Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2024

Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren is the winner of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, after the conclusion of the race today. This was the second victory of this rider for the Monster Energy Honda Team, since Adrien also won last year the Andalucia Rally. Chilean José Ignacio Cornejo was fourth overall… read more.

The second stop of this year’s World Rally Raid Championship is coming to an end, with only one more day to race in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren is the leader after Stage 4, with almost three minutes in front of second place and six to… read more.

The second day of the marathon stage is completed in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and Monster Energy Honda Team keeps the overall lead. In a Special Stage 266 kilometers long, Pablo Quintanilla was the first on the chronograph but his stage win was lost after a two minutes penalty. In… read more.

All Monster Energy Honda Team riders are doing a great job at this year’s Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge! True specialists in the sand, they are leading the way in the demanding tracks of the Empty Quarter. The results from today’s stage 2 – Qasr Al Sarab – confirm this scenario, with some… read more.

Monster Energy Honda Team is ruling in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2023! After the prologue win, Chilean Pablo Quintanilla was today once again the fastest rider on Stage one. His teammate Adrien Van Beveren kept his second place, while José Ignacio Cornejo improved his performance finishing in fourth place… read more.

It was a very positive start of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2023 for Monster Energy Honda Team. Pablo Quintanilla was the fastest rider on the six kilometres prologue held today in Al Dhannah (5:00 minutes) and Adrien Van Beveren was second (2 seconds away). Still recovering from his crash… read more.

Six weeks after the Dakar in Saudi Arabia, the World Rally Raid Championship is back for the second stop with the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. From next Sunday – 25 February  – until 3 March the action is back and Monster Energy Honda Team is determined to set the pace… read more.

With second place overall in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge general standings, Pablo Quintanilla is in with a chance of sealing the race victory in tomorrow’s final stage. Pablo Quintanilla finished in third place today after a fine stage, showing good pace throughout the 243-kilometre special. The Chilean moved up… read more.

As the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge reaches its mid-point, Monster Energy Honda Team look set to be in the battle for the final podium. Stage three of the rally returned to the dunes of the Empty Quarter in Abu Dhabi in Al Dhafra desert. The race set off from the… read more.

Monster Energy Honda Team riders capitalised on a scorching, dune-filled marathon stage at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge: the three Honda CRF450 RALLY riders Brabec, Cornejo and Quintanilla all currently hold places in the rally top five. Another arduous day in the Liwa desert near the Emirates’ ‘Empty Quarter’. The… read more.

The first stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge brought the riders to the bivouac situated in the middle of the Liwa desert after a 262-kilometre special raced over dunes and tracks. It was ‘in at the deep end’ today for the riders who had to immediately face a highly… read more.

Monster Energy Honda Team got the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge underway today – the second round of the FIM Rally-Raid World Championship. With the shakedown and the administrative and technical checks out of the way, today was the turn of the curtain-raising prologue. A short two-kilometre prologue, without many technical… read more.

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is the second round of the FIM Rally-Raid World Championship, following the Dakar Rally. Monster Energy Honda Team, the current competition leaders, will seek to bolster their top position in the championship with a win. This coming Saturday the start of round two of the… read more.

Monster Energy Honda Team were among the main contenders for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the first round of the 2019 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, with a positive final podium finish for young José Ignacio Cornejo. The FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship got off to a flying start for… read more.

Monster Energy Honda Team is back on the final podium of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. José Ignacio Cornejo finished third in the inaugural round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship which concluded today at the Yas Marina circuit. The final stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge saw… read more.

The Chilean rider of the Monster Energy Honda Team, Jose Ignacio Cornejo, took victory in the fourth stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Barreda and Benavides also finished the special in notable positions. In Liwa, day four of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge saw the Monster Energy Honda Team… read more.

Kevin Benavides finished in runner-up spot today on day three of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Monster Energy Honda Team riders are poised to attack from advantageous start positions for tomorrow’s penultimate day of racing. More dunes and more sand, but the same heat and, from the first hour this… read more.

