Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2025
Five Days of Sand, Sweat and Survival
There’s a certain silence in the desert that speaks louder than engines. It’s the kind of silence that wraps around your helmet as you stare into a horizon that has no end, just heat, dust, and dunes that shift like moods. The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge has a presence that goes beyond the race schedule. It’s a rite of passage. A proving ground. Riders carve their way through landscapes scorched by fire and shaped by wind, where every mile demands full focus and no forgiveness.
Since its first edition in 1991, this rally has earned a place of respect among riders who live for wide open throttle and high-stakes navigation. For 2025, the race opened in the lush oasis city of Al Ain, before plunging into five unforgiving stages that would test skill, strategy, and stamina. From the vast emptiness of the Empty Quarter to the stargazer’s haven of Al Qua’a, and ending in the shining heart of Abu Dhabi, this year’s edition delivered everything it promised and more.
Stage 1 – The Desert Opens Up
The first day didn’t ease anyone into the challenge, it slapped helmets and chewed on clutches right out of the gate. Leaving behind the green touch of Al Ain, competitors roared into the 243-mile (391 km) journey to Mezaira’a, skimming across dry lake beds, soft powdery dunes, and hard-packed dirt tracks. The sun showed no mercy. The terrain showed even less.
Tosha Schareina, riding for Monster Energy Honda HRC, played it smart. After clinching the Qualifying Stage, he chose to start 10th, using the dust trails of others like breadcrumbs in the sand. It worked. He attacked when it counted, built a gap midway, and never looked back. With a 2-minute lead over teammate Ricky Brabec and Red Bull KTM’s Luciano Benavides, Schareina delivered a ride that balanced aggression with surgical precision.
The stage ended on the edge of the Empty Quarter, near Tal Moreeb, a dune so massive it swallows the sky. But it was only day one. And the desert hadn’t even started whispering yet.
Stage 2 – Dust, Dunes, and First Cracks in the Armor
The second day brought no mercy. 302 miles (486 km) of looping terrain around Mezaira’a, with 228 miles (367 km) of special stage, carved deep into the sunburned flanks of the Liwa region. Riders faced gravel traps, wide salt flats, and dunes that swallowed entire bikes with no apology.
From the moment the flag dropped, Daniel Sanders was on a mission. The Australian from Red Bull KTM Factory led from start to finish, riding like he could read the sand before it shifted. He crossed the line nearly 4 minutes ahead of José Ignacio Cornejo (Hero Motorsports), with Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) another full minute behind.
But every lead has a price. Tosha Schareina, forced to open the stage after his win on Day 1, became the prey. With no tracks ahead, just raw terrain and instinct, he dropped to 7th on the stage and slipped to third overall. Still in the fight, but now chasing shadows instead of following lines.
The desert was starting to choose its favorites.
Stage 3 – Wind, Silence, and
a Night Alone
Stage 3 brought no comfort. From the first throttle twist, the riders faced a long, unpredictable day. A two-part marathon across Al Qua’a, one of the most remote regions in the UAE, offered up 142 miles (228 km) of special stage over gravel flats, soft sands, and jagged ridgelines. Then came the wind.
As gusts picked up, visibility dropped. What was already a demanding route turned into a guessing game at 70 mph (113 km/h). Race control eventually had to halt the stage for FIA competitors, but the bikes pressed on, navigating the chaos into Al Qua’a’s marathon bivouac, a place where there’s no support crew, no spare parts, and barely a connection to the world.
Tosha Schareina, once again, rose to the occasion. He surged back to the top of the leaderboard, beating KTM’s Luciano Benavides by over 2 minutes, with teammate Ricky Brabec rounding out the podium. Sanders, strategic and cautious, came in sixth, holding on to second overall.
That night in Al Qua’a, the leaderboard meant little. Surrounded by dunes and starlight, riders handled their own repairs by flashlight. No radios, no crowd, just silence, and the hum of a hot engine cooling under the desert sky.
Stage 4 – Towers of Sand and
Minds on Fire
The dunes got bigger. The silence got heavier. Stage 4 threw everything it had into the path of the riders, tracing a 300-mile (483 km) route from the marathon bivouac in Al Qua’a to the dramatic arrival at Al Dhafra Fort, a modern fortress built with the soul of ancient strongholds.
They crossed White Sands, scaled ridgelines as tall as city blocks, and faced endless dune transitions that tested rhythm, throttle control, and pure willpower. For some, it was survival. For others, it was time to attack.
Daniel Sanders, sharp and relentless, owned the day. He blasted through the stage and extended his lead by over 3 minutes, putting himself in prime position for the overall win. Adrien Van Beveren chased hard, landing second, while José Ignacio Cornejo held steady in third. Meanwhile, Ricky Brabec and Luciano Benavides stayed close, but the sand was starting to choose who stayed in the fight, and who watched the podium slip away.
In Rally 2, Michael Docherty rode like the terrain had his name etched into it. Another stage win, his fifth straight, and not a single mistake in sight.
Stage 5 – The Ramp, the Roar, and
What Remains
The final stretch was shorter, but not softer. Riders left behind the red dunes of the Liwa region and raced toward the polished skyline of Abu Dhabi in Stage 5, closing out the rally with one last punch of speed and focus.
Tosha Schareina, riding with fire and pride, claimed the final stage win with a clean and focused effort. Behind him, Ricky Brabec and Luciano Benavides followed closely. But the day belonged to Daniel Sanders, who crossed the line in fourth place, enough to secure his first Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge victory and his second win of the W2RC season. It was a redemption ride, driven by a memory he didn’t want to repeat.
In Rally 2, Michael Docherty signed off with a flawless record. Five stages, five wins, including the Qualifier.
The South African became the first rider in W2RC history to sweep an entire round.
Other names earned their space in the desert lore: Hamdan Alali, who conquered the grueling Malle Moto class, and Dania Akeel, the first woman to win a W2RC category. But beyond the trophies and stats, what remained was that quiet storm in the chest, the one you only feel when you reach the finish line knowing you gave it all.
The Story Ends Where the Sky Opens Up
Five days. Hundreds of miles. Dunes, dust, darkness, silence. The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge no longer lives on GPS tracks, it lives in the riders who left a piece of themselves out there.
And somewhere, maybe tonight, someone is staring at a map and feeling the itch. The desert doesn’t call out loud. It whispers. And if you hear it, you already know—it’s time to ride.
Words by: Mike de la Torre – Photo Credits: A.S.O., Edophoto, DPPI, Matteo Gebbia, Irina Petrichei, Helena Clancy
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