The desert takes its toll and the battle intensifies as the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge dives deep into the dunes

 After yesterday’s tough opening stage, shaped by searing temperatures and soft sand, today’s ADNOC Distribution Stage 2 loop covered a total of 302 kilometres, including 228 kilometres of special stages in the visually spectacular southern fringes of the Liwa Oasis area. 

Starting from beautiful Mezaira’a, the Liwa region’s largest settlement and home to a spectacular ancestral fort, the demanding route took competitors through dusty sabkhas (salt flats) and testing gravel sections before plunging them into a string of massive and potentially treacherous dunes close to the Saudi border. 

Throughout the gruelling stage, and the event as a whole, the competitors are being fuelled by Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge official energy supplier, ADNOC Distribution. 

Commenting on the partnership, His Excellency Bader Saeed Al Lamki, CEO of ADNOC Distribution said: “We are proud to be involved with the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge for 29^th time. Providing energy for this incredible event is a major undertaking but one we do with pride and excitement. At ADNOC Distribution we really enjoy motorsport. We are there at every stage of this great event, providing fuel for the competitors and for the many helicopters that follow the action and which the rider and drivers safe. We are committed to powering the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge into the future and we look forward to many more years as a key partner.”

In the bikes category, Daniel Sanders took a comfortable win after leading the special from flag to flag. The Australian Red Bull KTM Factory rider finished 3m 59s ahead of Hero Motorsports rider Josee Ignacio Cornejo and over five minutes clear of Monster Energy Honda HRC’s Adrien Van Beveren. Overnight leader Tosha Schairena was the first to start in the early morning, and after providing the tracks for other to more comfortably follow, the Spaniard finished seventh and dropped to third overall behind new event leader Sanders and Red Bull KTM Factory rider Luciano Benavides.

While Sanders took a comfortable ADNOC Distribution Stage 2 win, there were problems for others. Defending FIM World Rally Raid champion Ross Branch was forced to quit the rally when a clutch issues on his Hero 450 Rally could not be repaired. 

In the cars category Sébastien Loeb topped a double podium finish for Dacia Sandriders. The nine-time World Rally Champion won the stage 1m 37s ahead of team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah but the Qatari driver was later handed a penalty that dropped him to third behind Stage 1 winner Lucas Moraes of Toyota Gazoo Racing. Loeb now moves into the overall lead, with Moraes trailing by just 41 seconds and Al-Attiyah almost three minutes adrift. In the Challenger class BBR Motorsport continue to dominate with Yasir Seaidan taking the stage win ahead of team-mates Dania Akeel and Pau Navarro as the team claimed a second successive podium clean sweep of the event. 

In the Rally 2 bikes category, SRG Motorsports’ Michael Docherty dominated the stage to remain unbeaten since the start of the event. The South African took victory 3m 37s ahead of teammate Tobias Ebster, with Duust Rally Team’s Konrad Dabrowski in third place. 

It was a mixed day for competitors from the local region. The new Liwa Team UAE had a solid second stage with Mansour Al Helei and co-driver Khalid Alkendi finishing third in the SSV class, while R-X Sport’s Yahya Al Helei was close behind, ahead of Quaddy Race Middle East’s Atif Alzarouni. Mansour Al Helei retain second place overall in the class. However, there was disappointment for Emirati Quad rider Adbulaziz Ahli. The four-time event winner was halted by a technical issue midway through the second stage and the delay drops him well out of contention. The Quad win went to Lithuania’s Antanas Kanopkinas.

At the end of the spectacular Stage 2 loop, Emirates Motor Sports Organisation (EMSO) President, H.E. Khalid Ben Sulayem, said: “A second day of tough terrain and challenging conditions and once again we have seen some spectacular action. And once again, I would like to thank ADNOC Distribution for their unwavering support. This is the 29^th year of our partnership and over that time we have seen some amazing leaps forward in technology and efficiency. Fuelling the competitors, and the support vehicles including helicopters, in such extreme conditions is no easy task but each year ADNOC Distribution executes the supply of energy faultlessly and we look forward to many more years together.”

Tomorrow’s e& Stage 3 kicks off one of the most daunting phases of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge as competitors make their way to remote Al Qua’a. 

One the darkest places in the UAE, Al Qua’a is normally a stargazers’ paradise, but for the next two days the area known as the ‘Milky Way Spot’, will house the Marathon Camp, which for the first time in the 34-year history of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will include cars as well as bikes. 

Deprived of outside mechanical assistance and spare parts, the e& Stage 3 and Wednesday’s Al Dhafrah Fort Stage 4 will test drivers, riders and machinery to the limit of endurance and beyond! 

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative Court in Al Dhafra Region. The event is organised by the Emirates Motorsports Organization in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council. The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is hosted with the support of Energy partner ADNOC Distribution; the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, Technology Partner E&, and Official Logistics Partner DHL. The event is also made possible thanks to the support of Automotive partner Al-Futtaim Toyota and Governmental support from the Ministry of Defence & UAE Armed Forces, Abu Dhabi Police, Civil Defence, Abu Dhabi Distribution Co, Al Dhafra Region Municipality, Tadweer, and our media partner Abu Dhabi Sports TV.