Burak Altunay

Dear friend Kemal merkit was in town again, for the annual U.A.E. Desert Challenge 2008 as part of the Jim Beam Turkish Dakar team.

The only difference from last year was, Kemal was on 530cc KTM and was part of the KTM Factory Team.

Though he could not finish this year’s race….We wish himm all the best for Dakar 2009 to take place in Latin America.

And here are some pics:

It’s been a wonderful four days in the wilderness and out with friends and the Land Rover. As it is the case with events as such, words are not enough what it was like and how it had been for us, for the competitors and for the machines.

Kemal finished 18th overall, 5th on 450cc Bikes and 1st on N-Class. Soo

Leave your computer and Facebook at home, and go out and play. Takes all the daemons out for sure. I’d also would like to thank Mr.Okan Cam, a fellow off-roader, Camel Trophy Veteran and a great friend, who spent the last 18 hours of the race with me.

I hope the pictures will tell the story better than me. If you’d like to see the official results:

www.uaedesertchallenge.com

Kemal on his way to the finish line

Kemal, Okan and the LR3

Dear friend Okan Cam

Carlos Sainz & Kemal Merkit

Below you’d find some random pictures from the 2007 UAE Desert Challenge. The pictures are from the Special Stage and Days 1 & 2. It’s been demanding couple days fro Kemal Merkit & myself really, but we are hanging in there and Kemal is getting there stage by stage effortlessly and without any major problems. The weather had been wonderul the past couple days, and the terrain demanding but bearable.

This race for most is the practice for the Dakar Rallye, which will be held January 2008. All competitors claim that the conditions in UAE Desert Challenge match those they have to conquer in Dakar.

If anybody wants higher resolution versions of any pictures of Kemal for whatever purpose, I do not mind sharing them Free-of-Charge. So drop me an e-mail, if you require any of them pics ; baltunay@gmail.com

Yalla Habibi !!!!

Wow, I look huge. I guess I need to shed some lbs off me waist & face

In honor of the October 29th, the Turkish Independence Day

Kemal & his support vehicle

On my way…I ran into an older sibling of my LR3

Dear Friend Kemal is back for the the UAE Desert Challenge after a couple years of absence with his new toy. He’d be rallying through the deserts of the UAE for the next five days, and I’ll try to post pictures as they are available.

Pictures below were taken at the technical recce day at the Marin Club in Dubai. Enjoy…

Kemal & I onsite, prior to inspection

Since his gear did not arrive in Dubai for today, he’d have to do with a hard-hat to ride from home to the inspection site. Looks good nope?

Kemal during inspection.

These are Civil Defense Vehicles, Dubai style..Nice, eh?

Da Prowler

This is an earlier video of Halit, Kiti & I in the deserts of Dubai with the now-gone-no-more TD5 Discovery. I am experimenting on the Mac on this video thing, so let’s see how it ends up with the progress.