next run of 11.5km was pleasant becausemost of the trail route was parallel along thebig road, so it was lit up by road lights. I felta slight discomfort on my right heel, and Itried to fix the socks a few times. I stoppedafter realising a blister the size of two Tic Tacsappeared on my heel. Oh, no biggie – twobandages to cover it will do the trick. It’s justthat I’m not a blister prone runner – so thiswas a first in any race.

CP7 is the next best CP (after CP 5 that is).I was looked after by two young volunteers(Ahmad and Yusuf). I felt a bit hungry, butmy tummy rejected the banana cut, so they

offered a vegetable shawarma, which I tooktwo bites of – not much at all. This energizedme so I dashed out for the remaining halfmarathon.

Checkpoint 8A good 14km run towards CP8 and I madethe effort to enjoy the night run adornedwith bright stars. The music in my iPod shuf-fled from Britney Spears to Rocky moviesoundtrack as I ran in a rhythm following thebeat.

I didn’t stop at CP8 except making sureI got the right direction. “Left on the road,then turn right after the tyre, no goat farmtrack”, said a friendly volunteer when I told

that I got lost last year on the way to the fin-ish line. While packing at CP8, I left it secretlyand wished other runners at the back tocome along too.

Finish: 100km in AdhanAs I ran along the main road, I bumped intoa group of Emiratis who was having a Fridaynight walk. They pointed the direction to gostraight ahead which I very much appreci-ated.

Just when I thought I was going to finishthe race, the nausea kicked in and the chanceof throwing up was high. Then, out of no-where Jojo Olivar appeared whom I last sawon top of Jebel Yibir. He said he rested atCP5 as he got a bit sick as he wanted to doit under 19 hours. I tried to move a bit fasterbut just couldn’t be fast enough in the condi-tion I was in. The final route came with somerocks, some undulating terrain, and sandtowards the end – not so straightforward.

We arrived at the finish line with a goodfinal sprint. I wanted to sit down right thereand then, but was told to get a check in theambulance. After 30 minutes, I lied down andafter some little puking, felt better. My heartrate at 80bps - was normal though I felt it wastoo high. The friendly ambulance staff toldme that apart from myself, they looked afterSami Alsaidi, the 1st winner with his crampingissue.

A few other runners arrived later includingDTR’s Simon Williams. I bid farewell to theorganisers and we were then transported bybus back to Marjan Island.

PerformanceAll in all, I was very grateful to have finishedthe race without making the left foot injuryany worse: 5th Female and 18th overall. I cer-tainly enjoyed the 2016 race more than 2015even though not getting a PB (eight minutesshort from 2015 race). Plus, my legs could stillrun further – despite the nausea.

Do this again? Absolutely — no explana-tion or justification required here. I felt happyon the trail and had great fun. Except thepuking incidents though!

Till the next race,

#RunUltra, Live to thrive. Sl ice of Torch G inger

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EVENT REPORT

Compared to last year’s single, 28kmlong distance race, participants were facedwith three races: a 7km morning race in themangroves for the first leg, a technical nightrace at the Beach Rotana, Abu Dhabi for thesecond leg and the final race was a chal-lenging 33km relay race from the

Beach Rotana up to the Yas Marina. The

Photos By: Ihab MokayedWords By: Keith Perena

Paris-Sorbonne

SUP Race 2016

Spanning two days and in twotimeframes – day and night, thesecond Paris-Sorbonne Abu DhabiStand-up Paddling Race saw animprovement over last year.

introduction of the new distances and racesproved to be a welcome and challenging

introduction to the event this year.The participants ranged widely in terms

of skill and experience, everyone fromseasoned professionals to students of theSorbonne competing for fun was present.The university had three teams to competein the race and generous sponsors suchas Naish and F-One also had their ownteams. The former, Naish brought their bestathletes along such as Jen Scully and Nick

Yates of Live Love SUP fame, as well as GuyWelchman who has been an athlete withNaish for quite some time.

