He said the experiment cost him 3 million dirhams, at his own expense

Hamad Al-Bafalah: My first participation in the Dakar Rally was fruitful

• Hamad Bafarafah: - "One participation in Dakar is equivalent - in terms of mental focus - to what a driver can do in the World Rally Championship in five years."

• By the bus during his participation in the Dakar Rally with a Toyota Hilux.

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Emirati driver Hamad Baljafa (55 years), who won the title of the UAE Desert Rally Championship in 2015, 2016 and 2017, said that he “benefited from the experience of participating for the first time in the latest edition of the Dakar Rally, which was hosted by Saudi Arabia this month, which is considered the most famous and difficult in the world.”

"Participation in the rally was at my own expense, and it cost me about three million dirhams," he added.

He pointed out that despite this, he achieved the required benefit, and considered the experience fruitful, adding that he and his team had achieved all the goals set for participating in the Dakar Rally.

He said, “The most important thing was the success in ending the rally, which was revealed in the middle of this month, and extended its 12 stages with a length of more than 7,600 kilometers, in addition to gaining the required experience in how to deal with the challenges and conditions that the stars of this sport suffer when fighting this rally, before Back again in next year's edition ».

He told «Emirates Today»: «Participation in the Dakar Rally represents the dream that all motorsport champions around the world are looking forward to. Since last year, I have started preparing a team (with Caravan Racing) and equipping the team car (Toyota Hilux) at my personal expense, which amounted to about Three million dirhams, with the aim of converting this dream into reality, and recording my first participation in the famous Dakar.

He continued: “The Kingdom’s announcement to host the rally was also a catalyst for him to establish the six-person team, with his navigator Ali Mirza, and to participate in the 2021 edition.”

He pointed out that the most important goal was to finish the distance of the rally regardless of the final result, as he ranked 39th in the overall standings, in light of the presence of legends such as the French Stephen Petransil, who achieved his 14th title in the rally.

He added, "We have succeeded in adapting to these difficulties and overcoming the mechanical failures that we have fallen into, to succeed in achieving the goals we have set in gaining experience and adapting to the rally's atmosphere, before returning to the challenge again next year and achieving good results."

He added, “The experiences possessed by short rally drivers, or even competitors in the World Cross Country Championships, is one thing, and the experiences that a driver should have in Dakar is another. One participation in Dakar is equivalent - in terms of mental focus - to what a driver can exert in the world championship. For the rally in five years, the fact that this rally gives you the ability to deal with the amount of dust raised from the cars in the front, while maintaining the mental focus that ensures finding the required speed, which gives you progress in the center and away from breakdowns.

He continued: “In the world of engines, speed is a required factor to ensure victory, but in Dakar high speed represents the greatest risk that could lead to costly breakdowns that lead to withdrawal. For example, the legendary champion in the World Rally Championship, French Sebastian Loeb, paid a heavy tax as a result. Continuing to rely on his rapid pattern that led him over many years to be a number difficult to replicate in the world of rallying, the same thing that forced him to fall into costly breakdowns in Dakar.

He pointed out that one of the things that motivated him to establish the Emirati team was the relationship he had with former Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso, during the 10 days that he trained in the UAE in preparation for participating in the rally.

He said: “Alonso's entry into a new challenge far from the world of circuits in which he achieved two world championships, the commitment he showed in training in the UAE, and the question about all the little details in order to adapt to the Toyota Hilux itself, and learn more about the world of rallying before heading to Saudi Arabia, It represented an additional incentive for me to turn a dream into reality and participate in Dakar 2021 ».

- He was determined to finish the 7600 km in the rally, in the first participation, regardless of the general arrangement.

The 2021 Dakar Rally edition was held in 12 stages, and it won its title in French cars, Petransil.

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