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Monte Gordo Sand Race shakes up the Algarve beach
FIM competition for the second consecutive year in Portugal
The Monte Gordo Sand Race is back in the Municipality of Vila Real de Santo António, in the Algarve, and on the 22nd to 24th of November 2024 it promises to bring thousands of spectators, lots of adrenaline, and exciting races to the beach of Monte Gordo.
This will be the second edition of the FIM Sand Races World Cup, which, after a fantastic first edition, returns to Portugal to hold two days of an exciting competition organized by the Automóvel Clube de Portugal (ACP), in collaboration with the municipality of Vila Real de Santo António, and under the aegis of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and the Federação de Motociclismo Portugal (FMP).
After four rounds of the competition, two in France, one in Argentina and another in Italy, the penultimate stage of the 2024 edition is now taking place in Portugal, which will welcome the best pilots of the world of the specialty and various Portuguese champions.
The list of entries includes a panel of riders of various nationalities, with 80 participants on motorbikes and 37 on quads already confirmed.
The Monte Gordo beach has a unique circuit that runs over 6 km for 1:30 hour race for motorbikes and 1:00 hour for quad bikes.
Among the motorcycle riders, the highlight goes to the winner of this race last year, the British Todd Kellet, who, riding a Yamaha, is currently the leader of the Sand Races World Cup. The second place in the competition, Frenchman Jeremy Hauquier, on a Yamaha, will also be present to fight for victory. From the Top 5 of the World Cup, there is also the presence of Frenchman Maxime Sot, in Fantic, and Frenchman Valentin Madoulaud, in Yamaha.
Among the quads, Frenchman Pablo Violet, on a Yamaha, will be discussing the title with his fellow countryman Keveen Rochereau, who rides on a Honda, the winner of the race among quads in 2023.
Portuguese participation will count in the competition of the motorcycles with outstanding national motocross, off-road and enduro riders, such as Paulo Alberto, Luís Outeiro, António Maio, Bruno Santos, Micael Simão, Diogo Ventura and Gonçalo Reis. In the quads the presence of the Portuguese TT champion Luis Fernandes stands out, and there is also the participation of Tiago Gomes and Fábio Ferreira.
The Monte Gordo Sand Race also has female participation, and in the motorcycle competition there will be the French Laura Sequeira, on Honda, Mathilde Denis, on Fantic, and Ema Satabin, on GasGas, and the Portuguese Joana Gonçalves, on Husqvarna.
The Monte Gordo Sand Race starts on November 22nd, with administrative and technical checks in the Zona à Muralha (next to the boarding pier). From 7pm onwards an exhibition of motorcycles and quad bikes that will take part in the race will take place at Praça Marquês de Pombal. On Saturday, 23rd, at 10:30 am it will be time for the vehicles to parade between Vila Real de Santo António and Monte Gordo.
Sportingly speaking, the race will start on Saturday at 12:45 pm with the race of Classes M, MD and MJ2 (Duration 90min) and Class MJ1, V1 and V2 (Duration 45min). At 3:30 pm the competition for quadricycles begins, lasting 1 hour: Q and QD and QJ classes. On Sunday, the motorcycle race takes place at 1:45 pm and the quad competition at 3:30 pm. The awards ceremony is scheduled for 5pm.
In addition to the races, the Monte Gordo Sand Race will feature a diverse entertainment program offering activities for all ages. Entry to the event is free and will have ideal conditions for the public to watch the races and have an exciting experience alongside the track.
Source: Monte Gordo Sand Race / ACP Motorsport
Helder