Less Space for Quads in the World Rally-Raid Championship: The Team Adjusts Its Plans

This year’s Dakar Rally was the first in many years without a quad category.

Although all representatives of this discipline had initially planned to participate in the

remaining four stages of the world championship, those plans were disrupted by new

news – the last stage of this year’s championship in Morocco will also no longer

include a quad category. CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team, which is set to head to

South Africa next week for the second stage of the championship, has also adjusted

its season plans, replacing one canceled rally with two new ones.

Our world championship has now been shortened to three stages, with the final one

taking place in Portugal. Upon hearing about the calendar changes, we immediately

started discussions within the team on how to reallocate the budget and which races

to choose. It seems that instead of one canceled event, we are adding two new ones

to the calendar, but we will share more about it once a final decision is made, said

Antanas Kanopkinas, noting that the team is currently preparing for the upcoming

race.

For the first time competing in South Africa, CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team began

preparations for this start several months ago, facing various challenges – from

logistics to visa formalities.

This week, we have the second stage of the world championship. Before the start,

the team still has to prepare one quad, so it will be a busy time, but we are used to

challenges. The team’s goals remain the same as always. We’re not only aiming to

finish and seek results but also to find ways to further improve our already well-

performing quads; said A. Kanopkinas, mentioning that he will stand at the starting

line with the usual team lineup – alongside Frenchman Gaetan Martinez.

The athletes will line up at the starting line in South Africa on May 18th and, over six

days, will have to cover over 1,600 competitive kilometers. According to the

organizers, the course will include both extremely dry and dusty sections as well as

mountainous regions. The starting line will gather the strongest and most known

athletes – this rally is the third stage of the world championship for cars, side-by-

sides, and motorcycles and the second for quads.