The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is delivering drama in the dunes on a epic scale. At the midway point of the second stop of this year’s World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) everything is still to play for with tight battles across the categories. Let’s check in on latest leaderboards to see who has their nose in front at this 2,000-kilometre game of cat and mouse in the deserts of the United Arab Emirates…
Nine-time WRC winner Sébastien Loeb muscled his way to the front of the Ultimate class during Stage Two’s 320km loop around the Mezaira’a bivouac in the Empty Quarter Desert. The Frenchman’s stage win (the 21st of his W2RC career) puts him and co-driver Fabian Lurquin in the overall lead of the ADDC with three days of racing remaining.
« We tried to push hard on this stage. At the beginning we were losing a little bit of time so on the second part of the stage I really tried to push to the maximum. » – Sébastien Loeb
Loeb’s Dacia team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah came second on the stage, giving the Sandriders their first-ever one-two stage result in the W2RC. Al-Attiyah and co-driver Edouard Boulanger were forced to fix a puncture yesterday, but today rose to third overall despite another bump in the road.
« At the beginning we broke a rear spring and after that it was not easy to manage with the speed. On the last part I tried to push a little bit but it was not easy. » – Nasser Al-Attiyah
Sitting second overall, between the two Dacia entrants, is Lucas Moraes of Toyota Gazoo Racing. Victory on Stage One as the rally departed Al Ain had Moraes and co-driver Armand Monleón opening the road today. The duo returned to the bivouac in Mezaira’a with the day’s third fastest time in the Ultimate class.
« We were opening the stage so we tried our best to push. We got a puncture in the middle of the stage. It looks like we lost time to Loeb, but we’re still in the fight. » – Lucas Moraes
Fellow Toyota Gazoo Racing pair Seth Quintero and co-driver Dennis Zenz are also in the hunt for the overall win as they occupy fourth place overall. With three days of racing to go, including a decisive Marathon Stage, just six minutes separate the top four Ultimate class crews.
There was late panic on Stage Two for MINI driver Guillaume de Mévius due to an alarming reading on his fuel gauge. With the car running out of fuel De Mévius and co-driver Xavier Panseri were left with no option but to drop their pace at the conclusion of the stage. Despite the scare their MINI is placed fifth overall.
« It was good up until 50km before the end of the stage when we started running out of fuel. Because of this we had to slow down. » – Guillaume de Mévius
It’s been a tough start to the debut edition of the ADDC for the Ford Raptor T1+. The Ford M-Sport race crews of Mattias Ekström / Emil Bergkvist and Mitch Guthrie Jr. / Kellon Walch find themselves just outside the overall Top 10 of the Ultimate class at the midway point of the rally. A bout of illness complicated Ekström’s race on Stage Two.
« I’m very happy with the car, but today I felt sick from the beginning and it got worse. I had to stop the car to be sick so it was a difficult stage for me. » – Mattias Ekström
Back on top in the Bike race is 2025 Dakar Rally winner Daniel Sanders of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. A tweak on his bike’s setup overnight paid off for the Australian as he claimed his sixth stage win of this year’s W2RC to put himself at the summit of the overall rankings in Abu Dhabi.
« We changed a few things on the bike last night to get a bit more comfortable. On day one it was too stiff and we ended up losing a lot of time. I was back into the rhythm today. » – Daniel Sanders
Victory for Sanders on Stage Two puts him on a career total of 14 W2RC stage wins, a record he shares with fellow Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Luciano Benavides. 2023 W2RC champion Benavides is currently second overall at this latest edition of the ADDC, just 2m25s behind Sanders.
« I tried to push and catch the guys in front but I ended crashing quite hard in the dunes. It wasn’t a big drama and in the end I’ve finished the stage in a good position. » – Luciano Benavides
Edgar Canet, KTM’s third factory entrant at the ADDC, was forced to withdraw from the rally at the conclusion of Stage One. After completing the stage the young Spaniard underwent medical checks and it was confirmed that he’d fractured his elbow. We all wish Edgar a speedy recovery from his injury.
In the Challenger class there’s been no holding back at the start of the ADDC by Dania Akeel. After making history with a stage win at the Dakar in her native Saudi Arabia there was another stage win for Akeel to celebrate on Sunday. In addition to winning Stage One of the ADDC, Akeel and co-driver Stéphane Duplé recorded second place finishes in their Taurus T3 Max on both the Prologue and Stage Two. With three ADDC stages to race, Akeel is only 3m39 behind Challenger class leader Yasir Seaidan.
