So, the Desert Challenge? What’s the deal?
‘The challenge’ as it is affectionately known, generally covers a distance of over 2,000km over six days and spans the UAE and parts of Saudi Arabia. The event commences in Dubai with a spectator stage, known as the prologue, serving as a qualifying round for the actual race. The official race commences with a ceremonial start in Abu Dhabi, and heads south for five days of racing in the vast desert and mountain expanses of the Empty Quarter.
When do things kick off?
The official start date for the race is October 24.
Tell us about you guys.
There’s four of us: Steve You, Sean Curnow, Paul Anselmo and Jonathan Quan. We all live in Dubai and have been riding together in the deserts around the UAE for the past two years. The fifth member is Matt Wilson (WilsonGriffin Design) – he’s a friend of ours who originally donated his time and expertise to help out with the initial graphic design work for our website. However, it was not long before Matt found himself an integral member in the UAE CC team. How would you rate your individual riding skills? None of us are professional riders. We are just four ordinary guys with a passion for riding and looking for new challenges. So this really is a massive challenge for us.
What’s been the most memorable part so far?
Probably the funniest story is the looks on the faces of the rest of the team members when I told them how much I wanted to raise in our first year. In our first official meeting back in November 2007 when we were just starting up the concept, I proposed that we raise Dhs500,000. The initial response was stares of disbelief and looks around the room to wait for someone to signal it was a joke. However, after the initial shock set in we set about the task. To date we are over half-way there, and the sense of achievement is share by all involved.
Do the bikes have names?
Not yet – but I will raise it at the next UAE CC Team meeting. We may name them after the charities and our major sponsors.
What are you doing it all for?
Short story – we all live pretty fortunate lives here in the UAE. We all felt it was time to give something back to people less fortunate than ourselves.
Who’s sponsored you guys so far?
Our sponsors to date have been primarily through our various industry contacts. Three of the riders are involved in the oil industry, and so the sponsorship demographics are taking on a very oil industry flavour. To date we have confirmed sponsorship funding amounting to in excess of Dhs270,000.
What is your target?
Our target is to raise Dhs500,000
And how much of this will go to charity?
At least 70 per cent of all money raised will find its way back to the two charities we are supporting. We’ll reveal those charities nearer the time.
How did you feel when you saw that collarbone injury at the DMX Baja Challenge Race?
We are all aware of the risks involved in the sport and have all had at least one serious accident or more. Accidents are often good reminders that you were pushing yourself beyond your limits or you failed to maintain concentration through a technical section. The thing is to learn from them and ride to your ability and strengths. The injury to the rider at the DMW Baja race was a good example of this – I am sure the injured rider would be the first to admit that he made a mistake. Hopefully he has recovered from his injuries and is back out there riding again with a better understanding of his limits.
How can people help you achieve your target?
Details are on the website, www.uaecharitychallenge.com. They can contact any of the four team members listed, but the first point of contact should be either Jonathan or myself, as we are primarily responsible for sponsorship management.
