35 riders and 11 quads enter new-look Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
Thirty-five of the world’s leading enduro riders from 12 countries will join 11 quad competitors from six nations in the motorcycle category of next week’s new-look Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, according to Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA Vice-President for Sport, President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) and Chairman of the event’s Organising Committee.
He said that the switch from November to the new March date of the opening round of the FIM Cross-Country World Championship, which has the backing of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), has not detracted from the strength of entries in the motorcycle category, which closed at 46.
Race favourites, Marc Coma and Cyril Despres, have seven outright victories between them and have dominated FIM cross-country rallying podiums around the world in recent seasons. Sulayem said that it is far from guaranteed that Coma will clinch a third Desert Challenge win or that Despres will earn victory number six, when the competitive action gets underway with a timed super special stage in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, March 22.
The Spaniard and the Frenchman have controlled cross-country rallying for five years. They finished first and second in January’s gruelling Dakar Rally. However, three of their closest rivals - David Casteu, Pal-Anders Ullesvalseter and James West, have also entered this month’s Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
Casteu has played the bridesmaid to his illustrious rivals on numerous occasions. However, many think that the French KTM rider has the pace and the experience to capitalise on any navigational error or mechanical problems that may hit the lead duo of Coma and Despres.
Norway’s Ullesvalseter is a former winner of the FIM World Championship and regularly sets top five stage times on the Dakar Rally. He too is more than capable of maintaining a push for the podium if he is able to stay with Coma and Despres along those all-important early kilometres through the Abu Dhabi desert.
Britain’s West finished third overall in last year’s Desert Challenge, behind Despres and Francisco Lopez. He holds the UK’s best hope of an outright win since the late John Deacon’s challenge in the late 1990s.
Poland’s Orlen Team features the experienced Jacek Czachor and rookie, Jakub Przygonski. Czachor finished tenth overall last November and ran well in South America in January. He is more than capable of improving on last year’s finish.
Dubai-based German rider, Tim Trenker has tackled several Desert Challenges on a BMW enduro bike, before making the switch to an Austrian KTM. A podium finish has eluded Trenker in recent seasons. However, he knows the terrain and has the stamina to mount a challenge for a place in the top three on his KTM 530 EXC, particularly when fitness comes into play in temperatures that could climb into the low forties (centigrade) in the Rub Al Khali, next week.
Other riders capable of pushing for the top five in the Open category include Dutchman, Frans Verhoeven, Italian veteran, Oscar Polli and Australian newcomer, Youcef Cummings.
Meanwhile, in the 450cc motorcycle category, South Africa’s Sean Gaugain clinched a victory in last November’s Desert Challenge and the Honda CRF 450X rider starts as the clear favourite to retain his title. There are 21 riders entered in the smaller-engine class, including four entrants who finished in last year’s top six.
Khalid Al Falaisi finished sixth in the 450cc class in November and is pegged as a leading local rider, although the Gecko Honda Team riders, Simon Pavey, Sean Linton, Jason Sockett, Dave Donald, Dave McBride, Laurence Lee, Andrew Clarkson-Kearsley and Simon Harslett, look to dominate the upper reaches of the entry list this time.
Other European 450cc riders include Italy’s Maurizio Senna, Matteo Poli and Fabio Benetti. Meanwhile, this category gets a further boost from the UAE’s Ahmed Al Fahim on a Kawasaki KLX and Turkish riders, Kaan Bilgen and Sermet Daneshfar.
Seasoned local campaigner, Mohammed Al Shamsi heads the 11-strong quad contingent on his Honda TRX. He is one of three Gecko Honda Team quad riders, alongside South African, Minky Botha and the UAE’s Obaid Echtibi. Frenchman, Lionel Laine is the top seed on his KTM ATV 525 XC, although Romania’s Razvan Iremescu, Tunisia’s Karim Dilou and Franck Jaussaud of France have well-prepared Yamaha Raptors at their disposal.
The new-look Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is based at the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC) for the first time. The ceremonial start takes place at 09.30am local time on Monday March 23 and will run for a further four days through the remote desert of Abu Dhabi’s western region. The vehicles that stay the course are set to cross the ceremonial finish line at the ADIMSC on Friday (March 27, 4pm local time).
The 2009 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge has the backing of key players, including the event’s title sponsor, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), Nissan, ADNOC, Beach Rotana - Abu Dhabi, etisalat, Explorer, Hertz, Lambda Electronics, Oasis Water, TAG Heuer, and the Rally HQ host, ADIMSC.
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