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00:13Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates and host of the 33rd Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
00:20It marks round two of the FIA and FIM World Rally Raid Championship.
00:25This bustling metropolis, home to over 1.5 million people, is one of the world's fastest-growing cities,
00:32but surrounding this stunning skyline lies some of the world's most remote desert terrain.
00:40Before the event got underway, the administration checks at the Abu Dhabi Energy Centre were a formality,
00:46as well as a good chance to catch up with the main players in this year's rally.
01:00With the KTM and Honda factory teams not on the entry list,
01:04Hero's Ross Branch, fresh from second place at the Dakar, arrives as the favourite on two wheels.
01:12There's a lot of points on the line, so obviously we're looking forward to that,
01:15but we've got to finish first and there's a long week, a lot of kilometres between now and the end,
01:20so we've just got to make sure we keep our head on our shoulders and keep safe.
01:23This is a dangerous race and it can catch out in many ways, so we've just got to make sure
01:28we stay in one piece.
01:29But he will face stiff competition from the likes of Tobias Ebster and Michael Doherty.
01:38These are my background, you know, where I've been training and riding for a couple of years,
01:43so we had my first rally, did really well on that one, so looking to actually finish a rally this
01:50time and get a good result.
01:53In the cars meanwhile, a star-studded line-up shapes the entry list, with three-time winner Nasser Al-Ateah
01:59back after a difficult start to the season in Saudi Arabia.
02:04We are here to win, we have a good experience. If you go back last year, we win all the
02:11stage with a good time, you know,
02:13and except the crash, but OK, this is the race and now we are here with the hunter, you know,
02:21and we try to do our best and to win.
02:24Last year's winner Yazid Al-Raji is also back and looking to do the double.
02:31Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, you know, you can't know what can happen at the last moment, but we need to
02:37stay clever and stay there and attack in the good moment.
02:41The car category promises to be a battle that will rage all the way to the finish line and the
02:46same can be said for the challenger class.
02:48After winning the Dakar just last month, Cristina Gutierrez is the woman to beat.
02:54It's not an easy race. We know from the past year that it's a very challenging race, also because there
03:00is a lot of dunes, unexpected,
03:02and for sure we are trying to do our best and try for sure to win and we will see
03:08what happens.
03:11Over in the SSVs, local star Mansoor Bilhili, who finished second last year, is hoping to go one better in
03:182024.
03:20We had a lot of stage wins last year and I was very happy for my performance.
03:29This year I'm looking forward to do it again. I'm aiming for the win.
03:41The competitors, as per tradition, going over the ceremonial start ramp to kick things off.
03:47A short five-kilometre prologue to determine the starting order for the first full stage.
03:53It came as no surprise to anyone that Ross Branch set the early pace in the bikes,
03:58just a couple of seconds quicker than Mike Doherty, the Dakar runner-up off to a solid start.
04:13After coming eighth on the prologue, Orono Kelly made a bold move by opting to open the road.
04:18The Irishman grew up in Dubai, so he's no stranger to the dunes, but first in at a major international
04:23rally proved to be a challenge.
04:26He ended up dropping an hour and a quarter, but had no regrets at the finish line.
04:33I did my first Dakar this year, so any experience I have like this, to put myself in an uncomfortable
04:38position,
04:38or put myself in a difficult position, I need a jump at this opportunity.
04:44Branch was once again setting the tempo, leading at kilometre 131 of stage one,
04:49but all was not well on that hero machine. At the midway refuel point, he was reporting engine problems.
05:03The bike is broken. I have a small technical problem with the bike, but we'll see.
05:10Just have to make it to the finish and see if we can get there.
05:16He finished, but lost almost half an hour and needed a tow back to the bivouac.
05:20An engine change would also cost him 15 minutes in penalties.
05:25Six weeks after finishing his maiden Dakar as the top rookie and the winner of the Malimoto class,
05:31Tobias Ebster looked to have made a bright start. He was fourth fastest on stage one.
05:35But the Austrian didn't take the start line on stage two.
05:39A fall the previous day jarred his right arm and forced him to call time on this year's event.
05:44Disappointment for last year's rally two winner.
05:54While Branch was dropping down the field, Michael Doherty was on a flyer.
05:58The South African took the lead at kilometre 169 and didn't look back,
06:02eventually winning stage one by nearly three minutes.
06:05That meant that he would be the first man into stage two, somewhat unfamiliar terrain.
06:13Opening the stage, it's going to be pretty much the first time,
06:17so it's going to be a learning experience for me, so looking forward to that.
06:22As we heard earlier, Doherty's main goal for this rally was just to finish,
06:26but he unfortunately crashed just five kilometres into stage two and that was game over.
