Team Sebsports recently participated in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Rally and then a week later they had to rush to Qatar for Round 2 of the World Championship Cross Country Rallies then raced their local UAE Quad Cross Series.
Dubai Motocross Championship. In the local quad cross scene, our Sebsports team rider Alex Macfarlane won the 2011/2012 Dubai MX championship. Alex is 18 years old rides an Elka equipped Yamaha YFZ450 with stage 4 shocks all around. Alex is a steady consistent rider who has shown huge improvements over the past few years and hopes to take his racing to an international level in the coming years. Alex won this season against guys with far more race experience and better machinery, and has his dedication to the sport and training to thank for that.
Finishing third in the championship was Sebastian Husseini, who even though had some good individual race results, struggled to be consistent throughout the season due to electrical issues which kept reoccurring during the season. Sebastian rode a KTM 525 XC converted to MX with Elka Factory Shocks. “The Factory Shocks are by far the best shocks I have ever ridden with, the faster you go, the more you push the bike, the better they perform. The best thing is the versatility of them, our tracks vary quite a lot from race to race and the Factory Shocks allow me to be a huge step ahead of the competition in terms of adjustment and overall performance. Thanks Elka Suspension for the great support!”. Sebastian will be racing a Stage 5 equipped Can-Am DS450 for the upcoming season.
Middle East Desert Racing. “The quad battle at this years 5 day long Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge was hugely impressive to follow. After winning the qualifying stage outright against cars and motorcycles Sebastian Husseini aboard his Elka Stage 5 equipped Sebsports TRX700 RR was the first racer on the track to open up the route. During the first stage Sebastian suffered 2 punctures and navigational problems that put him in second place 30 minutes behind the top UAE national rider Obaid Al Kitbe also aboard an Elka Stage 4 TRX700xx. Former world Champion Rafal Sonik riding a Elka Stage 4 Sebsports TRX700 RR was also having a good race until a heavy crash put him out of contention for the title. As day 2, 3 and 4 progressed Sebastian rode faster than Obaid to catch up the time lost on the first day, but an error in judgment of the sand dunes on the last day caused him to have a heavy crash and put him out of the race. Obaid Al Kitbe rode on to victory in the 2012 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. “The new Stage 5 shocks on the heavy TRX700 are a godsend , they take a lot of the heavy feeling out of the bike and make it maneuverable. The IRS suspension on the rear can be a little strange to ride but with the Stage 5’s and some good suspensions setup transform it completely , the rougher the terrain the more the bike wants to be pushed faster.” Overall 7 out of the top 10 riders rode Elka Shocks, that says a lot about reliability, which is most important on these long rallies.
At round 2 of the World Championship Cross Country Rallies held 2 weeks later in neighboring Qatar, Obaid al Kitbe aboard his Honda 700 xx with Elka stage 4’s seemed to have his second overall victory in the bag until 50 KMs from the finish on the last day his chain broke and put him out of the overall contention. Former World Champion and multiple time Dakar racer Rafal Sonik who seemed more at home on the rocks in Qatar than the Dunes of UAE, steadily cruised with his Elka Sebsports TRX700 RR to his overall victory and put him in the lead for the 2012 world Championship. Qatar’s own Adel Hussain rode his KTM 570 Rally quad with Elka Factory Shocks.
Sebastian Husseini
General Manager
United Arab Emirates