Charity ride: The magnificent four

Four intrepid riders from Dubai are gearing up to push themselves and their Honda CRF450X motorbikes to the limit.

And it's all for charity.

Steve You, a Frenchman; Paul Anselmo, a South African; and Australians Jonathan Quan and Sean Curnow, who call themselves "ordinary guys", will embark on an extraordinary journey crisscrossing 2,200km of the Arabian desert - the Empty Quarter – over six gruelling days, during what has come to be known as the UAE Charity Challenge 2008.

"The challenge is one of the toughest off-road rally races in the world and the unofficial prelude to the legendary Paris-Dakar rally," said Curnow, 36, an oil and gas consultant.

Challenging terrain

"The terrain is the most inhospitable and challenging this planet has to offer. It is the ultimate endurance test of man and machine," he adds.

Curnow said, "None of us are professional riders. We are just ordinary guys with a passion for riding and looking for new challenges. So this really is a massive challenge for us."

Instead of seeking personal glory, the riders decided to use the opportunity to raise money for two charities – the Dubai Centre for Special Needs and another one in Uganda.

The quartet has managed to raise Dh350,00 through both individual and corporate sponsorship thus far and aim to raise Dh500,000.

The Charity Challenge commences on October 24.

For more details visit http://uaecharitychallenge.com