2021 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Stage Five

---

Stage five of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge was the shortest of the event at 216.92 kilometres but offered little in the way of an easy ride to the finish.

Coming into the final day of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Daniel Sanders was lying second in the standings, and enjoyed an advantageous start position to make up time on the leader. Pushing hard, the Aussie star immediately put himself in control of the stage, topping each of the split times on his way through the special.

With all riders having to manage their fuel due to the special not including a refueling zone, Sanders’ pace was such that he ran out first while fighting for the stage, and rally win, like the true warrior he is, the Aussie then pushed his RC 450F to the finish for a 14th place result.

It’s an unfortunate way to finish the event, but Daniel can look back over his FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship season and take many positives, including several stage wins, three at the Silk Way Rally, plus others in Morocco and Abu Dhabi.

Despite the set-back at the final event, Sanders finished a respectable third overall in the final championship standings, not bad for his first full year. Taking positives from the event, Sanders has demonstrated incredible speed and skill throughout the rally, and will look to carry that form onto the Dakar in January.

Daniel Sanders – P14 Stage 5/P12 Overall

“The last day has obviously been a huge disappointment for me and the team, but that’s racing – I guess you have to take the smooth with the rough. I started really well and was making good time through the dunes at the beginning of the stage. I realized about halfway through that with no refueling in the stage, and the type of terrain we were racing through, fuel was going to be a problem. So I tried to ease my pace as much as I could. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, and I eventually ran out. Obviously, it’s not the best way to end the rally, especially after such a strong year but I’m pleased with how I’ve ridden, not just in Abu Dhabi, but over the whole season. My pace here has been really strong, I won a stage and did a good job of leading out after that. Again, it’s not the way I wanted to end the season, but as it’s just my first full year in the championship, I’m definitely pleased with how I’ve progressed and raised my level. Although the result here has knocked me back a little, I’ll just take the positives and look ahead to the Dakar in January. I’ve really gelled with the bike – my navigation is always improving, and my pace is definitely there. We’ve got less than two months till Dakar, and I’m going to be ready!”

As the second rider into the stage, and with a near four-minute advantage over the next best competitor, Matthias Walkner set about chasing down the rider ahead of him, while concentrating on his navigation during the soft sand dunes in the opening part of the special.

Maintaining his place within the top two for the entire stage, the Austrian delivered another calculated and consistent ride to ultimately complete the special as runner-up, just over one minute behind the eventual winner.

In what has been an impressive display of skill, endurance, and speed by the world champion throughout this final event of the year, Walkner secured the win by over four and a half minutes to truly confirm his place at the very top of the world championship standings.

Matthias Walkner – Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Champion

“It was really close today! The stage was really long without a refueling point and so towards the end I had to slow down a lot to conserve fuel. It’s part of our sport that you can have four good days and then nearly be caught out in the last few kilometers. Thankfully, I made it to the finish line and am really happy to win the last race before Dakar. The team did a really good job all week and the bike has been perfect. The whole year has been fantastic for me – with the help of the team, we have all worked really closely to bring the success we’ve had. I have ridden well and not made any big mistakes, or suffered any injuries. I’ve learned a lot, even from this week riding in the sand, which is normally not my best terrain to race in. My riding has improved, and we’ve found some good set-ups for the bike, too. Overall, it’s been an incredible season and to top it off by winning the last race really helps my confidence. The big goal is of course now Dakar, it’s not far away, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Bringing to an end a highly rewarding season of racing, Adrien Van Beveren secured second overall at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Winning three of five stages, the Frenchman underlined his impressive form and after almost 18 hours of racing, finished the rally just over four and a half minutes behind the winner, Matthias Walkner.

With Adrien claiming an impressive result at the final round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship he advanced to second in the final series standings.

Adrien Van Beveren – Stage Five Winner

“Winning the last stage after opening, and finishing second in this rally, is a huge moment for me. The final stage was really tricky to begin with, made even more challenging by leading out so I rode a little cautious, but it paid off. No mistakes and knowing I had a nice gap in the overall classification meant that I could ride without risks and to win the stage, it’s just amazing. All year I’ve been consistent and focused on finishing each and every stage and this rally was no different. This result has come just at the right time ahead of Dakar, so from now until January I will maintain my level and aim to fight for the win there.”

The ever-positive Ross Branch placed a strong third overall on the fifth and final stage. Opening the rally with a win on stage one showed his impressive speed and he remained in contention for the win until a crash and broken navigational tower during the event’s marathon stage ruled him out of the running. Ultimately, Ross enjoyed a positive debut season in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, which was undoubtedly headlined by his overall win at Rally Kazakhstan.

Ross Branch – P3 Stage 5

“It’s great to finish the final stage here in third place. It’s a shame about my crash on day two, that really messed things up but being able to ride the last two stages and put more time on the bike and continue learning was really positive. It’s awesome for me to have completed my first full season in the world championship and I can’t thank the Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team enough for the opportunity. The focus is now on the Dakar, which is not too far away, and it won’t be long until we head out there to get things going.”