06:33The South African was taken to hospital with a pelvis injury.
06:36Luckily though, he was in a stable condition and we wish him a speedy recovery.
06:48Aaron Murray won stage two to grab the overall lead.
06:51Drafted into the Hero Factory team as a last-minute replacement for the injured Sebastian Bula,
06:56his thoughts were naturally with his friend Doherty when he got to the finish line.
07:05You know, we train together all the time, so, yeah, my training buddy will be out for a little bit,
07:10but, you know, I'm sure he's going to make a strong comeback.
07:14Konrad Dobrowski soon emerged as Murray's biggest challenger.
07:18The son of Polish motorcycle legend Marek, he was doing everything he could to reel in the South African,
07:23coming second on stages two and three.
07:31It was a really fun day learning from the best in the business.
07:40Well, here's the man that Dobrowski was chasing throughout the third stage, Ross Branch, who won by over three minutes.
07:46The Kalahari Ferrari finally enjoying himself after a tough start.
07:53The desert challenge always throws something in the mix and today was rain and wind and I've never seen that
08:00in the desert.
08:00So, yeah, it was lots of fun and looking forward to tomorrow.
08:07On stage four, Branch was opening up and clearly having some fun.
08:11But he was also looking to play some tactical games and lead the guys who were chasing him, Dobrowski and
08:16Jean-Luc Lepin off course.
08:18It worked to some extent, but they eventually figured out what he was up to.
08:26Lepin has continued to build on last year's second place here in the Rally 2 class, coming 14th at the
08:32Dakar.
08:32With one stage to go, the Frenchman had a solid hold on the final podium spot, 12 minutes behind Dobrowski,
08:38but 25 clear of Branch.
08:43Lepin couldn't quite get a stage win, but he was happy enough.
08:52I push before I expect the win, but Aaron is very fast and can catch us and it's a very,
08:59very good stage for me.
09:01With Branch, Dobrowski and Lepin all losing some time, Murray took another stage win.
09:06The South African rider once again in imperious form.
09:09He would go into the final day with an overall advantage of more than 10 minutes.
09:15I saw that I was quite close to the guys.
09:17So, yeah, I just took it easy the rest of the day, just managing the overall lead at this point.
09:25Onto the final day then in these mesmerising dunes.
09:28Local rider Hamdam Al Ali claimed victory in the Mali Moto class, saying it's hard to resist the siren song
09:34of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
09:39Every year I'm saying that this one will be my last desert challenge.
09:43But once I'm here on the finish line, I start preparing myself for the next one.
09:48It was a big week for Jan Brabek.
09:51A few technical issues meant the experienced Czech rider wasn't able to keep pace with the top four as he
09:56finished in fifth overall.
09:57But he did claim his first ever W2RC podium as he came third in rally two.
10:12It was definitely an up and down event for Branch, who took the honours again on stage five.
10:17He went home with 20 points in the World Rally Raid Championship, giving him the series lead after two of
10:23five rounds.
10:28We're still in the championship, we got some good points, we're taking some good points into Portugal in a month's
10:32time.
10:33So, yeah, overall I'm happy.
10:38Knowing that he couldn't really challenge the top two, and with a big gap back to Branch, Lepan just played
10:43it smart on the final day.
10:46Third overall, he takes over from his compatriot, Romain Dumontier, as leader of the rally two class in the World
10:52Rally Raid Championship.
10:55It's very nice for me, I'm really happy about this rally, I push on the good way and I can't
11:02wait to the next run.
11:05Konrad Dabrowski went all in to catch Murray on the final day, but ultimately the pole had to settle for
11:10second place overall.
11:12Having also won the rally two class, he has definitely exceeded expectations.
11:19I couldn't dream of a better result and, you know, I wanted to fight for a podium in rally two,
11:26but to win the class and to be second overall is just something I didn't expect and I am just
11:31really happy.
11:33It was some week for Aaron Murray. Drafted in at the 11th hour to replace Sebastian Bula, he ended up
11:40landing his and Hero's first overall victory at a W2RC event.
11:44A simply superb performance over the sands from the South African.
11:51Just took it pretty easy, no risks, didn't want to make any silly mistakes out there. So, yeah, I'm super
12:00happy to get the overall victory. It's, yeah, can't ask for much more.
12:11Moreau winning by just under five minutes from Dabrowski who wins the rally two category with LePont third ahead of
12:17Branch and Jan Brabeck.
12:19Branch now leads the World Rally Raid Championship 12 points clear of the Dakar winner Ricky Brabeck with Murray up
12:25to third.
