The UAE ace was the only Arab rider standing and was running strongly for a place in the top five, but the crash saw the desired championship points slip from his hands and end his participation at the unforgiving event.

Balooshi crashed on a fast area in the peninsula’s western region.

A quick intervention from the rally organisation’s doctors determined the UAE hero was in good condition but did not authorise and instead transferred him to the city’s general hospital for observation after a suspected concussion.

Once in the hospital, an in-depth check-up and CT scan revealed that Balooshi had, in fact, suffered a fracture on his left knee.

“I was keeping a great pace and feeling strong and then one rock put me on the ground. It might sound strange but the Qatari desert has this power to change your reality with just one rock and a bit of bad luck, and on the bikes we pay our mistakes with broken bones instead of shattered tyres like the guys on the cars do,” said a disappointed Al Balooshi.

“A few weeks of recovery, which I am sure will feel endless, and I’ll be back training and getting ready for our next challenge. That is the nature of the sport and of the challenges we face every day. I shall come back soon Insh’Allah, and I shall come back stronger.”

The race was eventually won by Sam Sunderland with only eight competitors succeeded in crossing the finish line in the motorcycle category.

In the car’s category, Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al Rajhi won the fifth stage, but could not deny local hero Nasser Al Attiyah from overall glory by 12.03 minutes.