The 2024 FIM Sand Races World Cup kicked off this weekend with “the biggest beach race in the world”, round one at Enduropale du Touquet in France where Drag‘On Yamaha‘s Todd Kellet claimed his second winning result on the bounce.

Defending Sand Races World Cup Champion Todd Kellet cemented his reputation as the fastest beach racer on the planet right now with his second consecutive victory ahead of 1300 riders at Le Touquet 2024 – a result all the more remarkable following his horrific accident last October.

“Today I feel like I’m back on my good level,” said Kellett. “It’s been a real challenge since my crash last October so I’m really pleased and proud to have done this. It’s a great start to the FIM Sand Races World Cup. This is the biggest beach race in the world – there’s no disputing that – and my secret [to winning] is just the sheer hunger and drive within me.”

2024 Enduropale du Touquet results (top 30):

2024 Enduropale du Touquet in a nutshell:

• British rider Kellett, who won the legendary race on the north coast of France last season before going on to claim the inaugural FIM Sand Races World Cup, started the three-hour race near the front of almost 1300 competitors and sat third following the opening lap less than six seconds off the lead.

Here’s what the start looked like – the course threads its way back up the beach after the long straight in the three-hour race

• By the end of the second 13-km lap he was 13 seconds ahead and he began to pull clear of a chasing pack that, by the completion of lap three, saw registered riders Lars Van Berkel – Honda from the Netherlands and Jeremy Hauquier – Honda from France running third and fifth.
• Illustrating the depth of talent contesting this year’s series, Valentin Madoulaud – Yamaha held ninth at this point with Camille Chapeliere – KTM in 12th, Maxime Sot – KTM 16th and Joey Nuques – Yamaha 18th and there could very well have been another registered rider running near the front if Belgian Yentel Martens – Honda, who started the series as a hotly-tipped rider, had not gone out on the opening lap.
• By the end of lap four Kellett led by almost one-and-a-half minutes from Van Berkel and Hauquier and although Hauquier then lost third to Cyril Genot as the race approached the hour mark, France’s Chapeliere looked solid in eighth, two places ahead of his compatriot Madoulaud.
• By the halfway point Kellett’s lead was almost two-and-a-half minutes and he was in control, using all his experience to find smart lines through the traffic as conditions got increasingly rough, but Chapeliere slowed dramatically and dropped out of contention.
• On the penultimate lap Van Berkel fell and lost second position to Genot, but Kellett was out of reach and he completed his fifteenth and final lap with a winning advantage of two minutes and fourteen seconds with Van Berkel an additional thirteen seconds behind in third before a gap of over six-and-a-half minutes to fourth-placed rider Brian Bogers – Honda.

Women’s class win for Verstappen

In the fight for supremacy in the Women’s class, Amandine Verstappen started strongly and charged from just inside the top 150 riders at the end of lap three all the up to 82nd at the finish on a total of 12 laps. Mathilde Denis – Honda from France, who won last year’s Women’s class in the FIM Sand Races World Cup, finished a lap down on her rival in 198th

“It was quite a complicated race physically, but from start to finish I kept my pace and held on,” said Verstappen. “So that produced a victory and a finish in the top one-hundred which I didn’t think I was capable of so I’m really pleased with my race.”

The Veteran’s class is shaping up to be close and competitive this season with De Souza coming home in forty-second overall on thirteen laps, last year’s winner Arnaud Besnier – Honda finishing in eighty-first on twelve laps and Christophe Brucker – KTM completing a French one-two-three in one-hundred-and-seventh on eleven laps.

There is now a three-week break in the schedule before the six-round series resumes on 24-26 February with the Enduro del Verano in Argentina.

Photo Credit: Event organisers + FIM | Frederik Herregods