The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge caravan rolled out of Al Dhannah this morning and will spend the next three nights in Mezaira’a. It is a trip down memory lane because the last time that the race visited this town was all the way back in 2002. Three categories saw leading competitors drop out of contention in the first point-to-point stage of the rally, which took the field to Liwa Oasis. Overall leader Michael Docherty (SRG Motorsports) crashed out of the FIM motorbike race. Aaron Mare (Hero MotoSports) emerged victorious and vaulted into the lead. Abdulaziz Ahli made it two in a row in the quad race. Guillaume de Mévius (Overdrive Racing), second overall in the car competition this morning, had to withdraw due to a nasty dune landing. His brother in arms, Guerlain Chicherit, prevailed over Nasser Al Attiyah, who defended his overall lead. Jones and Baciuška secured a new double for Can-Am Factory in the Challenger class. Their SSV stablemate João Ferreira succumbed to a mechanical, clearing the path for Yasir Seaidan (MMP) to take the win. Source
2024-02-29