The Monster Energy Honda Team riders turned out a fine performance today in the dunes of Liwa. Cornejo and Barreda finished first and second on the day, while Benavides gained a notable starting position for tomorrow. The heat and wind were once again the key climatic elements of stage two… read more.

Good positions for Nacho Cornejo in third, and Kevin Benavides, fifth, at the end of the first day of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Joan Barreda will set off from behind tomorrow after suffering a mechanical setback today. Prudence prevails on returning, two months after finish the Dakar Rally, to… read more.

Monster Energy Honda Team is all ready to face the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the first round of the 2019 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, which kicks off tomorrow at the Yas Marina circuit. Everything is on standby at the Yas Marina Circuit as the teams await the starting gun… read more.

Monster Energy Honda Team get the season underway with the first important calendar date at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The 2019 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship will start in the Middle Eastern country with three team riders taking part in the UAE desert race. Ricky Brabec last week made… read more.

Monster Energy Honda Team got the rally season underway with the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The first round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship saw, for the first time, the participation of all five team riders getting their first post-Dakar taste of desert racing. Kevin Benavides’ third place overall… read more.

Monster Energy Honda Team rider Kevin Benavides has managed to finish round one of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship on the rostrum. The Argentinean took third place overall in the rally. Nacho Cornejo clinched the Junior category title. The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge wrapped up today with Monster Energy… read more.

Another hot day in the great dunes of Liwa, on a day when many of the backmarkers in the general standings were able to pull back time from the leading riders. Kevin Benavides opened the track, while Paulo Gonçalves managed to post the day’s third fastest time. The fourth and… read more.

Monster Energy Honda Team rider Kevin Benavides remains on the provisional podium of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge after day three where he opened the track for much of the special stage. The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the first round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, reached its halfway… read more.

The second stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, held in the middle of the Liwa desert, proved to be a high-speed affair full of many steep, waving dunes, combined with others with sharp descents. So as to avoid potential accidents, riders were forced to be prudent and pay close… read more.

The first round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge sprung in to action in the United Arab Emirates with the first heavy dose of dunes in this open desert race. Benavides, was the best rider of the Monster Energy Honda Team. Riders had to… read more.

After a two-month hiatus, Monster Energy Honda Team returns once more to competition. The Honda CRF450 RALLY will be back in the fray this week with the dispute of the first World Rally Raid event, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The 2018 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship opens this week… read more.

April brought with it the first round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, with the participation of the Monster Energy Honda Team, who begin a programme of preparation that will ultimately culminate in the Dakar 2018. Monster Energy Honda Team were back in action as the FIM Cross-Country Rallies… read more.

Monster Energy Honda Team’s debut in the 2017 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship turned out to be a positive one with good sensations for the team and a fourth overall place for Paulo Gonçalves. There were few surprises in the final stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge which unfolded… read more.

Monster Energy Honda Team make their biggest impact on the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge so far: a stage win and overall leadership for the Honda CRF450 RALLY duo in the penultimate stage. The fourth and penultimate stage in Abu Dhabi, held in the dunes of Liwa desert, proved to be… read more.

The longest stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge failed to produce major changes at the top of the general standings. Paulo Gonçalves, yesterday’s overall leader after the sanction of Walkner, took fourth spot on the day. The third stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge sees the race arrive… read more.

The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge moves into the heart of the Liwa desert with a dune-filled and navigationally tricky second stage. Paulo Gonçalves battles back from a fall to post second on the day. A penalty to Matthias Walkner for speeding has given the Portuguese the lead of the provisional.… read more.

Monster Energy Honda Team’s Paulo Gonçalves and Kevin Benavides got their Abu Dhabi adventure underway with a technical first stage. Gonçalves posted fourth and Benavides sixth in a race that promises to be tightly-fought over the coming stages. Some three months after the Dakar, where the riders of Monster Energy… read more.

