The 2024 FIM Sand Races World Cup passes the halfway mark this coming weekend (1-3 November) when round four – the Bibione Sand Storm – is staged on the Adriatic coast of northern Italy, approximately one hundred kilometres east of Venice.

A brand-new event for 2024, the action will centre around a packed programme of racing on the six-kilometre course and there will also be regular Freestyle Motocross shows to entertain visitors to the popular seaside resort. Points-scoring racing in the Moto and Quad categories will take place on both the Saturday and Sunday (2-3 November).

British rider and defending champion Todd Kellett – Drag’on Yamaha is setting the pace at the top of the Moto class standings after leading home riders registered for the series at the Enduropale du Touquet Pas-de-Calais in France and the Enduro del Verano in Argentina in February and, most recently, at last weekend’s Ronde des Sables de Loon-Plage in France.

The twenty-seven-year-old holds a very healthy twenty-two-point advantage over former FIM Motocross World Championship competitor Lars van Berkel – Honda from the Netherlands who finished second at rounds one and three.

Frenchman Maxime Sot – Fantic sits third, thirty-five points behind Kellett, after a tough start to Ronde des Sables de Loon-Plage saw him playing catch-up for the full duration of the event. Fighting his way through the field, he ended the two-and-a-half-hour race as eighth registered rider after claiming third at the opening two rounds.

Among the other front runners looking to win back points on the leader before he pulls too far clear are the French trio of Jeremy Hauquier – Yamaha, Camille Chapeliere – KTM and Joey Nuques – Yamaha, but with Kellett carrying considerable momentum into this weekend they face a tough task.

In the Moto Women class, Belgium’s Amandine Verstappen – Yamaha also holds a big points lead and takes an unbeaten three wins from three starts record into the Bibione Sand Storm while defending champion Mathilde Denis – Honda suffered a DNF last time out that has seriously impacted her hopes of retaining the crown, but there will be a new name in the class this weekend.

The most successful competitor in the history of the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship with six gold medals, thirty-year-old Kiara Fontanesi – GASGAS will compete at her home round of the series and could be the rider to end Verstappen’s win-streak.

The Moto Veteran category is headed by Frenchman Mickael De Souza – Honda who won his class last weekend to retake the series lead while Felix Faure – Honda and Sebastien Antony – KTM are expected to resume their battle in the Moto Vintage class. Rising French talent Paolo Maschio – Kawasaki will defend his one-hundred per cent record in the Moto Junior 2 class and in Moto Junior 1 fast female Ema Satabin – GASGAS holds the series lead.

The fiercely-contested Quad class is led by France’s Pablo Violet – Yamaha, despite suffering his first defeat of the series last time out at the hands of his compatriot Keveen Rochereau – Honda. Defending champion Michel Trannin – Honda suffered the heartbreak of a late technical problem that put him out of the running at Ronde des Sables de Loon-Plage.

Currently tied for second in the standings with Rochereau, Axel Dutrie – Laeger also leads the Quads Veteran category and Alois Waloszek – Yamaha is the rider to beat in the Quad Junior class. Racing in the FIM Sand Races World Cup gets under way on Saturday at 10:00 and on Sunday at 10:30 (both local time).

Followers of the FIM Sand Races World Cup can stay completely up to date with all the latest news through FIM social media platforms on Facebook and Instagram and via the Sportity app using the password FIMSandRaces. By using the tag #FIMSandRaces, fans will also be able to interact on social media with riders and like-minded enthusiasts.