On Sunday, competitors took on the first special stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2025, covering 243 racing kilometers and nearly 150 kilometers of liaison sections. As promised by the organizers, the stage consisted mainly of sand and dunes. The CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team riders maintained a strong pace but admitted there is still room for improvement.
“It was the first real day of work. First and foremost, I’m happy that our quads are definitely faster than they were a few years ago—we’ve gained speed on straight sections and in some other areas. That said, competing with quads from other categories in terms of speed is still challenging, but the battle is definitely possible. We hope the competition remains intense throughout the race. The suspension works great, but the only concern is fuel consumption—it would be frustrating to have to start conserving fuel mid-stage,” said A. Kanopkinas, who also struggled with excessive fuel consumption in the Abu Dhabi dunes two years ago. “But so far, day one is done, and everything is looking very, very good. Mood are high, the sun is shining, it’s hot—we’re getting ready for day two.”
After making a mistake in the prologue and dropping over 20 positions, Kanopkinas finished second among the quads in the first stage. His teammate, Gaëtan Martinez, came in fourth.
“The temperatures are really high—it’s tough for both the riders and the machines. The most important thing is that we made it to the finish in one piece. I really enjoyed the ride today, but after crossing the finish line, I realized there was quite a gap between me and the rider ahead. In the coming days, I’ll need to push a bit harder. The organizers had warned us about soft dunes today, but the sand was quite firm, so there weren’t too many challenges. Now, we’re handing the quads over to the mechanics to check and prepare them for tomorrow,” said G. Martinez after completing the first stage.
On Monday, the route will run parallel to the Saudi Arabian border, just beyond which lies the Empty Quarter, the same vast desert where the Dakar Rally took place just a month ago. The participants will return to the same bivouac after the stage and will have to cover 228 racing kilometers and 74 liaison kilometers throughout the day.
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