Day 1 - The Mangrove LegStarting in the wee hours of the morning,

the Mangrove leg of the race was designedto warm up all of the participants with abrief yet challenging race. The race startedopposite the Anantara Mangrove Hotelfollowed by the paddlers going along theCorniche and eventually taking a turn intothe mangrove’s narrow passagesto complete the 7km distance.

The turn to the mangrove proved to be

challenging for the participants as they werepresented with a narrow area where a lot

of attacks took place. The first leg was wonby the Sorbonne 1 team with a healthy leadof 198 points against second placer, Naishwith 169 and F-One with 131. The race wasfollowed by a sumptuous pizza snack closeto shore.

After the race, the organizers and theparticipants stayed at the Beach Rotanahotel which was provided by supporter,Nirvana Travel.

Day 2 - The Rotana Night RideAt around 6:00 in the evening, Alex – thehead organiser of the event started to callon the participants to gather around theboard where the layout of the race was

discussed. The night race is a first for theevent and I can see the look of alertnessamong the participants. It was beginningto become dark in this side of Abu Dhabi,

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Team Point

Naish 904

Sorbonne 1 698

F-One 591

Frogs 545

Sorbonne 2 235

Sorbonne 3 60

Thales nil

Final Results

make their way around the course. Unlike

the fun and adrenaline packed race in themangroves, the night race seemed to befilled with silence — but this was changedquickly as the first batch of paddlers madetheir way along the course and everybodyon the jetty began cheering for their teams.Intense paddling was exhibited by the toptwo teams – Naish and Sorbonne 1 as theybattled neck to neck during the heats of therace. The night leg was one by Naish top-ping the overall results against Sorbonne 1.Guy Welchman, one of the Naish paddlersspoke about the course: “Brilliant race, oneof the nicest sprints I have ever done – nighttime, beautiful scenery and overall greatcompetition.”

Day 3 – Rotana to Yas MarinaArguably, the longest and most intense legof the race, at 33km, the Yas Marina leg wasthe ultimate challenge for all teams andpaddlers. After a brief orientation at thehotel beachfront, the teams were then led totheir respective team boats. The race wasa relay race wherein every single team mem-ber had to paddle a certain leg of the race.The teams can select whoever they want topaddle when.

As soon as the teams lay comfortable ontheir boats, it was our turn to board the leadboat that was tasked in overseeing the race.At the helm is Alex who directed the team

boats and of course sent the first batch ofpaddlers fiercely clawing at the water withtheir paddles. It was very intense and a clearlead was secured by the Sorbonne 1 teamwith the Naish closely following. After thethird turn, going through Al Reem Island,the distance was becoming more obviousas everyone tried to make their way throughthe narrow waterways of Reem Island andout into the mangroves. It was at this pointwhen our boat made its way towards theother end of the mangrove where the teamboats were waiting for the first set of relays.Transfers were quickly made and the actionin the boats went two ways, one memberdived in and swam towards the SUP board

while the other member swam towardsthe team boat to be hoisted up by theirrespective support crew.

After the relays, the new set of paddlers

made their way towards Yas Marina througha fairly accessible area of mangroves andland banks which saw another change ofpaddlers. By this time, the paddlers were

extremely far from each other as they madetheir way towards the mangroves andthrough private islands with one certainisland near Yas even having its own herd ofgazelles which our skipper and Alex pointedout to us. Under clear skies and the wideopen seas, the leading pack was nearing YasMarina and of course the finish line.

In the silence of Yas Marina with only thewaving of the flags of the sponsor’svillage being the only sound, the Naish teampaddled their way to victory at the final leg,winning two of the three legs of this year’sParis-Sorbonne Abu Dhabi SUP Race. Onthe Marina, after everyone has crossed thefinish line, a raffle ensued followed by the

awards ceremony. Rounding up the topthree were 1. Naish (904 pts.), 2. Sorbonne1 (698 pts.) and 3. F-One (591 pts.) they allreceived luxurious prizescourtesy of the eventsvarious supporters. Theday was closed off witha barbeque by the baywith all the participantssnapping photos asthey regale in their ownindividual victories for theevent.

