As the year is gaining momentum, the CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team revealed to partners and fans their plans for the upcoming season, a new team member, and showed the freshlyequipped multi-purpose team truck. After showing excellent results last year, the racers promised not to slow down the pace in the coming years, and one of their main goals remains the same - starting in the Dakar Rally.
In 2022, quad bike racers Antanas Kanopkinas and Adomas Gančierius climbed to the podium of the second place winners in the Albanian rally, won the first and second places in the Fenix rally in the Sahara desert, climbed to the third step in Breslau and the second place in the Balkan rally. Also, A. Gančierius managed to win in the annual standings and take home the RBI Grand Master Award cup.
Introduced a new team member
"Our goal is for the team to always be able to operate and race, so we have to have a 'bench' ready. Those people who go to the races are only part of the overall team composition - we always have "on-call" mechanics, photographers and other professionals who can accompany us to the races if necessary. From now on, we will also have a third rider - Mindaugas Skudutis is joining our team", said A. Kanopkinas during the presentation and mentioned that the team is determined to be in the racing arena for a long time, and in order to stay in it, it is necessary to have a long-term well-thought-out strategy.
The new rider of the CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team can boast of almost fifteen years of experience in quad racing: "I started riding a moped when I was 7 years old, followed by motorcycles, and in 2005 I bought my first ATV. I started exercising more seriously with a quad bike in 2009."
M. Skudutis' racing career started by winning the Lithuanian Enduro Rally Championship two years in a row, and later he also had to climb on the winners' podium of this rally several times. In 2020, the athlete won second place in the Baltic Enduro Rally and Enduro Sprint Championships.
"Many years ago, I met Antanas thanks to quads, and this year I received an offer to join the team. I feel good before the upcoming season, but also I feel a great responsibility towards the team", said M. Skudutis frankly.
Another member who joined the team is a truck named Hans. As the team expands and aims to race at a high level, the comfort of all team members and convenient workplaces are necessary - with this in mind, the multi-purpose truck was designed and equipped.
The truck is divided into separate spaces for different purposes: spare parts, service, media workspace. There are also sleeping places and a space for storing personal belongings, laundry, as well as a mini kitchen.
First start is coming soon
The nearest start awaits athletes at the end of February in Abu Dhabi - the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. This race is the second stage of the World Rally Raid Championship, where the team will have to compete with the strongest athletes from all over the planet, but A. Kanopkinas and A. Gančierius are in the mood for a competitive fight.
"The past seasons have shown that the most unexpected challenges and difficulties can be expected, but it was when the challenges came that we made sure again and again that the attitude of all team members is the same - we are serious, we have a clear goal, and we never give up. The race in Abu Dhabi will be a tough challenge and a very good preparation for the Dakar Rally, as most of the sporting kilometers will be in the desert. Also, since this is the stage of the World Championship, we will have huge competition, which makes the race much more interesting", said A. Kanopkinas.