12:27In the fight for rally two honours, LePont leads his fellow Frenchman Dumontier with Dabrowski a few points back in
12:33third.
12:34He didn't get the win this week but he now leads the W2RC. Let's find out a little bit more
12:40about the Kalahari Ferrari, Ross Branch.
12:45Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like this. Ça va?
12:49Hey guys, my name is Ross Branch all the way from a small little country in the southern tip of
12:55Africa called Botswana and happy to be here.
12:59It's been a month already since the Dakar and I feel amazing still. You know, on top of the world,
13:05it wasn't a win but it was a second.
13:07It's a lot of confidence going into the whole championship. You know, we've got a lot of rounds, we've got
13:12a lot of racing, we've got some really cool places.
13:14And looking forward to it, you know, taking that confidence into the rest of the rounds is going to be
13:19a lot of fun.
13:21My nickname is the Kalahari Ferrari and a really interesting story.
13:25One of our most important races in Botswana called the Kalahari Desert 1000.
13:28And there was a really old guy just watching me race and he was used to the traditional mode of
13:35transport, which is a donkey cart.
13:37And he came up to me at one of the fuel stops and said, this is the fastest Kalahari Ferrari
13:42I've ever seen.
13:43So it's kind of stuck since 2012, so it's been a long time.
13:50The first time that I'd actually heard of Dakar was 1992.
13:54It went from Paris to Cape Town and my dad decided he wanted to go and watch and I was
13:59so excited to go and watch.
14:01So we drove 3000 kilometers to watch one day of racing and then 3000 kilometers back again to our house.
14:07And, you know, I met Stefan Peter Hansel and he's still my idol.
14:11It has been since then and it was so cool.
14:14He was so nice to me, you know, he gave me a signature.
14:16Still got his autograph card in a box in my room and it was just amazing.
14:20And one that day I was like, I need to do this race. It just looks like so much fun.
14:24It was a long trip to watch one day of racing, but it was worth it for sure.
14:33It's really close to my heart, you know, I had to give everything I had and I never gave up.
14:38Just kept on moving on, you know, and it was a dream come true to sign for a factory team.
14:44And that's why I think I feel on top of the world.
14:49I'm so blessed and so lucky.
14:51We've only got a six month, seven month racing season with the current rallies and then we take a break.
14:56And during our long break, we've got we've got Pilot Ross Branch, which is a completely different, different pilot to
15:03riding a bike.
15:04I fly for Mac Air up in the Okavango Delta in Botswana and I love every second of it.
15:09You know, it's a little bit easier than riding a bike and there's less things to hit in the air
15:13than there is on the ground.
15:14So a little bit more fun in there.
15:17Not so dangerous.
15:19But yeah, the one thing I can promise is I don't crash the plane as much as I crash the
15:22bike.
15:27The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is one of the best races of the whole year and it's really disappointing not
15:31to have the other teams here.
15:33But you know what? A hero is here. We're here as a team.
15:36We're making the effort for the entire championship and we're looking forward to it, you know.
15:41Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2024 is going to be super exciting, you know.
15:45The dunes can be chaos one day and really good the next day.
15:48It's a big desert so we've just got to make sure that we keep our head on our shoulders and
15:52enjoy the race.
15:55I haven't won a race for a while but I think I'm at a good position at the moment and
15:59feeling good.
16:00Let's go and have some fun on our motorcycle and enjoy every moment.
16:17Reigning three-time champion Abdulaziz Achli was clearly the man to beat in the quads.
16:22The question was, would anybody be able to stop him making it four in a row?
16:26There were only three riders competing in the class this week and Achli quickly set about answering that question.
16:32By the end of stage one, he already led by over an hour.
16:41Kamil Vizniewski looked like the biggest threat to Achli's dominance, especially after winning the short prologue.
16:46But the pole ended up being undone by mechanical issues and had to retire on stage three after damaging his
16:53onboard computer.
16:54A frustrating result for a man who'd already missed the Dakar with a knee injury.
17:06Hanni Alnumessi, on the other hand, was one of just seven hardy souls to complete this year's Dakar.
17:11The Saudi isn't boxing in the same category as the likes of Achli, but he continues to learn and once
17:17again he made it to the finish,
17:18despite losing more than nine hours fighting his way over these dunes.
17:24Alnumessi coming in second overall.
17:34Perhaps the biggest adversity that Achli faced was getting his quad off the start line on stage five.
17:40Other than that, it was plain sailing for the local star, who won all five stages to land his fourth
17:46consecutive Abu Dhabi crown.
17:48Achli delighted and insisting that it was much harder than it looked on paper.
