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Gulf Today
27-02-2025
- Automotive
- Gulf Today
Attiyah retains lead, Sanders inches closer to title
Competitors were taken to the limit and beyond by some of the largest dunes ever encountered on the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (ADDC) as the penultimate Stage 4 of the 2025 edition provided a supreme test of technical skill and stamina on the way to the finish line at the iconic Al Dhafra Fort. And the 2025 Desert Challenge is set for a thrilling final charge to the city of Abu Dhabi after third place in Wednesday's gruelling stage earned Dacia Sandriders' Nasser Al Attiyah a slim overall lead over the twin Toyota Gazoo Racing cars of Luca Moraes and Seth Quintero. Victory in the penultimate stage of this year's epic event went to another Toyota driver, Eryk Goczal, with the 20-year-old Overdrive Racing man claiming a first Desert Challenge stage victory and his first in the top Ultimate Class. In the bikes, Red Bull KTM Factory Team rider Daniel Sanders looks on course to take his first Desert Challenge win as a second stage win of the event has given him a 7min 23s overall advantage over Monster Energy Honda HRC rider Ricky Brabec, with Sanders' team-mate Luciano Benavides a further minute back in third place. Technically complex and physically demanding. Stage 4 really mixed things up with a 300 km route from the Marathon Camp at Al Qua'a that featured multiple types of terrain. Equal parts sand, dunes, wadis and tarmac, the stage took competitors across some of the world's largest dunes, into the area known as White Sands and then to incredible Al Dhafra fort. Built in 2017 in the style of the traditional defensive structures of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, the spectacular fort acts as the gateway to the Al Dhafra region, which makes up 70% of the emirate's territory. Forts such as Al Dhafra provided site of refuge for the population in times of trouble and today it provided sanctuary for Desert Challenge competitors, with many saying the massive dunes of Stag 4 were among the largest and most difficult they had ever encountered. At the end of the stage, though, Sanders took the bikes win more than three minutes clear of Monster Energy Honda HRC rival Adrien Van Beveren. In doing so the rider known as 'Chucky' scored his 15th W2RC stage win, one shy of record holder Van Beveren. Third place went to Hero Motorsports' José Ignacio Cornejo. In Rally 2, Dubai-based Michael Docherty is on track to become the first rider in his class to complete a clean sweep of stages in a W2RC round. The SRG Motorsports rider, who hails from South Africa, used his thorough knowledge of the terrain to take his fifth stage win of the event (including the Qualifying Stage) ahead of Duust Rally Team's Konrad Dąbrowski and Old Friends Rally Team rider Martin Ventura. The win means that going into the final day has extended his advantage over Dąbrowski to a whopping 28 minutes. In the cars, the fourth stage of the 2025 Desert Challenge was standout success for Toyota, with a 1-2 finish for the company and with six Toyotas in the top 10. Commenting on the success, Jacques Brent, Managing Director Al Futtaim Motors, said: 'At Al-Futtaim Toyota we take pride in being part of EMSO's 34th edition of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge starting from the beautiful city of Al Ain. Much like this challenge, Toyota's Motorsport heritage is also about endurance, performance and achievement.'
Khaleej Times
26-02-2025
- Automotive
- Khaleej Times
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge roars towards thrilling finale
Competitors were taken to the limit and beyond by some of the largest dunes ever encountered on the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge as the penultimate Al-Futtaim Stage 4 of the 2025 edition provided a supreme test of technical skill and stamina on the way to the finish line at the iconic Al Dhafra Fort. And the 2025 Desert Challenge is set for a thrilling final charge to the city of Abu Dhabi after third place in Wednesday's gruelling stage earned Dacia Sandriders' Nasser Al-Attiyah a slim overall lead over the twin Toyota Gazoo Racing cars of Luca Moraes and Seth Quintero. Victory in the penultimate stage of this year's epic event went to another Toyota driver, Eryk Goczal, with the 20-year-old Overdrive Racing man claiming a first Desert Challenge stage victory and his first in the top Ultimate Class.