DUBAI, 19 December 2003 — The recently held Kini's Battle of Kings, organized by the International Federation of Motorcycles (FIM) and sponsored by Red Bull, witnessed a thrilling finale on Saturday when world biking champions Eddie Seal, Daniel Willensen and Cyril Despres — three times winner of the UAE Desert Challenge title, walked away with top honors including a bonus prize — a unique opportunity to taste the speed of Formula One Powerboat racing with the UAE Victory Team.
The winners had competed against 26 other participants, which included Valentino Rossi and Daniel Pedrosa, in a two-day endurance program that challenged participants with a series of unique racing challenges some of which had never been faced before.
"Taking part is exciting, but what adds to the adrenaline rush is the hundreds of spectators and supporters that turned up to cheer us on," said Cyril Despres. The start whistle on the first race day was blown by ex-world champion biker Heinz Kinigadner — the creator of "Kini's Battle of Kings" — an event aimed at raising money to rehabilitate bikers who've suffered severe injuries in the practice of this exciting and demanding motorbiking sport.
Excitement reached fever pitch when spectators were treated to two simultaneous desert races in the first stage of the tournament where champion motorcycle and 4x4 teams competed in parallel races, neither team knowing how its counterpart was faring.
The second day kicked off on the beaches of Al Boom Tourism Village as water bikers streaked across the Creek channel in a thrilling water-bike race. All participants followed this aquatic battle on dry land with an N-category road rally, further amping up thrill levels among the hundreds of spectators.
"It was an overwhelming success," said Alberto Chahoud, Communications Manager for Red Bull in the UAE. "What is particularly gratifying is the concept that — the money raised will help bikers who have brought hundreds of thousands of hours of excitement to biking fans all over to world — to recover from the horrific casualties many of them have endured."
