DUBAI // When Lance Coury revs the 450cc engine on his motorcycle tonight, he will mentally go through each stunt he is about to perform before he actually does it for the crowd.
With 15,000 spectators in the purpose-built stands at JBR looking on, the 21-year-old daredevil will have just 90 seconds to perform a number of stunts to beat his competitors.
"When you lose focus, you mess up," said the Los Angeles native. "At the show, for me, I get the energy from the crowd and see everyone and really, you want to show off. I just want to do what I know the best way to show off."
The Red Bull X-Fighters will feature 10 riders battling it out in Dubai - the first leg of six in a world tour. The riders will square off against each other and score points by jumping off a ramp at 40 kph and performing aerial stunts.
"I always tell people it's acrobatics on a motorcycle," Coury said ahead of the opening event.
Tes Sewell, sport director for the Red Bull X-Fighter tour, which is in its 10th year, said the event was more than just a show. "From the outside, it's a very elaborate, entertaining show. From our perspective, the core of this event is a very serious competition," he said.
Coury has always taken it seriously and is now up against the men he has looked up to since he was a child. Participating as a wild-card entry, he is up against the top six riders of 2010 and the top four riders in the world. Last night, two were knocked out in a pre-qualifying event.
One of the top riders at the event is Nate Adams. At age 13, Coury saw Adams compete in the X Games in Los Angeles.
"I said, 'man I want to do that'. Before I was even in the sport, I looked up to him and now I am competing against him. It's a cool experience."
Coury started riding a motorbike at age five after his father bought a small 50cc motorbike. "I fell in love," he said.
The affair continued and he raced motocross all over the US until he was 16. The stunts started to come when he was in the middle of the pack and knew he was not in contention for first place.
"If I wasn't winning, I was doing no-handers and jumping the bigger jumps and trying to do cool whips and fancy stuff in the middle of races or during practice," he said. After motocross he started to perform in shows and exhibitions in LA.
"It had nothing to do with the money because I was 16 and living at home. I was saying, 'this is so awesome. These guys are so cool, I want to do this. I want to be the best, I want to be the guy the crowd are applauding for and looking for my autograph because I did the coolest tricks," he said.
After each show, he would replicate the stunts the other riders performed at the exhibitions. Coury was lucky to practice on a donated strip of land in an oilfield in California. He still practices there.
Most riders practice over giant foam pits, similar to what gymnasts use.
"A lot of it is one step at a time. If you are practising a certain trick, you do it at a smaller level. Every day you progress and get comfortable, make it bigger and then you get it," Coury said.
According to Mr Sewell, the risk can be bigger in the foam pit because the rider's motion stops once he lands.
On a ramp a rider can slide and, after what may look like a serious fall, walk away with only a few scrapes and bruises.
"In the foam pit, it can work against you and you land hard enough and fracture things. If things are going wrong and you can toss that bike and land on the foam it's the nicest thing in the world. But you've also got 220 pounds of an angry motorcycle coming down," Mr Sewell said.
The sport constantly breaks its own boundaries.
The front flip is one stunt that has yet to be landed correctly at a competition. And the one to watch out for at this event is called the Backflip Tsunami, where a rider hangs under the bike while holding the handle bars, his body arched out.
The competition starts at 8.20pm tonight. Tickets can be bought in all Virgin Megastores across the UAE and at www.timeouttickets.com.
eharnan@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre V6
Power: 295hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
Price: Dh179,999-plus
On sale: now
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Date: Sunday, November 25
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
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Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
RESULTS
Main card
Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision
Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision
Lightweight 60kg: Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision
Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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