| In the bikes, Red Bull KTM Factory Team rider Daniel Sanders looks on course to take his first Desert Challenge win as a second stage win of the event has given him a 7min 23s overall advantage over Monster Energy Honda HRC rider Ricky Brabec, with Sanders' teammate Luciano Benavides a further minute back in third place. Technically complex and physically demanding. Al-Futtaim Toyota Stage 4 really mixed things up with a 300 km route from the Marathon Camp at Al Qua'a that featured multiple types of terrain. The stage took competitors across some of the world's largest dunes, into the area known as White Sands and then to incredible Al Dhafra fort. Built in 2017 in the style of the traditional defensive structures of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, the spectacular fort acts as the gateway to the Al Dhafra region, which makes up 70% of the emirate's territory. Forts such as Al Dhafra provided site of refuge for the population in times of trouble and Wednesday it provided sanctuary for Desert Challenge competitors, with many saying the massive dunes of Stage 4 were among the largest and most difficult they had ever encountered. At the end of the stage, though, Sanders took the bikes win more than three minutes clear of Monster Energy Honda HRC rival Adrien Van Beveren. In doing so the rider known as 'Chucky' scored his 15 th W2RC stage win, one shy of record holder Van Beveren. Third place went to Hero Motorsports' José Ignacio Cornejo. In Rally 2, Dubai-based Michael Docherty is on track to become the first rider in his class to complete a clean sweep of stages in a W2RC round. The SRG Motorsports rider, who hails from South Africa, used his thorough knowledge of the terrain to take his fifth stage win of the event (including the Qualifying Stage) ahead of Duust Rally Team's Konrad Dąbrowski and Old Friends Rally Team rider Martin Ventura. The win means that going into the final day Docherty has extended his advantage over Dąbrowski to a whopping 28 minutes. In the cars, the fourth stage of the 2025 Desert Challenge was standout success for Toyota, with a 1-2 finish for the company and with six Toyotas in the top 10. The final stage of this year's event, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council Stage 5, runs from Mezaira'a to Abu Dhabi covering a total of 364 kilometres, with just 167 kilometres of specials on the way to the glittering city of Abu Dhabi for the finish ramp and the prize-giving which this year will be held at beautiful Hudayriyat Island.
Khaleej Times
25-02-2025
- Automotive
- Khaleej Times
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge dives deep into the dunes
After the tough opening stage, shaped by searing temperatures and soft sand, the ADNOC Distribution Stage 2 loop covered a total of 302 kilometres, including 228 kilometres of special stages in the visually spectacular southern fringes of the Liwa Oasis area. Starting from beautiful Mezaira'a, the Liwa region's largest settlement and home to a spectacular ancestral fort, the demanding route took competitors through dusty sabkhas (salt flats) and testing gravel sections before plunging them into a string of massive and potentially treacherous dunes close to the Saudi border. In the bikes category, Daniel Sanders took a comfortable win after leading the special from flag to flag. The Australian Red Bull KTM Factory rider finished 3m 59s ahead of Hero Motorsports rider Josee Ignacio Cornejo and over five minutes clear of Monster Energy Honda HRC's Adrien Van Beveren. Overnight leader Tosha Schairena was the first to start in the early morning, and after providing the tracks for other to more comfortably follow, the Spaniard finished seventh and dropped to third overall behind new event leader Sanders and Red Bull KTM Factory rider Luciano Benavides. While Sanders took a comfortable ADNOC Distribution Stage 2 win, there were problems for others. Defending FIM World Rally Raid champion Ross Branch was forced to quit the rally when a clutch issues on his Hero 450 Rally could not be repaired. In the cars category Sébastien Loeb topped a double podium finish for Dacia Sandriders. The nine-time World Rally Champion won the stage 1m 37s ahead of team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah but the Qatari driver was later handed a penalty that dropped him to third behind Stage 1 winner Lucas Moraes of Toyota Gazoo Racing. Loeb now moves into the overall lead, with Moraes trailing by just 41 seconds and Al-Attiyah almost three minutes adrift. In the Challenger class BBR Motorsport continue to dominate with Yasir Seaidan taking the stage win ahead of team-mates Dania Akeel and Pau Navarro as the team claimed a second successive podium clean sweep of the event. In the Rally 2 bikes category, SRG Motorsports' Michael Docherty dominated the stage to remain unbeaten since the start of the event. The South African took victory 3m 37s ahead of teammate Tobias Ebster, with Duust Rally Team's Konrad Dabrowski in third place. It was a mixed day for competitors from the local region. The new Liwa Team UAE had a solid second stage with Mansour Al Helei and co-driver Khalid Alkendi finishing third in the SSV class, while R-X Sport's Yahya Al Helei was close behind, ahead of Quaddy Race Middle East's Atif Alzarouni. Mansour Al Helei retain second place overall in the class. However, there was disappointment for Emirati Quad rider Adbulaziz Ahli. The four-time event winner was halted by a technical issue midway through the second stage and the delay drops him well out of contention. The Quad win went to Lithuania's Antanas Kanopkinas.
