{"id":9456,"date":"2026-02-14T07:40:48","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T00:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=9456"},"modified":"2026-02-14T07:41:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T00:41:17","slug":"fim-sand-races-world-championship-goes-down-to-the-wire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/fim-sand-races-world-championship-goes-down-to-the-wire\/","title":{"rendered":"FIM Sand Races World Championship goes down to the wire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The 2025 FIM Sand Races World Championship reaches its thrilling conclusion this coming weekend with the historic fiftieth edition of the fabled Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais \u2013 staged in northern France on the exposed coast of the Atlantic Ocean \u2013 providing a fitting finale to the series that continues to grow in popularity with every edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The major prize in the fiercely-contested Quad class was claimed last time out at Portugal’s Monte Gordo Sand Experience by France’s defending champion Pablo Violet \u2013 Drag’on Yamaha where Uruguay’s Fernando Rubio \u2013 Honda also sewed up the Moto Veteran crown, but there is still all to play for in the remaining categories with focus naturally centering on the main Moto and Moto Women classes that are both up for grabs.
\u00a0
With the Moto class upgraded to full FIM World Championship status, defending champion Todd Kellett \u2013 Drag’on Yamaha saw his bid to claim a third-straight crown derailed in Portugal at the end of November when a technical issue resulted in him adding just a single point to his total after sweeping the opening four rounds.
\u00a0
This allowed the chasing pack to close dramatically, although the British star’s team-mate Milko Potisek \u2013 who is the sole rider with a mathematical chance of deposing him \u2013 missed the opportunity to apply even more pressure when he could only finish third on the beautiful Algarve coast, reducing the deficit to fourteen points.
\u00a0
With a maximum of thirteen-hundred competitors allowed for the main three-hour race over the fifteen-kilometre course, the early laps will be crucial and the event \u2013 and title \u2013 could be won or lost at the start.
\u00a0
Bookending the championship after officially getting it under way just over twelve months ago, the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais offers Potisek home advantage, although having won the event for the last three editions Kellett will be confident he can sew up the championship with fifth position good enough should Potisek \u2013 who is himself a three-time winner \u2013 take victory.
\u00a0
As well as challenging for the title, Potisek will also be defending his silver medal position from compatriot and 2024 runner-up Jeremy Hauquier \u2013 Yamaha who is assured of the bronze medal, though will be aiming to overcome a sixteen-point deficit to secure another second in the series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Moto Women action has followed a similar path to the Moto class with defending champion Amandine Verstappen \u2013 Yamaha from Belgium winning four of the five rounds and counting the cost of a no-score that has drastically reduced her lead. As a result, the twenty-six-year-old \u2013 who finished last season’s FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship in fifth \u2013 holds a slim seven-point advantage ahead of 2023 champion Mathilde Denis \u2013 Yamaha.
\u00a0
While unable to challenge Verstappen for the title, French racers Sara Jugla \u2013 KTM and Camille Viaud \u2013 Yamaha could both still overhaul Denis for second, although for either rider to do this nothing less than victory will be enough.
\u00a0
The Moto Vintage title will be decided between French season-long rivals Freddy Seguin \u2013 Honda and Sebastien Antony \u2013 KTM while the Junior class, that will compete on a shortened course over a ninety-minute duration, looks poised to go down to the wire as France’s Evan Demeester \u2013 Honda defends his seventeen-point lead over compatriot Matheo Gerat \u2013 Yamaha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although runaway winner Violet has dominated the Quad class, the fight for the remaining podium positions has been electric all season with Belgium’s Dirk Schelfhout \u2013 Honda and French rider Benoit Sebert \u2013 Yamaha locked together on fifty-two points each in second and Fabien Michel \u2013 Yamaha, who lies fourth, a further five points adrift.
\u00a0
While he is not a contender for any championship honours, Britain’s Henry Walker \u2013 Drag’on Yamaha, who dominated on his series debut in Portugal in November, will be in action and determined to extend his win-streak against some seriously quick opposition that includes fast Frenchman Keveen Rochereau \u2013 Honda.
\u00a0
Sebert and Schelfhout also sit one and two in the Quad Veteran class with Portugal’s Nuno Goncalves \u2013 Yamaha and defending champion Axel Dutrie \u2013 Drag’on Yamaha both still in contention.
\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
2025 FIM Sand Races World Cup, Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais \u00a9 Frederik Herregods Photography<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 2025 FIM Sand Races World Championship reaches its thrilling conclusion this coming weekend with the historic fiftieth<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9457,"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":[],"class_list":["post-9456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international"],"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