- Tomorrow morning the FIA and FIM world championships get underway with the five, 100% sand stages that make up the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, run in the desert around Liwa, in the Empty Quarter. The competitors will leave the Yas Marina Circuit and head for Qasr Al Sarab at Hameem, where the bivouac has been set up.
- For the FIA competitors, after 28 editions of the World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, created back in 1995, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge sets off tomorrow under the new World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) banner. For the bikes it is the 19th time that the FIM World Championship, inaugurated in 2003, will be held in Abu Dhabi. The race, created in 1991 by Mohammed ben Sulayem, the new President of the FIA, it is the oldest world series on the calendar.
- In total, the rally-raid elite has brought together 45 vehicles of which 21 are FIA and 24 FIM. All have met the demands of administrative and technical scrutineering that finished today. As far as the manufacturers are concerned, there are 5 FIA and 6 FIM entries.
- This afternoon the bikes and quads raced a 2 kilometre Qualification Special. The fastest among them were able to choose what they considered to be the most favourable start position for tomorrow morning’s first stage. The rider who posted the quickest time over this sprint, the current world championship title holder, Matthias Walkner, chose to start in 14th position.
The constructors chasing after the FIA title
With 21 FIA vehicles, 18 different nationalities past through scrutineering: 6 crews in T1, 8 in T3 and 2 in T5. France is the most represented nation with 14 competitors, followed by Poland with 10 and the Czech Republic with 6. But numbers don’t necessarily equal victories. The sole representative from Qatar, Nasser Al Attiyah, is the proof. Five times winner of the World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, four times winner of the Dakar and three times winner of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, statistically he is the firm favourite. In the FIA Constructors category there are 5 manufacturers fighting for the World Championship title. Toyota Gazoo Racing pulled out a lead on the Dakar but can’t afford to drop their guard. Leading with 80 points, against 45 a piece for X-Raid Mini JCW and Bahrain Raid Extreme, the transfer of Argentinians Sebastian Halpern and Bernardo Graue from a Mini to a Hilux gives them numerical superiority. Al Attiyah, Al Rajhi and Halpern will tomorrow be three on the start line against the buggy of Przygonski-Gottschalk, giving two extra hands to the South African constructor. In T3 the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team and their 3 OT3s by Overdrive are up against the two South Racing Can-Ams of Lopez and Bell. In T4, South Racing have entered no less than five cars, including two Mavericks for the Goczal brothers. Bahrain Raid Extreme, Century and PH Sport, with the new French paring of Pisson-Lichtleuchter in their Zephyr, only have one vehicle each. In the trucks, the battle will continue between the current leaders, the Czechs from Big Shock Racing and the Dutchmen of Project 2030 BV.
6 bike manufacturers present in RallyGP
This afternoon virtually all the factory riders present last January were at the start of the Qualification Special, with the exception of Joan Barreda (Monster Energy Honda) and Daniel Sanders (GasGas Factory Racing), still recovering from their Dakar crashes. Martin Michek of the Orion-Moto Racing Group is the only privateer in the class. In total there are 14 Rally GP, 7 Rally 2 and 3 quads entered, 24 riders from 17 different nations. As in the cars, 6 factories teams have sent their best representatives. Leading the manufacturers’ rankings, Monster Energy Honda (47 points) with 3 bikes entered, are on an equal footing with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 3rd with 36 points, and with Hero Motorsports, 5th with 13 points. The Indian team have added an extra string to their bow in the shape of Ross Branch, in addition to Franco Caimi and Joaquim Rodrigues. With two riders, Husqvarna (6th with 9 points) have one rider more than Sherco (4th with 14 points) and GasGas (2nd with 38 points), the French brand sending only one rider, Lorenzo Santolino, as did GasGas, who are counting on the Dakar winner and current W2RC leader Sam Sunderland.
Behind the factory riders, the satellite teams and independents have taken on the task of developing future talent. In Rally 2, BAS World KTM Racing continue forming Mason Klein and Bradley Cox, HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing have taken Charan Moore and Romain Dumontier under their wing, while Duust Rally Team are looking after Konrad Dabrowski. Finally, Fantic have sent the slightly more senior Italian legend Franco Picco to continue the development of their new rally bike.
KTM get the upper hand in the bikes
And the young hopefuls of the Rally 2 class have already got in among the RallyGP hierarchy on the Qualification Special. The three KTM factory riders posted the three fastest times of the W2RC field, ahead of the Hero Motorsport riders who have been ‘infiltrated’ by Bradley Cox, the fastest of the Rally 2 riders. A completely different strategy was adopted by Monster Energy Honda and Sam Sunderland (GasGas Factory Racing). These four chose to finish outside the Top 15 and therefore forfeited the right to choose their start position. Of those that could, the day’s winner Matthias Walkner decided to start in 14th place behind Toby Price in 13th and Kevin Benavides in 12th. It is the privateers who tomorrow will have the honour of opening the way. Konrad Dabrowski (Rally 2) in the lead followed by Martin Michek, Charan Moore (Rally 2) and Romain Dumontier (Rally 2). The first factory rider to start will be Skyler Howes (Husqvarna Factory Racing) in 5th place ahead of Lorenzo Santolino aboard his Sherco Factory (6th) and the other Husqvarna of Luciano Benavides (7th). The Hero riders will start close together. Joaquim Rodrigues (8th) is separated by Bradley Cox (Rally 2), from Ross Branch (10th) and Franco Caimi (11th). The Monster Energy Honda riders start as follows: ‘Nacho’ Cornejo 18th, Ricky Brabec 21st and Pablo Quintanilla 28th. The two times winner of the ADDC and leader of the W2RC, Sam Sundeland will be the last factory rider to start in 30th place. In the quads the local Ahli Abdulaziz posted the fastest time ahead of Jurai Varga and Rodolfo Guillioli.