Monster Energy Honda Team get the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship underway in Abu Dhabi with the Super Special at the Yas Marina Circuit. A curtain-raiser of just over two kilometres of Super Special marked the opening of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge at the Yas Marina Circuit this afternoon… read more.

Monster Energy Honda Team begin the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship campaign this weekend with the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Paulo Gonçalves and Kevin Benavides line up for the race. After kicking off the season successfully with American Ricky Brabec clinching a notable victory at the Sonora Rally, Monster Energy… read more.

A sandstorm puts paid to the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2015. Race authorities, unable to offer the riders adequate measures of security, decide to cancel the final stage before the race start, therefore meaning yesterday’s final results stand. Ricky Brabec wins the junior category and finishes fifth in the general… read more.

The penultimate day of racing at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge failed to produce the kind of results that Team HRC had been hoping for; Barreda, opening the track, took sixth place; Brabec finished seventh. Paulo Gonçalves was unable to make it through the special stage. Team HRC, who had… read more.

Portuguese rider Paulo Goncalves grabbed the third stage victory in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, climbing up one place into second spot in the general rankings. Noteworthy specials too from Barreda – home in fourth – and Brabec in seventh. The Honda CRF450 RALLY was back in a starring role… read more.

Shaking off yesterday’s troubles which ruled out any chance of winning the overall rally, Joan Barreda today re-established himself with a second-stage triumph in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Paulo Gonçalves remains in third and Brabec finishes among the top riders. The longest stage in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge… read more.

Team HRC overcomes various setbacks to make it through the first day of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge with Paulo Gonçalves and Ricky Brabec finishing the special among the front-runners in third and fifth respectively. The asphalt of the Yas Marina circuit in the pre-rally build-up has given way to… read more.

It will be symbolic special stage at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi that raises the curtain on the 2015 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. Paulo Gonçalves will be out to defend his victory in last year’s edition. With the competition now celebrating twenty-five years of history, including twenty… read more.

The action returns once more as we bid farewell to silly season. It will be sand, dunes and competition galore as the first race of the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship – the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – fires up this weekend and Team HRC will be right there… read more.

Countdown to the new rally season. It’s ten weeks since the Dakar 2015 ended and Joan Barreda is now all fired up and ready to get down to business with Team HRC at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Back to the grind! Joan Barreda is a man on mission: to… read more.

Paulo Gonçalves has won the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the first race in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship after winning the fifth and final stage of the race. Joan Barreda finished third and Hélder Rodrigues was fourth on the final day. In what was a great all-round team effort… read more.

Joan Barreda wins yet another stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, commanding from the start after a spectacular motocross-style start. Paulo Gonçalves, is second in the overall standings keeping open his chances of winning the rally.   Joan ‘Bang Bang’ Barreda rode a superb fourth stage of the Abu… read more.

A highly productive day for Team HRC riders at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, with Joan Barreda flying to victory in the third special just ahead of team-mate and reigning world champion Paulo Gonçalves. It was a terrific win for Joan Barreda in the third stage of the Abu Dhabi… read more.

Team HRC’s Paulo Gonçalves finished the second stage of the Desert Challenge in third place and Joan Barreda likewise repeated yesterday’s fourth place. Hélder Rodrigues crossed the line in seventh after starting out from way behind. The second stage went as planned with the three riders on the Honda CRF450… read more.

The first stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge wound up in Qsar Al Sarab, at the gateway to the great erg in the southern region of the country, after a vertiginous day that included 290 km against the clock and considerable dangers. The stage was also marked by the… read more.

Joan Barreda proved to be the fastest in the Super Special at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the first test in the FIM World Championship of Cross-Country Rallies. Paulo Gonçalves finished in fifth and Hélder Rodrigues sixth. It was an excellent start for Team HRC at the Abu Dhabi Desert… read more.

Paulo Gonçalves, current world champion in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies, starts the championship in Abu Dhabi with the number one emblazoned on the fairings of his Honda CRF450 RALLY. Team HRC waltzed through the mandatory checks today ahead of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge which gets underway tomorrow at the… read more.