17:56To be honest, this was so far the toughest one. I was so nervous about this one. I was not
18:02ready before the race. I was not ready during the race.
18:04But alhamdulillah we managed to get through it and we reached the finish line.
18:13Achli finishing over nine hours clear of Alnumessi in a display of utter dominance.
18:17Dakar winner Manuel Andujar still leads the W2RC with Alnumessi now second and Achli up to fourth.
18:38Let's just step away from our highlights for a moment to enjoy some of the best onboard shots from this
18:43year's rally.
18:48We'll be right back!
19:05All right, let's go kita G
19:21In the Challenger class, all eyes were on Dakar winner Cristina Gutierrez, but she wouldn't
19:26be able to repeat her Saudi success.
19:28The Spaniard was plagued by cooling issues on stage one, which quickly ended any hopes
19:33of a good overall result.
19:34She then had engine problems on stage two.
19:40I am not very comfortable with the car, I need to speak with the guys because I don't
19:46feel really power in these engines.
19:50Austin Jones arrived in Abu Dhabi with a new co-driver, Oriol Mena, as his usual wingman
19:55Gustavo Guglmin has decided to take a step back from the sport.
19:59AJ and Oriol got off to the ideal start, winning the first stage by almost three minutes from
20:05Rocas Pachuska.
20:11The stage was really nice, it was a good set-up between some fast stuff and a little bit more
20:15technical area.
20:16So I had a really good day, I was happy with it, Oriol and I, we worked well together.
20:24Jones leading Pachuska then, with Cristina floundering, but Laia Sanz fighting.
20:32The Spanish motorcycle legend was making her W2RC debut in the Challenger class in a BBR
20:38Taurus and managed to come third on the opening stage.
20:41However, a mechanical issue on stage two cost her over half an hour and dropped her down
20:46to fifth in the standings.
20:55Things were even worse for Puk Klaassen, who was drafted in by Taurus after Championship
20:59leader Mitch Guthrie pulled out.
21:01The Dutch youngster completed Dakar Classic last month, but this is a very different animal,
21:06and she ground to a halt after a big crash and roll.
21:09Luckily, everyone was okay.
21:16Klaassen would end up in eighth place overall.
21:23Up at the front though, no such trouble for the overnight leader, Austin Jones.
21:27The American was once again on spectacular form, taming the Abu Dhabi Dunes in his cannon
21:32to make it two wins from two.
21:34His lead over Pachuska now up to six minutes.
21:45Having already suffered a setback on stage two, Laia Sanz ran into even bigger trouble
21:50on stage three.
21:51A gearbox problem forced her to retire from the special and head back to the bivouac where
21:56she incurred some hefty penalties.
21:59On board with Klaassen here, and we can see that Taurus stopped in the sand.
22:07Rocket Rockass is always a man to watch in the W2RC.
22:11Having finished ahead of Jones at the Dakar, and with the Championship leader Guthrie absent,
22:16the Lithuanian was determined to drag himself to the top of the standings.
22:19Pachuska second on stage three, closing the gap on AJ to four and a half minutes.
22:28After all sorts of problems over the first two days, Cristina Gutierrez finally had a
22:33smooth run in her BBR Taurus.
22:35The Spaniard who is not involved in the World Championship this year, taking the stage victory
22:40by just over a minute from Pachuska.
22:46At the finish line we are happy, I think we won the stage and this is the most important
22:52now to try to make the best stages possible and keep going to the finish.
23:00Like Gutierrez, Nicolas Cavigliasso saw his overall prospects blasted by mechanical gremlins
23:06in the early days of the rally.
23:07He and his wife Valentina failed to complete stage two.
23:12Otherwise, they showed solid pace, finishing in the top four on every other stage and
23:16coming as high as second on the final day.
23:19A former Dakar winner in the quads, Cavigliasso has taken to the challenge as well.
23:27Dania Akil may hail from neighbouring Saudi Arabia, but she doesn't have too much experience
23:32of these Abu Dhabi dunes.
23:33She was looking to learn and just focus on driving as well as possible.
23:37That strategy paid off nicely.
23:40Akil ended up in an impressive fourth place overall.
23:52Hernán Garces was flying under the radar for most of the week, never quite up there challenging
23:56for victory but never that far back.
23:58He finished every stage within 15 minutes of the winner.
24:02The Chilean on course for an overall podium.
24:06But this was the battle for glory.
24:08Austin Jones against Rokas Pachuska, which of the Can-Am factory drivers would come out
24:14on top.
24:15Pachuska was caught between his desire to push and take the overall win and making
24:19sure he didn't jeopardise his points haul in the World Championship.
