FIA-FIM WORLD RALLY-RAID CHAMPIONSHIPS ABU DHABI DESERT CHALLENGE — ROUND 2
Of the eight Rally GP riders cleared to start, only two fit the "veteran" label —a term Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda HRC) used with a hint of irony in the high-tech football stadium hosting the scrutineering. Both the American and Nacho Cornejo (Hero MotoSports) first started the race in 2015. For the Californian, it was the very first rally raid of his career. He has since lined up here another four times, with a runner-up finish in 2022 as his best result. For the Chilean, it was his debut on the international rally scene. The Hero factory rider has six ADDC starts under his belt, along with a podium spot in 2019 and a fourth-place finish in 2023.
Luciano Benavides (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Ross Branch (Hero MotoSports) each have three ADDC appearances to their name. The reigning world champion stands out as the only Rally GP rider in the field to have already raced here in 2024, when he came in fourth.
Behind them, the rest of the grid has even fewer ADDC starts, yet this less experienced quartet holds both the favourites for the rally and the top three spots in the championship. Skyler Howes (Monster Energy Honda HRC) and his teammate Adrien Van Beveren have tackled these dunes twice. VBA, third in the championship, boasts the strongest track record: runner-up in 2021 and outright winner in 2023. Daniel Sanders, the orange-clad W2RC leader, has only raced here once, in 2021. He was in the mix for a podium finish until stage 4, when he ran out of fuel and slipped to twelfth at the finish the following day. Tosha Schareina, the fourth Honda factory rider, second in the championship standings, is about to get his first taste of the Abu Dhabi dunes.
In Rally 2, Edgar Canet, the third Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider, is also making his event debut. As he did at the Dakar, the Spaniard arrives with a humble mindset —at least if you take his word for it. Eighth overall and top Rally 2 finisher in Saudi Arabia, he faces a serious challenge here from Michael Docherty (SRG Motorsports). The South African is a specialist on this terrain and won two specials outright at the Dakar, beating the Rally GP riders in the Empty Quarter.
In the quad class, the four-time winner and reigning champion Abdulaziz Ahli is already gearing up for the prologue, the only timed section that he missed out on last year! Meanwhile, Antanas Kanopkinas (CFMoto Thunder Racing) showed up for scrutineering with the third-generation CForce 1000, a lighter and more powerful machine. The Lithuanian confirmed that his new quad is already registered for the next round in South Africa. With the Chinese manufacturer committing to a full championship series, its gamble could pay off by the end of the season.
Quotes:
Daniel Sanders (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), championship leader: "This is my second time in Abu Dhabi. The last was back in 2021, when I was in a strong position with Mathias [Walkner] before running out of fuel. I was close to taking my first win in the championship. It was disappointing, but this race is still one of my favourites. It's taken me a long time to get back here because of injuries, but I'm stoked to be back in the dunes. The plan is to do exactly what I did in the Dakar! The riding, the physical demands… It's all the same. I haven't spent much time on the bike since the Dakar, like everyone else, but we need to be on the pace from day one because the rally is shorter. My focus will be on the terrain and road book reading, and I'll try not to think too much about leading the championship. We'll see where we stand at the end."
Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy Honda HRC): "It's all dunes here. What you see is what you get. I love it. The only real challenge is strategy, which plays a big role. Starting up front in the dunes means losing time, so you have to be smart about it. But, aside from that, this terrain fits me like a glove. Being comfortable in the sand means you can read it well, put the power down efficiently, and that's even more important on sand than anywhere else. In this kind of race, those extra seconds or even minutes you gain by managing that can make all the difference. I expect Docherty to be fast. In the last stage of the Dakar, we managed to break away together for a bit."
Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy Honda HRC): "It's my first time in Abu Dhabi and I have a shot at the championship, so I need to stay grounded and keep both feet on the ground. This rally is tougher, very different from the other rounds. It's nothing but sand and dunes. I want to respect the race and learn from it, but of course, I also want to fight at the front. Since the Dakar, I've focused entirely on recovering from my broken collarbone. The timing worked out, so there was no need to go under the knife. I'm not at one hundred percent, obviously, but I'm ready to fight."
Nacho Cornejo (Hero MotoSports): "You always have to be careful at the Desert Challenge. In my last two appearances, I didn't have the best run. I damaged my bike both times in the dunes. You have to be smart and make it to the finish to score as many championship points as possible. That's my goal, even though I'll be pushing to stay up front. But my main focus is to ride the cleanest race I can."
Source: W2RC / ASO
Photo: A.S.O. / Edophoto / DPPI / Edoardo Bauer
