Round 2 of the 2024 FIM Sand Races World Cup takes place this coming weekend (23-25 February) with the famous Enduro del Verano on the Atlantic coast of Argentina playing host.
The premier event of its kind in South America, spectator numbers of around one-hundred-and-thirty-thousand are expected to watch the best sand racers on the planet fight it out at the resort city of Villa Gesell that is situated almost six-hundred kilometres south of the capital city Buenos Aires.
Following the opening round of the series – the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais in France – earlier this month, defending Moto class champion Todd Kellett – Yamaha from Great Britain holds the overall lead heading into the Enduro del Verano while Belgium’s Amandine Verstappen – Yamaha is setting the pace in the Moto Women class and Pablo Violet – Yamaha from France is at the top of the Quad class standings.
This got us thinking, with so many beaches in Australia and plenty of sand in the outback, why aren’t we ponying up and heading overseas to win this ting! Surely someone like David Walsh or Ben Grabham could take this thing out.
The event format is very different to the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais with a twenty-minute Sprint Race on Saturday for Moto and Quad competitors over a three-and-a-half-kilometre course before Sunday’s separate forty-five-minute Main Races for Moto and Quad competitors that will be held over the full twelve-and-a-half-kilometre course.
After claiming his second successive victory at the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais, twenty-six-year-old Kellett will begin the weekend as a hot favourite to repeat his 2023 victory in Argentina, but it is by no means a foregone conclusion in such an unpredictable discipline.
The shorter the duration of the race, the more important it is to start well and while Kellett is notoriously quick in the early laps, his title rivals Lars Van Berkel – Honda from the Netherlands and France’s Jeremy Hauquier – Honda, who currently sit second and fourth in the points, both showed the ability at the series opener to run near the front from the get-go. Maxime Sot – KTM currently holds third and must also be considered a threat to Kellett’s dominance, although the Frenchman did not start the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais as quickly as his rivals.
Other riders aiming to make an impact include the French trio of Camille Chapeliere – KTM, Valentin Madoulaud – Yamaha and Joey Nuques – Yamaha and French Dakar Rally star Adrien Van Beveren – Honda, a three-time winner of the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais, will also compete.
Former FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship contender Verstappen ended the 2023 series as the second-ranked rider in the Women’s class and after her opening round victory this year will be aiming to extend her advantage over defending champion Mathilde Denis – Honda from France.
The Veteran’s class is currently led by Mickaël De Souza – KTM who heads a French one-two-three from defending champion Arnaud Besnier – Honda and Christophe Brucker – KTM.
Violet topped the registered Quad class riders in Argentina last year and his main opposition this time around is most likely to come from his compatriot and defending champion Michel Trannin – Honda. Both Violet and Trannin were forced to come from outside the top-twenty in the early stages at the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais and will be hoping to further their title ambitions with better starts this weekend.