24:23Either the pragmatist won out or he simply couldn't match Jones for pace.
24:27Either way, he was second again on stage four.
24:32Jones really wasn't messing around.
24:34The American looking absolutely determined to seal victory here in Abu Dhabi, he roared
24:38away to take his third stage win of the week.
24:41However he wasn't too happy with Rokas after one near miss.
25:05And so to the fifth and final stage in the T3s.
25:09And despite all of her troubles this week, Cristina Gutierrez was able to end the Abu
25:13Dhabi Desert Challenge on a high note.
25:15The Spaniard flying to the final stage victory and showing that the speed is there.
25:24Hernán Garces was Mr. Consistent this week, doing a fine job alongside his fellow Chilean
25:29Juan Pablo de Trache, who navigates for Chileco López at the Dakar.
25:33Garces capitalising on the issues of those around him to finish in third place overall.
25:42Very nice rally, the rally was incredible, it's our sixth time here and we enjoy a lot.
25:54Even if he was unable to overhaul Austin Jones, Baciuszka was always up there.
25:59The Lithuanian didn't take a stage win, but finished in the top three every single day.
26:04Second overall was enough to push him to the top of the pile in the W2RC.
26:13We are moving to championship in the first position.
26:16There is still rounds to go, Portugal, Argentina, Morocco.
26:21It certainly promises to be a fascinating world championship tussle because AJ is also
26:26right in the mix.
26:27Nobody was keeping up with the Jones at this event.
26:30The American led from wire to wire to land his first overall victory since Dakar 2023.
26:41The stages were very nice, you know, the accommodations, everything was set up really well this year.
26:46So really, really happy with everything, how it went.
26:48And yeah, we won, so that's the goal.
26:52AJ getting the job done, beating Baciuszka by 4 minutes 38.
26:56Garces Akil and Marcelo Tiglia-Gastaldi round out the top five.
27:01Baciuszka leads the W2RC by 14 points from Jones with the absent Guthrie slipping to third overall.
27:09Things didn't go her way this week, but it's still been an incredible year so far for the
27:14Dakar winner, Cristina Gutierrez.
27:16We now shine the spotlight on the speedy Spaniard.
27:23I don't know what happened with me, but from the beginning I love to drive.
27:28I am Cristina Gutierrez, driver of the Red Bull Junior team of roads by BF Goodrich.
27:34And I am here in Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
27:37I think my best memories in the rally ride coming from Abu Dhabi.
27:41It was in 2021.
27:44I won the World Cup.
27:47It was my first championship, so it was an unforgettable moment for me.
27:53And for sure Abu Dhabi gave me a lot of good memories.
27:58The terrain here is not easy.
28:00It's a challenge, as the name says.
28:03When we came here for the first time, I was like, wow, this is the hell of the dunes.
28:11Coming back after winning the Dakar, it's an amazing feeling.
28:16I feel more comfortable.
28:19Each time I am more mature in the category and I am more experienced each time that I came here.
28:25So it's a really pleasure for me.
28:29I always dream to win.
28:31I always try to win.
28:33I always try to do my best.
28:34And I think this is the best way to win.
28:40I am lucky because I have many things to do.
28:44I compete in the World Cup of Rally Ride.
28:47I also drive in Extreme E.
28:50This type of things give you a lot of knowledge, a lot of different type of driving style.
28:58I came from Rally Ride, so it's difficult for me to choose, but I am more used to drive a
29:04lot, a lot of kilometers.
29:05I know the pace.
29:06I know how it's going.
29:08Extreme E, in the beginning, I need to adapt my driving style because you need to start 100% of
29:15your driving power in the beginning.
29:18And in Rally Ride you need to be like with a good pace and not be crazy from the beginning
29:23because you can crash and you can break the car easily.
29:28I am fast but also I am used to drive and I am used to drive with the mind and
29:35trying to understand the terrain, the difficulties and adapt my driving style to that.
29:42About this sport is my dream now and my focus, my goal.
29:46I want to be on this type of championship many years, but I know this is a difficult world and
29:52you need to work a lot to be all the time in the best category, in the best team.
29:56So at the moment I dream with continuing learning and continuing in the best team possible.
30:20To the SSVs where Joao Ferreira made the perfect start.
30:24The Portuguese driver powering to victory on stage one, but things then went horribly wrong.
30:30He was halted by mechanical issues on stage two and was disqualified for receiving prohibited assistance and using his satellite
30:37phone inside the car during the special.
30:42At the moment we asked for help from the mechanics, we knew that the stewards disqualified us from the race.
30:49It's a shame of course, but rules are rules and we needed to race and respect that.
