The opening day of action at the Bibione Sand Storm – round four of the 2024 FIM Sand Races World Cup – stuck faithfully to the formbook today on the Adriatic coast of north-east Italy with Moto class leader Todd Kellett – Drag’on Yamaha, Moto Women leader Amandine Verstappen – Yamaha and Keveen Rochereau – Honda, winner of the Quad class last time out, all emerging on top in their respective categories.

However, with the overall placings and the all-important championship points resting on tomorrow’s results, at the halfway stage of this all-new event the main lesson to be taken from today’s races is that all three pace-setters have brought their A game to Italy.

The Moto class got the action under way this morning with a ninety-minute race on the twisting and turning six-kilometre course and defending champion Kellett – who carried a twenty-two-point lead into the event – converted his trademark fast start into an early lead after putting in the fastest lap of the race on lap two.

With his closest rival Lars van Berkel – Honda not competing, the twenty-seven-year-old’s advantage over third-placed Maxime Sot – Fantic stood at a very healthy thirty-five points, but with the Frenchman retiring after sixteen laps it was Jeremy Hauquier – Yamaha who emerged today as potentially Kellett’s biggest threat.

Hauquier chased Kellett for the full duration of the race, matching him on a total of twenty-two laps, but ultimately finished almost two-and-a-half minutes behind with Belgian Yentel Martens – Fantic, who is returning after an injury and made his debut in this year’s series at round three, coming home third. Sitting eighth in the points, but finishing fourth today, Valentin Madoulaud – Yamaha was the last finisher on the same number of laps as the winner.

Sot was not the only rider whose title hopes received a body blow – France’s Camille Chapeliere – KTM, who started the day in fifth, also failed to finish along with Belgian Junior Bal – Husqvarna who went out on his twenty-first lap while running fifth.

The battle for supremacy in the Moto Women class was once again won by twenty-five-year-old Verstappen who travelled to Italy with a thirty-five point-lead ahead of defending champion Mathilde Denis – Honda. However, with Denis suffering her second successive DNF, the challenge was taken up by six-time FIM Women’s Motocross World Champion Kiara Fontanesi – GASGAS.

Making her series debut on home ground, Fontanesi pushed the Belgian hard for the full race as they finished two-and-a-half minutes apart in ninth and eleventh overall on nineteen laps each.

“I’m very happy to win today,” said Verstappen. “There is another race tomorrow and I have to recover well. Today I led from the off and clearly Kiara was close so I had to push until the end. Today was great and I’m very happy, but I need to repeat this tomorrow.”

In the Moto Junior 2 class, rising French star Paolo Maschio – Kawasaki maintained his one-hundred per cent record with an impressive performance that placed him eighth overall on twenty laps and his compatriot Matheo Gerat – Yamaha topped the Moto Junior 1 entry with eleven laps.

“I crashed on the first lap,” said Maschio, “and had to push hard to recover. I’m happy to win the Junior class. Each time I was lapped I tried to follow and I could ride two or three turns with Todd [Kellett], but he dropped me on the straight.”

Sebastien Antony – KTM produced the best performance in the Moto Vintage class while Gregory Deleu – Fantic led home the Moto Veteran class.

Competitors in the afternoon’s one-hour Quad race had the fans on their feet as Rochereau, who started the day second in the standings, raced into an early lead that he refused to relinquish, steadily extending his advantage after almost every lap.

Germany’s Manfred Zienecker – Honda kept the fast Frenchman in sight for most of the race and at the halfway mark was less than twenty seconds behind, but following thirteen hard-fought laps when the chequered flag came out Rochereau was almost thirty seconds clear.

“The track here is fine, but very fast,” said Rochereau. “It’s been great fun and the beach is beautiful. I’m very happy.”

Series leader after the first three rounds, Pablo Violet – Yamaha started third, but on lap four lost a position to defending champion Michel Trannin – Honda before regaining it two laps from the end to finish fifty-five seconds down on the winner.

Crossing the line in sixth, Axel Dutrie – Yamaha was the first Quad Veteran rider home and Nathanaelle Abgrall – Yamaha was top in the Quad Women category with twelve hard-fought laps while Quad Junior pace-setter Alois Waloszek – Yamaha looked especially impressive with his thirteen laps good enough for seventh overall.