Congratulationsto everyone!

despite the course being surrounded by

the bright lights of the Beach Rotana hoteland the adjacent Cleveland Clinic. Afterorienting the teams, Alex then went downthe jetty and ran the course alone to showthe participants the direction of the race.It was at this time when the wind startedcoming in from the left and while this mayhelp some paddlers gain some speed in theimpending race, it may also prove to be ahindrance to them as the finish line requiresthem to paddle against the direction of thewind. The jetty was packed with every singleteam member, queuing up for their turn somuch that the jetty tipped slightly sideways!Surprisingly, I saw some paddlers that arequite new to the night course and one of

their members were teaching them how to

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Words + Photos By: Mahadi Ahmed

ACTIVITY REPORT

The team was formed in 2009 and sincethen, they have strived to cope with theincreasing number of cars owners and clubmembers, putting in mind that they have tomake continuous development and reachthe highest levels. In January 2010, the iFJAdventures Team was formed, and joinedthe Emirates Motor Sport Federation (EMSF)in the same month.

Due to their rapid growth, they had to bea separate club devoted to all kinds offour-wheel drive vehicles. This was as aresult of their long adventures under the

Check out more of their club’sadventures at www.uac4x4.ae

After successfullycelebrating its eighth year, theUAC4X4 is one of the UAE’shomegrown 4x4 groups mostcomprised of residents within theregion. Their mission is to provide

a safe entertainment environment.They are a non-profit club thathas an emphasis on sharing goodexperiences to those who join in ontheir rides; they believe in the ideaof entertainment and experiencewithout limits.

UAC4X4 i 8 Year O!

umbrella of iFJ Adventures Team, which wasat first confined to the owners of a Toyota FJCruiser. The club then extended to includeall kinds of four-wheel drive vehicles andadventures lovers within UAE and from thatday on, they became known as the UAEAdventures Club (UAC4x4).

Currently, the UACincludes four teams:• iFJ Team for the owners of a Toyota FJCruiser • i-Off-Road Team for the ownersof four-wheel drive vehicles• i-Explore Team for tours and explorations• i-Dive for deep sea diving

AchievementsThe team has managed to achieve a lot ofdistinct success stories by the grace of Allah,and the cooperation showed by the Clubmembers, including:

• Organizing the biggest gathering ofToyota vehicle owners, breaking a GuinnessWorld Records of most Toyotas gatheredwhich was made by Britain with 223 Toyotavehicles, as we succeeded to gather 257Toyota vehicles. That event was underthe umbrella of the UAE Awafi Festival

celebrations held in December 2011.• Celebrating the UAE National Day, severalmarches were organized through the sevenemirates in November and December 2011.• Holding an off-road march in sand andrough land from Ras Al Khaimah to AbuDhabi in November and December 2011.• Organizing the Emirates Rally tours incooperation with EMSF.

We are inspired by the words of HisHighness Sheikh Mohammed bin RashidAl Maktoum in his book titled “My Vision”:“We don’t wait for an event until ithappens... We make it!” Other that that, ourgoals can be summarized in the following

main points:

Entertainment: creating amusingatmosphere by organizing amazing andinteresting rides all the time all over theyear.Explorations: Exploring, reaching anddiscovering new areas inside and outsidethe UAE.Acquiring Skills:

Desert driving is notlimited to a certain segment of thecommunity, which is the youth. Now, allpeople can enjoy such interesting hobbywith us safely.Training: Providing the required trainingcourses for the new drivers at sand andoff-road areas within an annual training plan.Safety: Safety criterion were developed asper the highest international standards withregards to safe driving.

Do something new in your life, and don’tmiss the chance to test your driving skills.

