Mohammed Jaffar in action

DUBAI: Kuwaiti motocross champion and Red Bull athlete Mohammed Jaffar will be participating for the first time in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge with high aims to achieve top ranks.

The third round of the 2017 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies and the opening round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship kicks off with a super special stage at the Al Forsan International Sports Resort on April 1 and runs through the deserts of the Rub Al Khali until April 6.

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is a round of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies and the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship, and is being staged in 2017 for the 27th time.

Founded by Mohammed Ben Sulayem and organized by the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE), the event was the first motorsport event to ever be staged in Abu Dhabi and the first World level motorsport event in the GCC region.

The event is held over 6 competitive days across Abu Dhabi emirate, kicking off with a spectator stage on the afternoon of April 1 at the Al Forsan Sports Club, before heading into the desert of the Empty Quarter for five days of grueling rally stages before finishing back at the Yas Marina Circuit on April 6.

The event will feature the world's best Cross Country Drivers and Riders, including Nasser Al Attiyah, Sh. Khalid Al Qassimi, Mikko Hirvonen and Sam Sunderland.