Few riders in the paddock can truly say that they walk the walk and talk the talk. Hussein Al Kooheji, last season's UAE Sportbike Champion (third this season), is one of a handful of riders that can lay claim to this. His dedication to the sport of motorcycle road racing goes beyond personal goals as he actually goes the extra mile to get things going.

Kooheji is a very easy going type of guy. Always with a smile on his face and very welcoming and approachable, things never seem to be going wrong. Walking through the paddocks during a National Raceday, you can find Hussein calmly taking interviews or shooting the breeze with fellow riders. His demeanor is always friendly and doesn't project just how talented a rider he actually is.

Based on his results from this season, faced with much tougher competition than ever, Hussein took his race prepared Yamaha R1 to podium finishes on a very regular basis. Though he didn't claim the top step he still finished third in the tough 1000cc class.

I met up with Hussein at the recent Motorcycle Track Night at the Dubai Autodrome where he regularly donates his time and efforts to run said program. Scrutineering the riders' bikes for the night and helping run the track night, Kooheji is truly dedicated to the growth of the sport he loves.

In a short conversation, Hussein shared that it has been a tough battle to keep things going for motorcycle road racing in the region. The focus of tracks and organizers is still fixated on cars and thus, limits what can be done for bikers. Despite this, the sport has still grown steadily and shows that Hussein's views, as well as others like him, are correct- there is a large contingent of competitive riders out there. Given the chance, motorcycle road racing can truly flourish. And this is one of the driving forces for Hussein.

As for his plans for next season, he shares that all isn't set in stone. He may come back on the R1 to compete in the 1000cc class or head out to Bahrain and compete in the series there. Hopefully, he choses to race in the UAE as the sport needs dedicated riders like him. If he does, you can surely find him somewhere in the top 3 finishers once more.

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0 #1 a,ghaffar al bastaki 2010-07-01 00:29

wish you the best my bro.

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