After the FIM Bajas World Cup season curtain raiser in Dubai, it is the turn of Abu Dhabi to host the first round of the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship from 1 to 6 April.
It is already two and a half months since the Dakar crossed the finish line and the 2017 FIM World Championship riders are eager to get aboard their machines and set out to grapple with a new desert challenge.
Throughout the 2017 season, the riders will wear the same number. The first five numbers are assigned to the riders who finished between first and fifth place last season.
2016 FIM Cross Country Rallies World Champion Pablo Quintanilla will therefore have the honour of sporting No1 on the fairing of this Husqvarna. In his campaign to keep his crown, the friendly Chilean will be seconded by multiple FIM Motocross and Enduro World Champion Pela Renet (No5), who is acquiring a taste for this discipline, so different from the type of races he was used to.
The KTM factory is fielding no less than three riders: the 2017 Dakar winner from England Sam Sunderland sporting No2, the 2017 Dakar runner-up from Austria Matthias Walkner (No6), and Antoine Meo, who is returning to the desert after over a year of convalescence following a nasty fall in the 2016 Dakar.
Team Honda is relentlessly pursuing the development of its machine and launching its campaign to claim the prestigious title with the young Kevin Benavides from Argentina (No4) and Portugal’s Paulo Gonçalves, winner in 2013 (No9).
Local hero Mohammed Al Balooshi (No7), Britain’s David McBride (No11) and Germany’s Tony Schattatt (No12), all riding KTMs, will be taking on the big guns.
As every year, the Polish Orlen Team, led by Filip Dabrowski, is trying to spot new talent and will be present with two riders entered in the Junior (-25 years) category, also riding KTMs: Adam Tomiczek (No15) and Maciej Giemza (No16).
In quad, the incredible Camelia Liparoti tops the list of entries for the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship. The only woman in the race, she will be taking on 16 quad riders including Rafal Sonik, last year’s FIM Cup winner and nothing if not tenacious. Alongside the three Emirati riders Al Raeesi, Al Shamsi and Almashghouni, and Al Musallam from Kuwait, Kazakhstan is present in force with no less than four riders, while Latin America is fielding an Argentine, Lucas Innocente, a Peruvian Alexis Hernandez and a rider from Guatemala, Rodolfo Guillioli.
Altogether, 28 motorcyclists will be at the start, 3 of them in the +450cc category (which does not count for the points, as the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship is reserved for motorcycles up to 450cc) as well as 17 quad riders.
On Thursday 30 and Friday 31 March, the administrative and technical verifications will take place on the Yas Marina circuit.
On Saturday, there will be a Super Special at the Al Forsan International Sports Resort.
On Sunday 1 April, the riders will tackle the first special in the desert. Altogether, they will cover some 2000 km through the desert of Liwa, 1339 of them making up the Specials.
ADDC Programme
Link sections: 749 km
Specials: 1339 km
Total: 2087 km
Thursday 30 and Friday 31 March: Administrative and technical verifications at the Yas Marina Circuit
Saturday 1 April: Super Special (Stage 1) at the Al Forsan International Sports Resort
Sunday 2 April: 1st Special (Stage 2) Liwa Desert
Monday 3 April: 2nd Special (Stage 3) Liwa Desert
Tuesday 4 April: 3rd Special (Stage 4) Liwa Desert
Wednesday 5 April: 4th Special (Stage 5) Liwa Desert
Thursday 6 April: 5th Special (Stage 6) Liwa Desert and finish at Yas Marina Circuit.
FIM Communications