The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge has kicked off – today the athletes had to overcome the 11-kilometer prologue, the results of which determined the starting positions in tomorrow’s special stage. CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team athlete Gaetan Martinez took first place among the quads, and A. Kanopkinas did not avoid a mistake that pushed him into the middle of the marathon.
“My mistake in the prologue, it turns out, after finding out the results, cost me a hell of a lot of positions. You could say I shot myself in the foot. Tomorrow I will start twenty minutes, which means twenty competitors, later than Gaetan. My goal tomorrow is to ride as fast as possible so that the day after tomorrow we can start as close to each other as possible – that way it is both safer and more comfortable,” said A. Kanopkinas, adding that maintaining a high pace just only because of the starting position will not be easy.
Before tomorrow's start, the athletes said, they will adjust the settings of the quads a little more, because even though the prologue was not long, riding in sports mode reveals the most information. For example, it may seem like a small thing, but Antanas said that he will change the way the navigation information is displayed on the screen - since the team is starting with brand new "CFMOTO CFORCE G3" quads this year, they have to get used to them again.
Tomorrow, the participants, having started in Al Ain, will have to cross almost the entire United Arab Emirates and finish in the city of Mezaira‘a, located near the Saudi Arabian border. In total, the athletes will have five days of racing.
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