30:56Ferreira's exit meant it was a two horse race for overall victory.
31:04In the white and orange corner, Yassir Syedan, the man leading the W2RC standings after his third place finish at
31:11the Dakar.
31:11The Saudi took back-to-back wins on stages two and three to move into the overall lead.
31:20But he was being put under serious pressure by Mansoor Bilhili in the red and black corner.
31:25The Emirati, whose father Yaya has started every single edition of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, including this one, trailed
31:33by just 18 seconds with two stages to go.
31:41Michele Cianotto has been on the rally scene for over 40 years, although he only discovered rally raid about a
31:47decade ago.
31:48The Italian finished fifth overall, overtaking his son Pietro on the final stage when the latter had belt and gearbox
31:54issues.
31:55Michele having a bit of fun in the dunes and delighted to finally reach the finish line in Abu Dhabi.
32:09The rally was for us good, for me it's the third time that I am here, the first time that
32:14they come to the end, so that's a good goal for me.
32:20This was Rebecca Bussi's first time at this rally and she was pleasantly surprised with her performance.
32:26The Italians suffered with motion sickness early on, but overcame that and a few technical issues to finish fourth overall.
32:33Bussi getting a bit of support along the way from her partner Nacho Cornejo, who wasn't riding with Honda this
32:39week.
32:39She was satisfied with how it all went.
32:48It was pretty fun, I didn't expect to have this pace in this race actually, so I'm pretty happy.
32:55I think I don't want to get in a desert for at least two months now, really.
33:04There was also a steep learning curve for Sebastiano Guayasamin, who pointed out that the only sand back home in
33:10Ecuador is found on the beach.
33:12But even if he couldn't match the two front runners who are more familiar with these dunes, Guayasamin still acquitted
33:18himself very nicely on his debut.
33:20Third place overall, which puts him second in the W2RC.
33:27I've raced all over the world and I'm really, really happy and I'm even sad a little bit that it's
33:33over.
33:35And so to the tussle for the T4 title.
33:39Sayadan was pegged back on stage four, losing a couple of minutes to Bill Hilly,
33:43and he seemed happy enough to settle for second place overall, nevertheless increasing his lead in the W2RC.
33:52I'm glad I won this round and I hope I win this stage also so we can keep leading the
33:59W2RC.
34:02I'm afraid you didn't win the final stage, Yasir, because your biggest rival was in no mood to let victory
34:08slip through his grasp.
34:09Bill Hilly rounding things out in style, winning the stage and securing his second overall victory in Abu Dhabi after
34:16the T2s back in 2015.
34:23Desert Challenge is the best event and it's a special thing. My birthday was on the start day so thank
34:32you.
34:33So overall I'm so happy, I'm so excited. All worked well, Alhamdulillah.
34:46Bill Hilly and his highly experienced co-driver Khalid Alkendi winning it by just 2 minutes 42 from Sayadan and
34:53Michael Mech with Guayas Amin in third.
34:57Sayadan now has a big old lead in the championship. He's 59 points clear of Guayas Amin.
35:10Just before we get to the big boys in the Ultimate class, let's enjoy some more of these mega on
35:16-board shots. Strap yourselves in.
35:18All right.
35:20All right.
35:57Finally to the big one, the ultimate class, where Rally Raid legends go head to head
36:02with the stars of the future.
36:13Stage one was slated as a toughy and so it proved for poor old Christian Baumgart, his
36:18pro-drive hunter, ending up on its roof.
36:28We went over a broken dune, the engine died and we were doing a wheelie very very slowly
36:34until it rolled so we are ok and we should continue.
36:40They only made it 82km before withdrawing from the rally.
36:50The stage one win went to Nasser Al-Atiyah.
36:53The Qatari had made no secret of the fact that he needed to claim overall victory here to
36:57get his world championship bid back on track.
37:00Despite some early issues, he and his new co-driver Edouard Boulanger stormed through the second
37:05half to win by just over three minutes.
37:27Traffic jams look a little bit different in this part of the world but Guillaume de Mevius
37:32managed to find his way through that herd of onlookers.
37:35The Belgian made a bright start coming second on stage one but his rally came to an abrupt
37:40end on stage two when this happened.
37:58The Dakar runner-up outs with a compressed vertebra and missing his chance to take the lead
38:03in the W2RC.
38:07Juan Cruz Jacopini also made a strong start third in the W2RC last year.
38:13The Argentine says he feels comfortable on the sand especially in this almost perfect
38:17Toyota Hilux.
38:19After two stages he was third overall.
38:23We know that Lucas Marais is a fast learner given that he was third at his maiden Dakar
38:28last year.
