Apart from having some of the largest oil reserves in the world, the United Arab Emirates also has a lot of sand. And UAE has been utilizing most of its sand dunes in the best way possible since 1991 thanks to the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (ADDC). While sand maybe of less importance to the masses, it plays a significant role in the lives of professional motorsport drivers and riders.
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The 2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is scheduled from 31 March to 4 April. Just like last year, there are going to be numerous world class teams like Works KTM, Honda HRC, Works Husqvarna, Works Mini, Works Toyota, Works Peugeot, etc., participating this year.
Vendetta Racing UAE is one of the private teams that has been involved in this extreme rally raid for quite some time now. It was formed in 2007 to compete in the local sports bike championship but has grown to a size where it competed in events all over the world, off-road and track. Some of its biggest accolades have been competing in Isle of Man TT twice, various UK Endurance championships, MotoGP support races, Africa Eco Race, and all rounds of the World cross country rally championships. This year, it has got 5 full spec KTM rally bikes taking part in the ADDC.
Being an international rally event, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge brings together people from different nationals. It is the round 1 of the Cross Country World Rally Championship. The 2019 challenge is going to be a 5-day event starting at the YAS Marina and racing through the deserts of Liwa and finally returning to the starting point at the end of day 5 covering a total distance of approx 2000 km. The Rally HQ is set up behind the Qasr Al Sarab. It also has a temporary camp is set up for 800 people.
Events like the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge are, of course, very exciting and thrilling. However, we can’t deny the fact that they also involve a lot of money. Participating in such events isn’t easy even if you’ve got the talent.
Vendetta Racing UAE has got a good experience in racing in such rallies. It is usually the largest private team that participates in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. It gains a lot of media attention every year, however, it doesn’t seek cash from sponsorships rather gets offset funds towards vital equipment. This year it has support from Speedy Rentals, who are providing a generator and diesel, Beebus for their bus/motorhome, Infinity motorcycles, who are assisting with spares, and KTM, who is also assisting with spares and lubricants and is also providing the team its workshop manager for the week who is a full factory trained KTM mechanic.
As mentioned earlier, Vendetta Racing UAE has got 5 full spec KTM rally bikes and riding them this year are David Mabbs, David McBride, Kurt Burroughs, Aaron Mare, and William Mcbride.
We wish good luck to the entire Vendetta Racing team. We’ll be covering the 2019 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and will be bringing all the latest updates to you guys. So stay tuned.
