Defending Quad class champion Pablo Violet \u2013 Drag’on Yamaha extended his advantage at the top of the points standings when he led home a strong turnout at round four of the 2025 FIM Sand Races World Championship \u2013 the Ronde des Sables Hossegor-Capbreton \u2013 in France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While twenty-three-year-old Violet, who is based in Le Touquet Paris-Plage in northern France, was leading home his rivals in the main FIM World Cup category on the shores of the Bay of Biscay, Belgium’s Dirk Schelfhout \u2013 Honda took control of the Quad Veteran class for the second successive round following his victory last time out at the Bibione Sand Storm in Italy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On a bright and sunny day in south-west France, the main two-hour race produced a brilliant battle at the front where Violet \u2013 who started the race with a nineteen-point series lead \u2013 and his Belgian rival Oliver Vandendijck \u2013 Honda locked horns for virtually the full race duration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following lap after lap of intense, bar-to-bar racing in the soft, energy-sapping sand, there was very little separating the pair who led the field of registered riders on the twisting, technical track before Violet \u2013 who survived a number of falls during the course of the race \u2013 managed to break free on his fifteenth and final lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The race was very cool, but it was also a very difficult race,” said Violet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I had two big crashes which made things complicated and I was also stuck three times, but at the end we won and that sets me up well for the next round in Portugal. Oliver [Vandendijck] is a very fast rider and at the end of the last lap we were completely together and I needed to pass him for the win. It was a great fight.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A fighting fourth in the title chase last season, Vandendijck \u2013 who led at the Bibione Sand Storm in October until a mechanical issue forced him out \u2013 kept the pressure on Violet all the way to the flag to also record fifteen laps, a total that only Schelfhout out of the remaining registered riders could match with a performance that also saw him top the Quad Veteran class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finishing one position behind Schelfhout and credited with a total of fourteen laps, home racer Paul Waterlot \u2013 Honda was making his second appearance in this year’s competition and was rewarded with fourth in class, one place ahead of Portugal’s Nuno Goncalves \u2013 Yamaha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Goncalves was also credited with second in the Quad Veteran category, a finish that moves him up to second in the standings tied with reigning champion Axel Dutrie \u2013 Drag’on Yamaha, as France’s Benoit Sebert \u2013 Yamaha strengthened his grip on the class in third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier in the day the one-hour Moto Vintage race had got proceedings under way on a shortened circuit with Florian Miot \u2013 Honda winning on a total of eighteen laps from Jean Collignon \u2013 Honda and Sebastien Antony \u2013 KTM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Defending Quad class champion Pablo Violet \u2013 Drag’on Yamaha extended his advantage at the top of the points<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[81],"class_list":["post-6391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-motorsport"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t