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DUBAI

Showroom No. 8, Al Ghandi ComplexNad al Hamar Road, Ras al Khor

Tel: +971 4 2896100Fax: +971 4 2894914Email: [email protected]

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Tel: +974 44398030Fax: +974 44398030SalesEmail: [email protected]

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Tel: +968 96778552Fax: +96824701787

Contact personMr. R. K. SunderEmail: [email protected]

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Part 3: Encounterswith the Sudanese Bedouin

Words + Photos By: Will Pardoe

Having put four days of rough weatherbetween us and the Yemenis, we finallyreached the respite of southern Sudan. Ex-hausted and thoroughly beaten, we pulled

into a large bay at midnight. Bedouin campfires were the only flickering lights. Theanchor fell away into darkness, leaving us inthe quiet bliss of safe shelter and still waters.

Sunrise unveiled a landscape of soft gold-en dunes and tinted mountains. Bedouinwomen were collecting clams in the shal-lows, and their rhythmic singing drifted outto us on the breeze. Every now and then,men on camels would ride around the bay,laden for market. There is something majes-tic and timeless about the Arabs, and herewe found ourselves in their ancient land.

First Encounter We lowered the dinghy and made our way

to shore, as a Bedu was striding past on hiscamel. He disappeared behind the sands,and by the time we had dragged the dinghyover the shallows and I had reached the topof a dune, I saw him far off along the oppo-site lake shore. I wanted to talk to that man!So I set off running, staying conspicuous

On our crazy passage throughthe Gulf of Aden, we had fended offa pirate attack, fled from a hail of

Yemeni bullets, battled Poseidonand been confronted by helicoptergunships and navy frigates. Butwe had escaped from all thatmadness, and now the treasuresof the Red Sea lay before us. Thereward would be a journey in timeback to medieval Arabia.

along the top of the dunes so I wouldn’t runup on him. With the trigger-happy Yemenisstill fresh in my mind, I was aware that thiswas a true Bedouin and I was a stranger inhis territory.

I ran nearly two kilometres catching upwith that energetic camel, and as I drewclose I kept a good distance to his side.Finally he heard my call, but didn’t stop, so Ikept a keen eye for a raised rifle or threaten-ing gesture. I waved to him, and he raisedhis hand in greeting. Good - so he wasn’t

going to shoot me, and I could approach.He steered his camel to a clear ground forour meeting, then slid nimbly from its sideand stood waiting. It was a vision straightfrom Lawrence of Arabia.

“A’ salamu alaykum” I said - peace beupon you. And he returned with a moreflowery and religious reply.

His name is Salem; an older man, withkind eyes and friendly wrinkles. I ask him

where he’s going. “The souk”, he says,gesturing to the far mountains. His camelis laden with an empty oil drum, plastic

jerry cans and a bag with fabric scrapsand a football poking out the top. I figurethese are treasures of the sea, but my mindwanders to this far-off souk in deep-southSudan. I want to follow him to this magicalmarket, where Bedouins arrive by camel tobustle and barter for goats, fish, fragrantspices, and old footballs to take home fortheir sons.

He stands proudly by his camel as I takea photo, and as we part, he smiles at me alittle bemused - I had run a long way just tomeet with him. He leads the camel on a little

way, then draws his head down and mountsthe hump. As the camel lurches to its feet,raising the Bedu on its back, they become atimeless Arabian image. It feels like seeing aknight in medieval Britain. He turns, smiling,holding his hand up high, and they stride offalong the shore, towards the souk.

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OUTDOORUAE

Lobsters and FalconsThe following day we decided to try andtrade with the women for their fresh clams.Something other than canned food fordinner sounded appealing, and maybe wecould offer them a little variety in return. Weput some concentrated juice and cannedpineapple in the dinghy and headed for theshallows.

As we neared, two men on camels rodeout from behind the dunes on their wayaround the bay. Rather than intrude on the

women, we decided it best to speak withthe men first. They saw us approaching, sothey dismounted their camels and sat downon the beach to wait.

Their names were Salem and Nafeh, andafter our introduction, I asked (in Arabic)what the women were catching. Conch, theysaid, but it would take a lot of work to ex-tract a little meat. Instead, perhaps, were weinterested in trading for their flour? Well, wehad no need of flour, and having never seenpineapple they had no interest in that either.But they did want sugar, so we offered to goand get them some from the boat.

