Dakar Rally hopes end for Mohammed Balooshi

Mohammed Balooshi took the positives despite his early exit from the Dakar Rally.

Mohammed Balooshi crashed out of the Dakar Rally after a breakdown in communications between organisers and local police.

The miscommunication meant the Emirati rider and a number of other competitors were redirected along a different route to the one that was shown in the road book.

Without any road book marking or warnings, Balooshi and a fellow rider hit a hole in the road, which led to both of them crashing in the ninth stage, considered to be one of the toughest.

Balooshi was forced to retire between Antofagasta and Iquique, in Chile, just five stages before the end of the rally.

"I feel angry because we had a strategy which was to bring the bike and rider home day by day and be consistent in my first Dakar," Balooshi said.

"It has proven to be the right strategy and it worked well as I climbed from the starting position of 130th to 43rd, overall.

"[But] the section that I was led to with other riders resulted in me hitting a hole. But, all in all, we need to keep positive and look back at an incredible experience gained over 10 days. I will be back next year - the Dakar chapter has only begun for me."

Despite failing to finish the event, being staged across Argentina, Chile and Peru, Balooshi said he could take a lot from the experience.

"I can honestly say I don't think any of the racing I have done before helped me with what happened," he said. "The Dakar Rally is a one-off; there's nothing like it. I've done small rallies before that last three or four days, but that can't compare with the Dakar."

* Agency