38:29The Brazilian also off to a flying start at his first Abu Dhabi Desert challenge despite his
38:34lack of experience in the dunes second overall after two stages.
38:49Stage two saw another smooth outing from Nasser Alatiyah who was targeting a fourth crown at
38:54this event avoiding any mistakes and any bikers for that matter to finish second on the day.
39:00Alatiyah now leading by eight and a half minutes.
39:06But the man setting the gold standard on stage two was Guerlain Chichery in his golden Hilux.
39:12The Frenchman enjoying a ding dong with Seth Quintero and making up some time after various issues on stage one.
39:18The 2009 winner right back in the game overall.
39:26We really wanted to try to win the stage because yesterday we had really bad days and we lost a
39:31lot of time.
39:32So now I have no choice to fight every kilometres to the end.
39:43Stage three was said to be a day of major drama.
39:48Lionel Bow set the tone as he and his daughter Lucy got stuck on a dune.
39:52They would later be forced to retire from the special.
40:05Further up the field Jacopini was having another great day as he caught and passed Moraes.
40:11The Argentine was the fastest man out there at the halfway point.
40:14But after stopping once with a mechanical problem he hit even bigger trouble when he hit the Ford Raptor of
40:20Martin Prokop.
40:21The two crews stuck in a hole.
40:23Prokop had already seen his hopes ruined by a broken prop shaft the day before.
40:34Nobody is hurt but it was so close that something could happen so yeah it's just cars are broken but
40:40luckily nobody is injured.
40:43Prokop a long way back while Jacopini would later be disqualified for receiving unauthorised assistance.
40:51Alatia also had some adventures on stage three.
40:54He and Edouard Boulanger got stuck after 60 kilometres and couldn't use their hydraulic jack.
40:59It took them 20 minutes to get going again.
41:04They also burned their clutch in that incident and even if they clawed back around eight minutes over the rest
41:09of the stage the Qatari slipped off the overall lead.
41:16But this was the story of the day.
41:19Lucas Moraes had been performing superbly but his hopes quite literally went up in flames when his car caught fire
41:25just before the finish.
41:27Moraes and his co-driver Armand Mondlion luckily emerged unscathed but this was a real moment of panic.
41:44It's a pity we were doing a quite good race we just only had a puncture today and still was
41:49we're still leading the stage.
41:52Now try to get back focus to Portugal next one.
42:05Back in the stage and it was a solid day for Yazeed Al-Rajji.
42:08The defending champion was having some trouble with his rear suspension just like he did at the Dakar.
42:14But his conservative approach was paying dividends.
42:17By the end of stage three he was up to third place overall and within five minutes of the rally
42:22lead.
42:29It should have been a day of triumph for Quintero as he claimed his very first stage victory in the
42:34ultimate class and snatched the overall lead from Alatia.
42:38But the American was understandably shaken by that near disaster for his teammate Moraes.
42:46It kind of throws you for a loop to be honest.
42:47I mean that could happen to any one of us and you know if they were in the car a
42:50little bit longer who knows what could have happened.
42:51Or if they didn't drive to the finish line and you know I didn't tell them to get out of
42:55the car and they didn't know it could have engulfed even worse.
42:58Not a good day but a really good day.
43:00So it's hard to smile but everyone's keeping a smile on their face.
43:10Well after all of that excitement let's just take a quick breather and slow things down.
43:15What is this?
43:42Well after all of that Muito
43:45With two stages to go in the Ultimates, things were hotting up nicely in a four-horse race
43:50for glory between Guerlain Shishiri, Yazid Al-Raji, Nasser Al-Atiyah and Seth Quintero,
43:57the first man through the gate on stage four.
44:03The American later explained that it wasn't good to be opening because it was seriously
44:07tough out there and his rivals were soon hot on his heels. The top Ultimate drivers set off at
44:14three-minute intervals so it's rare to see a big pack up at the front but this was going to
44:19be a
44:19special kind of day. Al-Atiyah caught Shishiri, they then caught Al-Raji and that trio finally joined
44:26Quintero up at the front. Let's just sit back and enjoy the remarkable sight of the top four crews
44:32at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge going hell for leather over the dunes.
45:04Unfortunately, Shishiri ended up bowing out at the end of the stage. After a big impact,
45:08his co-driver Alex Winok suffered a back injury and couldn't go on.
45:13We jumped one dunes and we landed really, really hard on the front and Alex was complaining a lot,
45:20which he never do, you know. Alex is a really strong man. So that's why I called him up there,
45:25guys, come to pick up him because it was not safe to put him back in the course.
