In a carbon copy of Saturday’s results, defending champion Todd Kellett – Drag’on Yamaha came out on top in the Moto class, Amandine Verstappen led home the Moto Women category – a performance that ensures her the 2024 title – and Keveen Rochereau raced to victory in the Quads on the concluding day of action at the Bibione Sand Storm, round four of the 2024 FIM Sand Races World Cup.
With Sunday’s scores added to Saturday’s totals to calculate the overall positions for the weekend, both Kellett and Verstappen maintained their unbeaten records in this year’s series – with the twenty-five-year-old now guaranteed the Moto Women title – while Rochereau has consolidated his second position in the points.
The six-kilometre course at the popular Italian seaside resort, located approximately one hundred kilometres east of Venice, was fast and challenging and when the one-hour Quad race got the action under way this morning it was Manfred Zienecker – Honda who snatched the early lead ahead of Rochereau.
The German racer, who finished second yesterday, is out of contention for the title after missing the previous two rounds. However, he knew a win today would be good enough for the top step of the overall podium and he led for the opening two laps before Rochereau moved ahead.
With a clear track, the Frenchman – winner of last weekend’s previous round – put in a fast lap to open up a gap of over eleven seconds and then settled into a pace that saw him gradually extend his advantage. By half-distance his lead was seventeen seconds and bit by bit he added to it, finally taking the chequered flag twenty seconds clear of Zienecker who was able to close slightly as the leader cruised home on his thirteenth and final lap.
In the closing laps Zienecker had to resist intense pressure from French series leader Pablo Violet – Yamaha who claimed third to match his finish yesterday with Belgian Oliver Vandendijck – Honda fourth, over one-and-a-half minutes behind the winner.
“I knew when I saw Manfred take the lead I would have to fight hard as he’s an excellent rider,” said Rochereau. “On the flat sections he’s really fast, but there were some lines forming and as soon as I got the chance I attacked.”
The result means Rochereau has reduced Violet’s series lead to twenty-five points, but with just two rounds remaining the clock is ticking. Following his fourth place yesterday, defending champion Michel Trannin – Honda suffered an early DNF that has effectively ended his hopes of retaining his crown.
Leading home the Quad Veteran class in seventh, Axel Dutrie – Yamaha extended his series lead while Nathanaelle Abgrall – Yamaha was once again the top Quad Women rider, taking seventeenth on twelve laps. Quad Junior racer Alois Waloszek – Yamaha completed his double for the weekend, coming home a very impressive sixth overall.
Underlining his status as the current number one sand racer on the planet, twenty-seven-year-old Kellett backed up his commanding victory yesterday with a repeat performance today, although Belgium’s Yentel Martens – Fantic chased the British Lion relentlessly for the full duration of the ninety-minute Moto race.
Fast-starting Kellett seized the lead on the opening lap with Frenchman Jeremy Hauquier – Yamaha providing the initial challenge before his compatriot Valentin Madoulaud – Yamaha moved into second on lap two and stayed there for the next four laps as Kellett went twenty-five seconds clear.
Around the thirty-minute mark Martens, who was third yesterday, moved up to second and began a long and ultimately fruitless chase as Kellett controlled the race from the front to win by forty-five seconds on a total of twenty-one laps.
“It’s really nice to come here and experience this race and to take maximum points makes it perfect,” said Kellett. “My campaign this year is going really well – today I just concentrated on maintaining the gap [to second] and bringing it home.”
Hauquier took third from Madoulaud at half-distance to make it back-too-back podiums after finishing second yesterday with Maxime Sot – Fantic fifth following a race-long charge from outside the top ten.
After defeating six-time FIM Women’s Motocross World Champion Kiara Fontanesi – GASGAS on Saturday by two-and-a-half minutes, Verstappen locked horns again with the thirty-year-old Italian racer who adopted a different race strategy today, a move that for much of the race looked as though it would pay off.
Lap after lap the pair circulated together and exchanged passes on a number of occasions before Fontanesi, on her eighteenth lap and with the race almost over, suffered a technical problem that put her out and handed victory to Verstappen whose nineteen laps carried her into the overall top ten.
With defending champion Mathilde Denis – Honda once again pointless after her second DNF of the weekend, the result gives Verstappen an unassailable lead with two rounds still remaining.
“Today Kiara and I were wheel-to-wheel the entire race,” said Verstappen. “Then, on the last lap, her bike broke down on the straight. Even if I had finished second I would have been really happy because it was a great race. We really battled out there and she deserved the victory just as much as me.”
In the Moto Junior 2 class, French rider Paolo Maschio – Kawasaki, the nephew of 2002 FIM 125cc Motocross World Champion Mickaël Maschio, moved another step closer towards the title with his second win of the weekend, this time finishing an impressive ninth overall, three places ahead of his closest rival Leopold Magnien – Husqvarna.
“I feel really good,” said Maschio. “I did not crash on the first lap this time – I crashed on, I think, the third! I was in a great battle with Maxime Sot so it was very good for me to be racing with the big boys. I’m really happy.”
In Moto Junior 1 Matheo Gerat – Yamaha repeated his win from Saturday while Felix Faure – Honda avenged Saturday’s defeat to Sebastien Antony – KTM in the Moto Vintage class and Gregory Deleu – Fantic was top Moto Veteran again.
Race Report by FIM Sand Race World Cup – Images by Frederik Herregods Photography