By the time we returned, I was amazedto see they had a fire going. Ah... Arabichospitality! The camels had been turned outto graze, blankets laid down and Nafeh wasroasting coffee beans in the embers. Saleminvited us to sit, and we shared around thecurious pineapple while Nafeh continuedwith his coffee ritual; pounding on the beanswith a tall mortar and pestle, pouring theminto the small kettle and returning it to theembers.

We chatted until it was brewed, and Nafehpoured out two shot-sized cups, half filledalready with sugar. Salem, being the elder,offered them to us first. It was incrediblecoffee – strong, and fragrant, with hintsof wood smoke, far-off souks and camelcaravans!

I met Salem and Nafeh again a number oftimes during our weather hold in Marsa Na-varat. They caught us a mother lode of lob-ster for 100 AED, which we lapped up withgarlic butter. On our last meeting, when Isaw them waiting on shore preparing coffee,they had with them a falcon. I bought thetwo fish they had caught, but they insistedthat I take the falcon as a gift! They seemedquite disappointed that I couldn’t take it onthe boat; and so was I.

Time and TideThe winds finally calmed and we continuedon through the Middle Ages, navigatingbetween tight coral passages to reach

the ancient port of Suakin. As far back asRamesses III, this island town had been acentral hub for Red Sea merchants, tradingin slaves, ivory, gold, and gems. Thousand-strong camel caravans would set out fromSuakin with great fanfare, distributingEuropean and Asian imports into Abys-sinia (present day Ethiopia). It faded fromgreatness when the British built Port Sudanas its replacement in 1906. Combined withthe last 20 years of international embargoeson Sudan, Suakin has lingered as a relic oftimes gone by.

Donkey-carts are the main form oftransport, hee-hawing through the dirtstreets. Dusty alleyways wind between the

coral-brick merchant houses, which were

once ornate and balconied, but are nowslowly crumbling, or have already fallen intoruin; the lower floors have become make-shift restaurants, bakeries, and goat pens.Wooden coffee shacks host friendly faceswho sit together sharing the news, play-ing dominoes and smoking shisha. In thewooden bazaars, men can still be seen car-rying long-swords - but they also carry broadsmiles and big welcomes. It is a quiet town,apart from the donkeys, and the Imam callsfrom the minaret for Friday prayers.

Though time had stopped in Suakin, weeventually had to move on. It had beenincredible to see this ancient life undilutedby the modern world; it was the treasure

that we had fought pirates to discover. AndSudan hadn’t given up all her treasures yet...

...to be continued

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Kilimanjaro is climbed by a lot of peopleevery year and is on many people’s bucketlist but it’s still a huge mountain so as agroup we are increasingly concerned atthe enormity of the task ahead. Collectivewisdom is that it’s the speed of the ascenton the heavily trodden five-day Maranguroute which often catches people out withAcute Mountain Sickness (AMS) so there-

fore we decided to follow the slower andless visited Lemosho route taking us fivedays. Famous UAE explorer Adrian Hayesremarked that “Most guidelines recom-mend 500 metres max elevation per day;on Kili you are twice that. I got the worstAMS I’ve ever suffered on a mountain.”Suddenly the full scale of our fund raisingwalk up a mountain has just got a lot morereal. Lemosho, a relatively new route, ispreferred by reputable operators due toits beauty, remoteness and success rate.In short, it maximizes the chances that aclimber will have of reaching the summit,and enjoying the overall experience.

For three geography nerds and Neil,

however, the temptation to go from theequivalent of the Equator to the North Pole

The Kii QuartetAct 1 - Altitude, Agony and Age

Words + Photos By: Ben Thompson

Ask anyone about Mt Kiliman-jaro and a range of responses flyin about celebrities that made it- Cheryl Cole/Fernandez/whoevernext, Chris Moyles and Fearne Cot-

ton to those that did not, includingRoman Abramovich and MartinaNavratilova. Of those that did makeit many (including Jessica Biel)have stated that it is the hardestthing they have done. It is quicklyclear that ascending the highestmountain in Africa and the highestfreestanding mountain in the worldis going to be no walk in the park.