45:33Well, Shishiri may have been the biggest loser on the day but it was also a frustrating one for
45:37Quintero, the 21-year-old dropping over ten and a half minutes and losing his overall lead. Now
45:44sandwiched in between Al-Atiyah and Al-Raji in the overall standings, he would have to decide
45:49whether to risk it all for glory or simply defend second place.
45:56Al-Raji got stuck three kilometres from the finish line after braking hard to avoid a static Quintero
46:02and dropped a few minutes there but he managed to close the gap on his American rival to around
46:07three minutes and promised to push a bit harder in the fifth and final stage.
46:18He may have a new car and a new co-driver but this was a vintage performance from the Desert
46:23Fox,
46:23Al-Atiyah. He surged from the back to catch everybody and win the stage by over eight minutes.
46:29It was an absolute massacre.
46:34We push and we finish fairest and we make a really good time for our whole and yeah,
46:42tomorrow just we need to be really concentration, you know. If we can win,
46:48we'll be good for the championship. Yeah, it's a good day, alhamdulillah.
46:53And so to the final day of a thrilling rally. After two straight second places in Abu Dhabi,
46:59there was no podium this time around for Martin Prokop due to those issues on stages two and three.
47:05But the Czech star served up a reminder of his pace by coming second on the final day.
47:10Martin will continue to develop his car nicknamed Shrek and we'll see him again in Morocco.
47:19Saud Varyawa is another of Rally Raid's teen sensations at just 18 years of age,
47:24although he ran into some trouble on the final stage.
47:27The South African breaking his rear right drive shaft and losing almost half an hour.
47:32That dropped him from fourth down to sixth overall, but it's all part of the learning process.
47:41We came here just to learn the dunes, get experience, learn how to read the terrain.
47:45And I think I've climbed the ladder with that and excelled a lot. And yeah, just looking forward to coming
47:54back next year.
47:56Pao Navarro was one of the drivers to gain from Varyawa's woes. The Spaniard is another teenager with a very
48:02bright future ahead of him.
48:04At just 19, he's the most talented hopeful from the country, which produced two of this year's Dakar winners,
48:10Carlos Sainz and Cristina Gutierrez. Despite driving with a broken scaffold and not pushing 100%,
48:16Navarro finished up fifth in his X-ray Mini.
48:31Marcos Baumgart described this rally as the University of Dunes and he certainly learned fast on his debut.
48:37Down in 13th overall after a chaotic first stage, the Brazilian clambered his way back up the standings
48:43to finish just off the podium in his Pro Drive Hunter, fourth overall.
48:50Compared to some of the other youngsters in the field, it feels like Quintero has been around forever.
48:55But the American is still just 21 and this is only his third competitive outing in a T1+.
49:01He originally came second overall, but a late penalty dropped him to third.
49:06Make no mistake though, this boy can drive and he's got the ambition to match.
49:14I've got to unlock some speed in myself. We've got a long way to go, so it's just the beginning
49:18and I'm excited for it.
49:21It was an achievement just to survive this brutal addition, which saw retirements for Demevius,
49:26Moraes and Shichari, plus a disqualification for Iacopini. As ever, Yazid Al-Raji played it smart.
49:33He didn't quite have the pace to defend his crown, but took second overall, bouncing back after his huge crash
49:39on home sand at the Dakar. Al-Raji will no doubt be a man to keep an eye on throughout
49:44the World Championship campaign.
49:50Now we have good points, more than enough for this race.
49:57Nasser Al-Atiyah was put to the test this week, but saw off all comers to take his fourth Abu
50:02Dhabi
50:03Desert Challenge title. The Qatari adding to his victories in 2008, 16 and 21 and making it a
50:10successful first outing with his new co-driver, Edouard Boulanger. After a tough Dakar, the reigning
50:16world champion is back on track in the World Rallyweight Championship.
50:36Al-Atiyah taking the final stage to win by 16 minutes 25 from Al-Raji, as well as 21-year
50:42-old Quintero,
50:43there were three teenagers inside the top seven, so the kids are definitely all right.
50:48Dakar winner Carlos Sainz still
50:49leads the W2RC, but Al-Atiyah has closed the gap to just nine points.
50:57Once again, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge has given us some spectacular action.
51:02Records have been broken and history has been made. Congratulations not just to our winners,
51:08but to everyone who's made it to the end of this gruelling event.
51:11Thanks for watching, and we'll see you again in 2025.
51:44We'll see you again in 2025.
51:44We'll see you again in 2025.
51:58March 25th, 2021.
51:59The End of 10
52:00is at the end of 10,000.
52:00The End of 10
52:03The End of 10
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