Quad class champion Pablo Violet – Drag’on Yamaha continues the defence of his FIM Sand Races World Cup title this coming weekend (24-26 October) when round three – the Bibione Sand Storm – is staged on Italy’s beautiful Adriatic coast, around one-hundred kilometres north-east of Venice.
Getting his 2025 campaign under way on home sand at February’s Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais where he finished second out of the registered riders, he then led his title rivals home with victory in Argentina’s Enduro del Invierno at the end of August to open up a nineteen-point advantage before the series hits the halfway mark in Italy.
However, the twenty-three-year-old – who graduates from business school in Paris next spring – is not resting on his laurels.
“I'm very happy with the season so far and I'm really looking forward to the next races because they're truly incredible events,” he said, “but nineteen points can disappear very quickly so you always have to stay focused on a lot of things and not count yourself as the winner too soon.”
Despite being kept busy with his studies, Violet has remained active throughout the off-season and has been filling in gaps in the FIM Sand Races World Cup calendar while at the same time fine-tuning his team set-up.
“Everything has been going well for the past year. I was able to ride for fun in the Dutch championship and represent my country in the QuadCross of Nations, which was really cool! After last year we thought long and hard about how best to approach the races. We are still part of the Drag'on Distribution team, although a few people have left so we decided to restructure the team around me, with family and trusted colleagues.”
With his victory in South America, Violet assumed control of the Quad class so it is hardly a surprise to discover that he is a big fan of the Enduro del Invierno.
“You know, races in Argentina never disappoint. They always put on an extraordinary show with great tracks and events so, yes, I really enjoyed it.”
A fighting third at last year’s Bibione Sand Storm, Violet is aiming to finish two places higher this timearound and he is relishing the challenge.
“Bibione is very similar to the Portuguese race [the Monte Gordo Sand Experience] in terms of the track, the sand is just a little harder and Bibione really does things well in terms of communication and even by inviting Antonio Cairoli. I'm really looking forward to being there and this year I really hope to finish on the top step of the podium.”
Following the Bibione Sand Storm, the series concludes with the Ronde des Sables Hossegor-Capbreton and the Monte Gordo Sand Experience before signing off with a second assault on the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais.
“Of course, the goal is to win again this year,” added Violet, “however it won't be easy. The other riders are very fast, but we've made improvements to the quad and the team so there's no reason why it shouldn't work. We're very motivated to win this year.”
The action at the Bibione Sand Storm gets under way on Saturday (25 October) with the opening Moto race of the weekend followed by the first Quad race with the same programme repeated on Sunday (26 October).
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