in terms of scenery diversity and climate istoo strong to resist so we have set aboutraising money for the Upendo Children’shome in Moshi whilst getting into peakfitness. The team consists of four individu-als; Sancho Barcia, a seventeen year oldstudent at Repton School Dubai. MicheleLonghi, a fellow student of Sancho’s. BenThompson, a Geography Teacher at Repton

School and finally Neil Davies.Our chosen charity is The Upendo Chil-

dren’s home and it is a non-profit orphan-age located in Moshi, Tanzania for localchildren. Some of them lost their mothersduring delivery, other newborns were leftbehind in the hospital and others wereabandoned on the streets.

A group of caring nuns known as the Mis-sionary Sisters of the Precious Blood, alongwith groups of volunteers, provide thechildren from infancy onwards with food,shelter and love, as well as basic educa-tion. Baby food is expensive in Tanzania,thus making it impossible for many familiesto take care of a baby whose mother has

died. Many local children born into povertydo not receive any education because their

Final destination- Uhuru

Thompson

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The Kili Quartet is composed of Geographyteacher Ben Thompson, students SanchoBarcia and Michele Longhi and NeilDavies on a quest to climb the highest free-standing mountain in the world. Their journeysees them preparing for the fateful climb asa group of friends for the cause of helpingchildren in Tanzania as well as teaching themmath and English. To support their cause visitwww.crowdfunder.co.uk/upendo-childrens-home-fund-raiser or follow the climb atwww.facebook.com/uchkiliclimb

From Left Michele, Sancho, Ben and Neil

Lemosho route

families are unable to pay for it, let alone pay fortheir livelihood.

In our quest to help the Upendo Children’sHome, two members of the team, Michele andSancho, will be volunteering for ten days in theorphanage, teaching basic maths and English,caring for babies and disabled children and as-sisting in local construction work. Spending 24

hours a day, seven days a week with the childrenwill give Sancho and Michele a real taste of what

it’s like for the Sisters of the Precious Blood thatwork there.

In order for this project to be possible, we rely

on your support, and the children rely on yoursupport. You can find more information aboutthis at the end of the article

Currently we have received a largecorporate donation from Hi-force Hydraulicwhich together with smaller individual dona-tions mean we have 25% of our intended 40,000dirham target raised.

Our training for this expedition has alreadybegun as the Lemosho route is approximately 70km/42 miles from gate to gate. It is designed forphysically fit people with some hiking experi-ence. Sancho and Michele are keen runners andcyclists with two triathlons behind them thisyear, Neil is increasing his running distance thisweek and Ben is following a plan designed by

“Freeletics” — the aim being to increase our VO2 max and follow in the footsteps of JessicaBiel preferably, or as a last resort, those of ChrisMoyles.

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I managed to get some ofmy line back when the aerial balletstarted again. I felt the fishaccelerate and to start out aseries of stunts as spectacular asit was stressful. From the cornerof my eye I saw our guide twirlingacross the boat to grab the net.This magnificent duo stopped thir-ty seconds later - which seemedlike an eternity-when he managed

to catch the fish in mid-air. Thechoreography was completed, ashort intermission would allow usto try to recover the lure or ratherwhat was left.

The Guma LagoonThree days earlier, we landed in Maun,Botswana, at a small airport devoid of anyarchitectural interest before joining theGuma Lagoon where the lodge is located.We came to Botswana, full of hope, todiscover the fishing of the Okavango Deltaat the end of the period of the famous“barbell run” occurring every year inSeptember/October. As a bonus, we hadgiven to ourselves a secondary objective ofcapturing as many new species as possible,a classic challenge for the exotic fishermen.

The schedule was prepared by Guy, theowner of the lodge: we would sleep the firstnights at the lodge, fishing the surroundingareas before leaving for an expedition ofseveral days in the wild delta.