« It was a typical Empty Quarter stage today with lots of dunes, lots of soft sand, lots of camel grass. My pace was OK, but it can always be better. » – Dania Akeel
Joining Akeel in the race for Challenger class podium places is Pau Navarro. The Spaniard is alongside co-driver Jan Rosa i Viñas and also behind the wheel of a Taurus T3 Max. Navarro has less than a single minute separating him from the overall Challenger podium.
With the leaderboards in flux across all categories the ADDC convoy braces itself for the two-day Marathon Stage getting underway tomorrow morning. A 237km timed special stage will bring competitors from Mezaira’a to the Marathon bivouac in Al Qua’a and an unforgettable night under the stars in a location known locally as the Milky Way Spot. Following 48 hours of racing with no mechanical assistance the convoy will then reconvene in the Mezaira’a camp before Thursday’s fifth and final stage concludes in Abu Dhabi.
The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is supported by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and organised by the EMSO (Emirates Motorsports Organization). One of the original hosts of the W2RC, the rally maintains its spot as the second round of the championship following the season-opening Dakar Rally.
2025 ADDC Rankings – following Stage Two
ULTIMATE – Top 5
1. S. Loeb (FRA) / F. Lurquin (BEL) – DACIA 06:08:10
2. L. Moraes (BRA) / A. Monleon (ESP) – TOYOTA +00:41
3. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) / E. Boulanger (FRA) – DACIA +03:52
4. S. Quintero (USA) / D. Zenz (GER) – TOYOTA +06:00
5. G. de Mevius (BEL) / X. Panseri (FRA) – MINI +08:30
CHALLENGER – Top 5
1. Y. Seaidan (KSA) / M. Metge (FRA) – TAURUS 06:34:14
2. D. Akeel (KSA) / S. Duplé (FRA) – TAURUS +03:39
3. M. Baumgart (BRA) / K. Cincea (BRA) – TAURUS +10:33
4. P. Navarro (ESP) / J. Rosa I Vinas (ESP) – TAURUS +11:27
5. A. Kus (POL) / D. Tsyro (UKR) – TAURUS +30:19
BIKE – Top 5
1. D. Sanders (AUS) – KTM 06:09:02
2. L. Benavides (ARG) – KTM +02:25
3. T. Schareina (ESP) – HONDA +02:43
4. R. Brabec (USA) – HONDA +03:00
5. J. Cornejo Florimo (CHI) – HERO +03:42
QUOTES
Sébastien Loeb: « The day was good. We tried to push hard on this stage. At the beginning we were losing a little bit of time so on the second part of the stage I really tried to push to the maximum. The car was very good. »
Nasser Al-Attiyah: « It was a very difficult stage, not easy. At the beginning we broke a rear spring and after that it was not easy to manage with the speed. It’s good to get to the finish. On the last part I tried to push a little bit but it was not easy. »
Lucas Moraes: « We were opening the stage so we tried our best to push. We got a puncture in the middle of the stage. It looks like we lost time to Loeb, but we’re still in the fight. »
Guillaume de Mévius: « It was good up until 50km before the end of the stage when we started running out of fuel. Because of this we had to slow down. »
Mitch Guthrie Jr.: « It was a long, tough day in the dunes, but we’re feeling good in the car. We’re trying to pick up the pace more and more as we get to know the car better. Overall I’m happy, it was a gnarly day with some scary sections in the dunes. »
Mattias Ekström: « I’m very happy with the car, but today I felt sick from the beginning and it got worse. I had to stop the car to be sick so it was a difficult stage for me. We’ll see how things go tomorrow. »
Daniel Sanders: « Today was a much better day. We changed a few things on the bike last night to get a bit more comfortable. We came into the race with a new setting to make the bike a bit stiffer on the sand. On day one it was too stiff and we ended up losing a lot of time. I was back into the rhythm today so that was good. Tomorrow is going to be a hard day. »
Luciano Benavides: « It was a really tough day for me. I tried to push but I didn’t feel so comfortable on the bike today. I still tried to push and catch the guys in front but I ended crashing quite hard in the dunes. It wasn’t a big drama and in the end I’ve finished the stage in a good position. »
Dania Akeel: « It was a typical Empty Quarter stage today with lots of dunes, lots of soft sand, lots of camel grass. My pace was OK, but it can always be better. »
Christine Fial,