---

Stage 5 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2021

1. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 2:32:06
2. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 2:33:20 +1:14
3. Ross Branch (BWA), Yamaha, 2:36:07 +4:01
4. Andrew Short, (USA), Yamaha, 2:36:48 +4:42
5. Joaquim Rodrigues (POR), Hero, 2:40:13 +8:07
   ….14. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 6:00:00

Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2021 after 5 of 5 stages

1. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 17:38:40
2. Adrien Van Beveren (FRA), Yamaha, 17:43:12 +4:31
3. Joaquim Rodrigues (POR), Hero, 18:14:06 +35:25
4. Aaron Mare (RSA), KTM, 19:38:35 +1:59:54
5. Konrad Dabrowski (POL), KTM, 20:29:01 +2:50:21
   …12. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 26:09:10

---

RallyGP World Championship

1. Walkner 103 points
2. Van Beveren 62 points
3. Sanders 53 points

Women’s RallyGP World Cup

1. Anastasiya Nifontova 25 points

RallyGP Junior World Cup

1. Konrad Dabrowski 50 points
2. Tomas de Gavardo 20 points

World Cup Rally2

1. Cabini 58 points
2. Metge 38 points
3. Purevdorj 38 points

World Cup Rally2 Quad

1. Andujar 104 points
2. Sonik 100 points
3. Maksimov 74 points

RallyGP Adventure Trophy

1. Cabini 38 points
2. Ganzorig 30 points
3. Rees-Stravos 25 points

RallyGP Veteran Trophy

1. McBride 25 points
2. Mabbs 20 points

Source: MCNews.com.au

Daniel Sanders sits third after Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Stage 2

---

Stage Two of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge proved a long one, with riders facing 470 km in total, including a timed special of 333 km, encompassing tough navigation through dunes, alongside faster tracks that required speed and concentration.

Putting in a strong ride through the desert, Aussie Daniel Sanders defended his overall position in the top three to end the day just three-minutes behind leader Matthias Walkner. The result cements that standing for a second day, while third for the stage was an improvement on Stage One’s fourth place finish.

Daniel struggled to find his rhythm and speed at times, the RC 450F rider used his ever-growing experience to ease his pace a little to minimise any major mistakes in the vast area of dunes. A couple of crashes slowed his forward momentum a little but by the halfway point, he was back on the gas and able to go for it and attack the tracks to the finish.

Daniel Sanders – P3

“Day two went ok for me, but not as well as I’d hoped. I found it hard to get into a good rhythm early on – I had a couple more scary calls with some drops as I’m still learning how to read the terrain here in the desert. I had a couple of crashes too – one gave me quite a knock and I ended up in a hole in the dunes. I had to dig the bike out a little and that cost me some time. I got to the refuel and managed to get some food and water into me, recharged and felt a lot better after that. For the second half of the stage, I felt a lot better and managed to find a good pace. The terrain suited me better too, with more tracks and plateaus. I finished third-fastest today, which puts me in a good spot for tomorrow.”

Fastest on the day was Adrien Van Beveren, who moved into second in the overall standings with the stage win, having entered the day as the fifth rider out.

Following the openers tyre tracks, he was able to focus on his riding and maintain a high pace throughout the special, the Frenchman in his element racing through the endless sand dunes that formed a large part of the stage.

Adrien Van Beveren – P1

“I’ve had a really good day and I’m really happy to have won today. I made up a lot of time before refuelling and with some calculations, I thought it would be possible to catch the leaders on the stage. My speed was good but I came up a little short. Today’s stage had the perfect terrain for me, so I’m really pleased that I could show what I can do when it’s almost all sand dunes like it was today. It’s still early in the rally and tomorrow I will open the stage so it’s likely that I will lose some time, but I will do my best to minimise that and focus on my navigation to ensure another strong result.”

Following his ride to second place on day one, KTM’s Matthias Walkner found himself opening stage two, having caught day one winner Ross Branch. The two riders battled it out for the first half of the stage, swapping positions at the front, right up to the refueling station.

In the second half of the special, Walkner continued to push over the mixed terrain, and in doing so, left his rivals behind. The reigning FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Champion used his skill and experience to maintain his speed and position, despite navigating his own way through the sand.

Bringing his KTM 450 RALLY home safely to the finish as second fastest for the day, Matthias moves up into the provisional lead of the event, over two-and-a-half minutes ahead of his nearest rival.

Matthias Walkner – P2

“Another day done, and it was a tough one! Setting off this morning I thought that by the end of the stage most of the riders behind would have caught up with those opening the special. At the refuelling we could see that wasn’t the case, so Ross and I decided to keep pushing to see if we could stay out front. We took it in turns to open with each rider leading the way for 30 km or so. For the last 100 km I found myself alone out front and just gave it my all. I really was pushing hard and, thankfully, everything went well, and I was able to bring it home for a good, safe finish. The long stage took it out of me, so I’ll try to relax now and recharge before tomorrow.”

Stage one winner, Ross Branch, posted an impressive result on day two of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge despite a small crash, completing the special as the fourth fastest rider. His recent focus on navigational skills paid dividends with the 35-year-old completing the special just over eight minutes behind teammate Van Beveren.

Ross Branch – P4

“It was a bit of an up and down day today. It started off really well and I’m happy with my navigation as I lead the stage all the way to around kilometre 160. This was great for my confidence knowing that I can navigate well through sand dunes where a mistake could cost a lot of time. Unfortunately, at around 290 kilometres I jumped off the top of dune like usual, tucked the front, and crashed. It broke my navigational tower but as it happened near the end I didn’t lose too much time. The focus is now on tomorrow and I’ll be giving it my best shot as always.”

Sebastian Buhler led the charge for the Hero MotoSports Rally team, managing a fine balance of fast and safe riding, finishing fifth in the stage.

Sebastian Buhler – P5

“Today was a very long and tough stage in the sand, one of the toughest stages I have ridden. Riding in these deserts is very tricky with long fast plateaus and sudden steep descents. Overall, I am happy with my performance and looking forward to the next stage.”

Tuesday’s Stage Three will see the race reach its halfway stage. Totalling 327 km, it will feature a 293 km timed special.

Stage 2 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2021 Results

Provisional Standings – Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2021 (Stage 2)

Source: MCNews.com.au