Trio of brothers set a new record in the UAE desert

Le Méridien Al Aqah last week hosted a team of three Italian brothers, who set a new record in the United Arab Emirates for the longest off-road trip, on a voyage of personal and geographical discovery they termed ‘Around the UAE’.

The event, organized by UAE resident Paolo Rossetti, commenced on January 16, from Sila in the Western Region, traversing ‘Rub al Khali’ or ‘The Empty Quarter’ along the UAE borders and ended at Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort on January 24 where the team will spend a few days to recuperate.

Rossetti, 40, along with brothers Andrea, 38, and Marco, 32, hoped to create a new category in Guinness World Records for the longest off-road trip, but were unable to complete the entire journey due to a restricted area on the UAE-Saudi Arabia border.

The journey was scheduled to cover 1200km but due to the diversion only covered 1000km. The brothers had a grueling trip, without any injuries, awaking at 4:30am daily to cover 200km before sunset.

“Le Meridien Al Aqah is proud of the achievements of Rossetti and his team and their efforts to explore and promote the UAE and it’s natural beauty,” said Patrick Antaki, General Manager, Le Méridien Al Aqah.

Rossetti and his brothers took two KTM quad bikes (the 525 XC and 450 XC) and a Ford Expedition support vehicle provided by Al Tayer Motors on the trip, along with satellite connectivity, courtesy Red Bull.

Daily exploits from the trip were posted on emarat4X4.com, an online fraternity of off-road enthusiasts based in the UAE, and on the Rossetti’s Facebook site every evening using the satellite connectivity provided by Red Bull. Using a tiny camera on the bikes, the brothers also recorded footage of the trip and plan to release that to the public at a later date.

For more information about the Le Méridien Al Aqah, log on to Starwoodhotels.com.