The World Rally-Raid Championship is about to begin. Since quads were not included in this year’s Dakar Rally, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, starting on February 21, will serve as the first competition of the season. Competing for titles once again, CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team has upgraded its equipment and aims for greater speed. However, as the riders admit, their newly introduced, untested quad bikes could bring unexpected surprises in racing conditions.
“We will start with the completely new and yet untested CFMOTO CFORCE G3 quad. One of its most important improvements compared to its predecessor is its weight—it is 10% lighter. We hope this alone will enhance our speed. Additionally, the quad’s suspension travel has been increased, which should make riding over bumps smoother and less physically demanding,” said Antanas Kanopkinas, who is preparing for the first race of the season.
The new model is powered by a V-twin engine producing 105 horsepower. Its transmission is equipped with an additional cooling system to maximize reliability under extreme conditions. The quad is fitted with ventilated disc brakes on all wheels, while the front suspension travel measures 230 mm and the rear 236 mm.
A. Kanopkinas also revealed that the team still has some unanswered questions that will only become clear once the race begins: “We don’t know how everything will perform under high temperatures, at high revs, and over long distances. So, there are still many unknowns that we will have to figure out on-site. No test can fully replicate the pace of a real race, but we hope everything will go smoothly.”
A Challenging and Exciting Season Ahead
Representing CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team in this round will be Antanas Kanopkinas, who secured third place in last year’s World Championship quad classification, and Gaëtan Martinez, a returning rider with the team. According to Kanopkinas, if everything goes as planned, the team intends to compete in all rounds of this season, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Portugal, and Morocco.
The first stage consists of a prologue and five racing stages. The marathon will begin in Al Ain, near the Omani border, and, after covering nearly the entire UAE, will conclude in Abu Dhabi. Preliminary reports indicate that seven riders will compete in the quad category, while the overall stage will see more than 110 crews at the starting line. The race will finish on February 27.
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