Motorcyclist Salman Mohammed yesterday left for Jeddah to take part in the Dakar Rally, which kicks off on Sunday and runs until January 15.
Mohammed became the first Bahraini to take part in Dakar Rally, making his debut in the 2019 edition, the first time the rally was held in Saudi Arabia.
He took part in an 18-day-training camp held at the Dubai MX Ride Academy, under the supervision of Emirati champion Mohammed Al Balooshi, focusing on different motocross tracks and physical fitness.
Sponsored by the Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC), Mumtalakat, Diyar Al Muharraq and Bahrain Fox Company, Mohammed will again be riding for the HT Rally raid Husqvarna racing team.
Mohammed thanked His Majesty King Hamad’s representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs and Supreme Council for Youth and Sport (SCYS) chairman Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and SCYS first deputy chairman and BOC president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa for supporting Bahraini athletes in different international sports arenas.
He also thanked Bahrain Motor Federation chairman Shaikh Abdulla bin Isa Al Khalifa, BOC secretary general Mohammed Hassan Al Nusuf and Bahrain Motorcycle Club chairman Isa Al Awadhi for their support.
The second edition of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia will rev into action on Sunday morning, setting off from the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah, and returning to the city on January 15.
Spread across 7,646km, the 12 stages will cross some of Saudi Arabia’s most demanding and untouched terrain as competitors perform a full loop around the kingdom.
The racers will go through the regions of Beesha, Wadi Al Dawaser, Riyadh, Buraida, Hail, Skaka, Neom and Al Ula and Yanbu, before crossing the finishing line in Jeddah. The teams will have a day of rest on January 9 in the City of Hail.