Sulayem sets stage for World Cup Classic as women take on big challenge in Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2 March 2019: Indias first lady of bike riding and a professional Kuwaiti wakeboarder aim to use Dubais World Cup stage next weekend to show that women can mix it with the men in the tough sport of cross country rallying.
Taking place under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, the Dubai International Baja powered by Nissan and AW Rostamani is based at Dubai Autodrome. The event is supported by the Government of Dubai, Dubai Police, Dubai Municipality, the General Authority of Sports, Dubai Customs, Al Ain Water and Emarat petrol.
Aishwarya Pissay and Shaikha Al Nouri go into action alongside 53 male riders in the Dubai International Baja powered by Nissan and AW Rostamani, the opening round of this years FIM Bajas World Cup for bikes and quads.
Pissay is making only her second international rally appearance after crashing and rupturing her pancreas in her first, last years Baja Aragon in Spain.
That painful experience has not, however, dented her passion for the sport and she looks to gain more valuable experience on the Bajas World Cup trail through Dubais demanding Al Qudra desert to prepare her for an eventual tilt at the Dakar Rally.
The dedicated off-road racer, who began riding as a teenager in her home town of Bengaluru, is the first Indian woman to have won five national road racing and rally championship titles combined.
She enters a Yamaha WR 450F and says: I am excited to start my 2019 international racing season at the Dubai International Baja as I will be racing with competitors from across the world. I hope to make a mark in the event in my debut year and I am training really hard to race in the sand dunes.
Like Pissay, Al Nouri is well accustomed to being outnumbered by men in the sporting arena, as she is the only female member of Kuwaits wakeboard team, as well as being a qualified instructor.
