Manfred Zienecker – Yamaha led home the registered Quad class riders on the tough and testing shores of northern France as the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais got the 2025 FIM Sand Races World Championship under way.
- Manfred Zienecker takes an early points lead in Quad class
- Axel Dutrie gets the defence of his Quad Veteran title off to a flying start
- Damien Knuiman on top in Moto Juniors
The German racer, who was fifth in last year’s series, set a furious pace near the front of the field from the start of the gruelling two-and-a-half-hour race and was never seriously threatened by any other registered riders as he brought it home in sixth overall.
Reigning champion Pablo Violet – Drag’on Yamaha was his closest challenger throughout the race and the Frenchman started the defence of his FIM World Cup with a solid performance that saw him cross the line in eighth as the second-highest registered rider, matching Zienecker’s twelve-lap total, although he was over two minutes behind when the chequered flag came out.
Taking the final step of the podium, Fabien Michel – Yamaha ended the race one lap down on the leading pair when Belgium’s Oliver Vandendijck – CRQF suffered the heartbreak of going out in the closing stages after running as third-placed registered rider for almost the full duration.
“I didn’t expect this as I have been sick for the last two weeks so it couldn’t have been much better,” said Zienecker. “I didn’t see Pablo all race, but to be honest I didn’t know exactly what position I was in. It feels incredible.”
With the imposing circuit increased in length by two kilometres to fifteen kilometres to mark the legendary event’s fiftieth anniversary, the notoriously arduous race was even more challenging this time around, but Zienecker seized an early advantage that he simply refused to relinquish.
From the start he led the registered riders, completing his opening lap in sixth overall with Violet his closest challenger in sixteenth, seven places ahead of Vandendijck. Once the early chaos began to ease, the defending champion quickly carved his way up the field and after two laps he was eleventh and by the end of lap three he was seventh, but by this point Zienecker was in fourth and over forty seconds ahead.
Lap-after-lap Violet chased his rival, but Zienecker gradually eased clear to put the result beyond doubt and when Vandendijck went out Michel was perfectly positioned to inherit third with his total of eleven laps matched by Emmanuel Sarran – Honda and Paul Waterlot – Honda who completed the top five.
France’s Axel Dutrie – Laeger’s got the defence of his Quad Veteran title off to a winning start with a total of eleven laps, just over one-and-a-half minutes clear of Portugal’s Nuno Goncalves with Cedric Girard – Yamaha completing the class podium with ten laps.
Earlier in the day the Moto Junior class took to the shifting sands for their ninety-minute race with rising Dutch star Damien Knuiman – GASGAS dominating the field.
Despite suffering a big crash while leading, Knuiman recovered to claim the overall victory ahead of compatriot Dean Gregoire – KTM who finished one lap down in fifth overall as Evan Demeester – GASGAS completed the Moto Junior podium in seventh overall.
“I am so happy,” said Knuiman. “I got a great start and I was third, then second and then I passed the leader. Then I had a big, big crash – I thought my race was over – but I fought all race and was almost one minute clear at the end. It is a dream come true.”
The focus now shifts to tomorrow afternoon’s three-hour Moto race at 14:00 (local time). Followers can stay up to date via FIM social media platforms and the Sportity app using the password FIMSandRaces.