FIA-FIM WORLD RALLY-RAID CHAMPIONSHIPS ABU DHABI DESERT CHALLENGE — ROUND 2
On four wheels, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge stands out on the calendar for at least two reasons.
On one hand, it is the preserve of the dune specialists. The reigning champion, Nasser Al Attiyah (The Dacia Sandriders), has claimed four victories since 2008, while Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing) took his first W2RC round here in 2023. A Saudi and an Emirati lead the charge in the Challenger and SSV classes, with Yasir Seaidan (BBR Team) and Helei El Mansour (Liwa Team UAE) tipped as the men to beat.
On the other hand, the Challenger vehicles and SSVs have crashed the Ultimate party time and again at this event. On average, Challenger and SSV entrants have occupied half of the top 10 at the ADDC since the inception of the W2RC in 2022 (4/10 in 2024, 5/10 in 2023 and 6/10 in 2022). "Chaleco" López and Seth Quintero, third in 2022 and 2023, respectively, have delivered the best T3 (now Challenger) performances in the short history of the championship. Who can do better?
Quotes:
Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing), championship leader: "It would be a bad idea to throw caution to the wind here. We don't want to lose everything. We have to play it smart. What we need is not to win the race, but to score as many points as we can. We're targeting a podium finish. They're all ready to attack and move closer to us in the ranking. We'll see what the state of play is at the next rally. That's when we'll go on the offensive, if need be."
Nasser Al Attiyah (The Dacia Sandriders), four-time winner and title holder: "I have loads of experience. I've won four times. If you look closely, I've always set a high pace in the dunes, year after year. But we also need to be smart at this event because my goal is a fourth world championship title. The way we see it, a narrow victory would still be a victory."
Édouard Boulanger (The Dacia Sandriders), navigator, two-time winner and title holder: "I was fortunate to enter twice with exceptional drivers. We used to come here with Stéphane [Peterhansel] to prepare for the rest of the season. We won because the others had mechanical troubles and we didn't. Truth be told, we weren't the fastest crew, just the most consistent one. It was a different story with Nasser last season, when he trounced the opposition from A to Z. His pace in the dunes is quite something. We had no mechanical problems, and when that happens, Nasser is nigh unbeatable. I reckon Séb [Loeb] might be able to match him in terms of raw speed, but it takes a heavier toll on him than on Nasser, who's in his element. Imagine putting Nasser on the roads of the Rallye Monte-Carlo; he might be able to hang on in certain specials, but he would be at the limit."
Sébastien Loeb (The Dacia Sandriders): "Improving on my best performance in two starts so far —eighth— is a reasonable prospect. I've always had a torrid start to the rally. We once had to change three gimbals in the same special, and another time we had a damaged water pipe after 50 km. But I like this rally and, if you look at the big picture, I've been rather fast here. Even so, I know winning it is going to be hard because Nasser and Yazeed are absolute specialists, but the field as a whole has also got stronger in recent years, with impressive young drivers. The competition will be stiff, but we'll try and put up a fight. We've often had bad luck, it would be nice to have a smooth drive for a change."
Yasir Seaidan (BBR Team), 2024 SSV rally-raid champion, eighth overall and second in SSV here in 2024: "What I like about Abu Dhabi is that it's nothing but dunes. If you're good in the dunes, you're bound to finish high, both in your class and overall. You need to be good in the dunes, there's no more to it. From a technical point of view, raw power is not what makes the difference. Suspensions and balancing are more important. Last January, I found myself leading the first special in the Empty Quarter after 55 kilometres despite facing the 350 hp T1+ vehicles in my 165 hp car. Driving skills make all the difference. I think I'm good in the dunes, and this year I'm driving a Taurus, which is the gold standard on this terrain."
Mansour El Helei (Liwa Team UAE), SSV title holder in the rally, championship rookie: "I won the SSV race last year, but I wasn't a world championship entrant, so I didn't get a W2RC medal. I've signed up this time round, so I hope to get my hands on one on 25 February to mark my 33rd birthday! The first time I entered the Desert Challenge was when I was 18, just old enough to obtain a licence. I've taken part eleven times since 2011, first in T2, where I won in 2015, and then in SSV, where I won last year. I hope I can do the same in Challenger and Ultimate at some point in the future! Liwa Team UAE can count on the backing of our government, which wants to nurture the stars of tomorrow. I'm fortunate to team up with Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi, who clinched the overall in 2017 and has loads of experience in the WRC and the Dakar. He's a legend, and I hope to follow in his footsteps and, who knows, become the first Emirati to take the FIA World Rally-raid Championship."
Source: W2RC / ASO
Photo: A.S.O. / Edophoto / DPPI / Irina Petrichei