The first day generally allows us to analyzethe battlefield. From the base camp, aboutforty minutes by boat was necessary to

join the main river. The access is protectedby a natural labyrinth of canals lined withpapyrus. An army of crocodiles whose

Words + Photos By: David Mailland

The First Trip

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breastplates glisten in the morning sunprotects the few sandy beaches backed bybirds looking like egrets. During the trip we

met the other guards of the delta: hippos,large cylindrical submarines diving to ourapproach; majestic elephants crossing thepapyrus to drink. Regularly, a sharp cry, pre-ceded by a papyrus slam, hinted the hurriedflight of a bird hidden in the lush vegetation.

Then the boat stopped, bringing us backto the reason we were there. The guide hasdrawn our attention to the presence of sea-grass, nurseries for baitfish around which thetigerfish were roaming: it is there that herecommended us to cast our lures. Thebottom was smooth, sandy, cleaned by thecurrent. We were captivated by the beautyof places, but in terms of fishing howeverthis first day did not remain engraved inour memories. We had many attacks butunfortunately we lost all our tigerfish.

In the evening at the camp a Germanangler who had been looking for the tigerfishfor more than 40 years politely asked if hecould join us for dinner. Listening to our storyof the day, he willingly consented to provideus some advice. For example he recom-mended us to sharpen the hooks in orderto optimize our chances: when the hook issharp, it must stand on a 45° inclined nail.His second advice was about our rubber jigs.When he saw them he turned pale. Then helooked at us fixedly: “It is essential to removethe anti-grass brush jig here otherwise thetigerfish, will spit out the bait.” he said. Weimmediately cut off the brushes of ourrubber jigs. These small details are worthmentioning here since they significantlyimproved our ratio of fish caught.

The following days were consecrated tothe search of runs. As if we were hunting in-stead of fishing. The birds provide valuableclues as well as discussions with the rare,

other fishermen. While we were the onlyhuman beings for miles around, there wasthat memorable day in the sweltering heat,when we discovered a foolish conglomerateof catfish attacking a wide bay, within whichthe baitfish were prisoners. We smelled thecase thanks to the birds: herons, cormo-rants, egrets had moved in large numbersto participate in the feast. The furious tangleof fish tails allowed us to imagine the totalchaos underwater. In the general confu-sion, we could see the biggest catfish crushsmaller ones against the border, forming anarrow corridor, chasing the “bulldogs”, thenames of baitfish they coveted. Tigerfishwere watching from afar the operations asif they were reluctant to ally with catfish,on the lookout for bulldog survivors tryingto escape. The show was wired for sound:we distinctly heard the snapping of reeds

through which rushed thousands andthousands of hungry fish.

It was possible to catch tigerfish with al-most each kind of lure in our box. At the end

of the day, sweating profusely but alwaysfresh in our mind through the excitementthat we had have, unreal scores had beenachieved, almost 100 attacks for each fisher-man, 30 fish landed between 2 and 4kg.

Note that in the frenzy our surfacelures have aroused a great stir amongkingfishers. When we used this technique,these birds sprang to evolve hovering abovethe lure ready to seize it as prey that theywould then go eat on a branch or offer totheir partner. Fortunately, no accident wasregrettable on this trip.

We had great fun with a fishing techniquethat we did not know at all. This is fishingfor bream. The results are steady. Applyingourselves and listening to the directions ofthe guide, we caught on average a fish perhour per angler. It is also fun, in late after-noon, to look for shoals of breams: they loveto gather in water lilies and sea grass. Theserelatively aggressive fish are then easy preyswhen seen waving to the surface. During thefight, the fish tries to go to the bottom andresists violently but it rarely wins. Theaverage weight of tilapia is 1kg. 2kg arebeautiful subjects; the camp record is 2.7kg.Guy likes to tell that it was established justa few years ago by an English lady whom itwas the first day of fishing and the first cast.

...to be continued

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The film’s first few minutes are nothingshort of amazing as it gives the audience a360-degree view of the motorcycle culture. It

exhibited the likes of motocross, in freestyle,MX and even sidecarcross which is verypopular in countries around the globe. It’squite an educating experience to have sincethe film feels deeply researched and really in-t

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#67 April 2016