A three-time winner of the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais and potentially the main threat to Todd Kellett’s hopes of claiming the 2025 FIM Sand Races World Championship, following last season’s career-threatening injuries Frenchman Milko Potisek is fighting fit and ready to challenge for the crown.
With the main Moto category upgraded this year to full FIM World Championship status, British sand specialist Kellett – who won back-to-back FIM World Cup titles in the class in 2023 and 2024 – got his 2025 campaign off to a winning start in February when he took his third consecutive victory at the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais.
Potisek, however, was a strong second in his first major race back after a huge practise crash just days before the 2024 edition of the world’s biggest race of its kind forced him to question his choice of career.
“I thought about quitting, it was a really serious injury,” he said, “but I am someone who is very committed to competition. It was my new challenge to get back to the top – Le Touquet was the first part and I am aiming to return to the top step of the podium.”
The crash left the thirty-five-year-old former MXGP racer from Cassel, near Dunkirk, with a collapsed lung and serious injuries to his liver and pelvis. Then, after battling back to fitness, he broke his armand was sidelined again.
“That injury was tough mentally. I had worked hard to get back into the French championship and then I got injured during my last training session and I found that hard to take.”
Being born and raised in the heartland of the sport, it was natural that Potisek – who races for the same Drag’on Yamahateam as Kellett – would try his hand at Sand Racing, initially using it to fund a successful Motocross career that saw him become FIM MX3 Motocross World Championship vice-champion in 2011 and score numerous MXGP top-ten finishes.
Now concentrating on Sand Racing, his result at this year’s Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais was a huge boost.
“I enjoyed every moment. Last year was really tough watching from my hospital bed. I made the most of every moment and finishing second was a great comeback. It's still the biggest sand race in the world. I'm from the north and I'm lucky to have the crowd supporting me to the max.”
Potisek is delighted that his chosen discipline has been elevated to full FIM World Championship status for 2025 and after just one round he can already see the benefits.
“It's a big step for sand riders. I see it particularly with international brands that are interested in the championship and are supporting us.”
Round two of the 2025 FIM Sand Races World Championship – the Enduro del Invierno – takes place in Argentina this coming weekend (29-31 August) and having won in the South American country back in 2011 he is looking forward to making a return visit and continuing his quest to win a coveted FIM gold medal.
“That's the goal. It would be a great addition to my list of achievements. I'm going to do everything I can to make it happen.”
He knows that to strike gold he will have to beat his team-mate Kellett and while the competition between them is deadly serious, the atmosphere in the team is relaxed and friendly.
“Todd is a really good guy and we often train together. There have been moments of ‘rivalry’, but now we’re past that. The race is still the race, but we get along well.”
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